Lohri

This Lohri,
cremating rowdy boys'
chairs from mom's school

I wondered what happens
if you burn a five-rupee coin.
Is it any different
from burning a two rupee coin?

It's illegal, said dad.
Mom said it's sinful.

Nearly two decades
of similar socialisation have taught me
that it is appropriate to burn peanut-shells,
but not peanuts.
(But you may, once in a while,
chuck a rewri)

I throw another SMS in the fire;
and harvest no reply;
except dad, who tells me
it is rude to use a cellphone
when sitting with the family.

Ten minutes later, it vibrates
inside my pocket.
I flare up silently
like a popcorn, or a widow.

Author notes

This is about social conventions..since the conventions in my part of the world, and the terms used must be rather new to many, I feel a little background is required.

Lohri is a festival marking the agricultural new year in Punjab, India. It is celebrated by sitting around a bonfire, eating peanuts, sweets (called rewri) and popcorn.

The last line of the poem alludes to the "Sati" tradition, followed around a 100 years back in India (there are still freak cases, even today) wherein widows jumped into their husbands' funeral pyres and ended their lives.