CHARULATA 2010

Afterwards,
Dolly lies on the leather couch,
Long and limp and sprawled;
Dibyendu feels that she is so great
That she's not really a girl
In fact, he suddenly concludes;
She might not even be human....


At her mother's place, Charu contemplates-
“Can I go mad, just stark, raving, mad?”
Then she realizes that she can't afford it
She has known about them for eighteen days now
But he hasn't called her still....


He feels as if he can touch her halo
While brushing his hand through her unruly hair
Feel her pulse
As if she carries, electricity or something
In her purse


Charulata stands alone on her Ekdalia Road balcony
Gazing outside with her nineteenth century opera glasses;
She's like a voyeur
Peeping in from a keyhole at someone else's life
Tonight, she just wants to be loved
In fact, that's all she ever wanted
So finally, but surreptitiously,
After waiting for four hundred and thirty eight hours for Dibu's call
And then delaying herself for another ten minutes
She reaches out for Amal....


Sure there are other girls who're six feet tall
Who taste electronic
Who have lips this cute
With their voices automatic
Who possess eyes so shiny
And souls so plastic
But yet, Dibyendu concedes that there is only one Dolly
Plus, she also bends better


There aren't many things that are ten inches tall
Charulata calculates that she probably likes Amal more than Dibu
For he doesn't care if her legs aren't waxed
He doesn't answer her back
He doesn't make her feel guilty
He does exactly what she wants
He comes with a guarantee
And lasts longer.