To The Gang of Archies ’81 Alone!

Right in the middle, I wanted to be

Know not why, I did flee.

Recalling those bygone times when I first started reading my favourite newspaper, for reasons unfathomable, I was always fascinated by this “middle” grabbing centre stage all through my reading. “What’s that “thing” (Read: Article) printed there right in the middle, called?” I would ask my siblings. Little did I know then that this “thing” was indeed named after “Right in the middle”! How did my creation of this title match with the Editor’s? Is it by sheer coincidence that is part of our life? Was there a telepathy working between the Editor and me? Or if it has existed ever since this newspaper was born, how did I miss it, despite its age old existence? Questions like these lurk in my mind to this day!

An avid reader that I am, I feel green with envy when I see those names in print below the title. Will I ever get to see mine? Right in the middle of my reading, I ponder how do I reach there, down under and grab that hot seat! Wishful thinking by the kid in me, without the effort that is needed to be!

Although writing has been my long time passion, the dream of earning the coveted title of an “Author” has eluded me till date! Probably the fire in my belly is not burning bright enough to see the light of day!

Of late however, I am back to writing ways  albeit in a small way, courtesy “Archies” as we classmates fondly call ourselves, ever since we graduated in Architecture, way back then! Couched as we were in various nooks and corners of our own globe, I deemed it fit to do my bit to restore ‘The Connect‘ between us, Archies. Intent: Each one, Reach all. Mails of mine crawled at snail’s pace, with a word or two, initially. Slowly yet steadily they grew. Soon I saw a sea of mails sailing from my shore. Words started swelling in number and length creating waves of storm. True to my expectation, a line was born. Line grew up to be a phrase in its infant stage, slowly rising tall to reach a sentence, calling itself “a style statement” akin to the trend of teenagers today. Alongside these lines, the author in me too started evolving. From a phase of Phrase, I morphed to the phase of Prose. My literary graph shot up to a paragraph and more!

Some words within paragraphs started rhyming, singing in unison, “Can you pen a poem that rhymes with me?” Swayed by their singing, I started keying. Soon they started teaming, each one greeting the other, letting themselves mime together. Teams like these grew in number introducing themselves as “Verses”.

Thus, out of these verses  was born “A Poem” and out of me was born “An Infant Poetess”.

On reading my writings in those mails to Archies, I wondered, if Prose and Poetry are better halves of each other, inseparable as they are one from the other.

As I reach the edge of the “cliffhanger”, hanging in suspense whether I will ever see my name in print down under, this precipice shall remain the cornerstone of my “Literary Library Building”.

If indeed my dream comes true, courtesy this article printed in my favourite newspaper, armed with the title of a “New Born Author”, I shall race back home  away from this “middle” of attraction, leaving the readers reading with rapt attention!

Right in the middle, I wanted to be

Thank you Archies, for letting me be.