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Brownies

by Annapurna Sharma
(Nellore, India)

I was at my desk
Deep in thought
Over the work at hand
It hopped on the window sill
I looked at it with distracted attention
The shrill cry of the phone filled the room
My aunt overseas was terribly ill
I stood there sangfroid
As a silent prayer passed my lips!

I was sound asleep
As the afternoon sun had taken the toll
The loud rendezvous shook me awake
I strode to the window
There were two brownies
Busily chatting away
A long lost childhood friend called
We went down memory lane
My joy that day knew no bounds!

I was crouched at the flower beds
The big star readying
To bade farewell for the day
Three of them flew from the nearby tree
They dived into the bird-bath for a final sip
The message in my inbox blinked
I kept my fingers crossed
My aunt was sprightly and fine
My day was never so bright!

At last I had to believe
The tale my dear friends often told -
“One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for letter!”
I craned my neck ever so often
To spot them perched on a low branch
Or dashing into a poodle of water
They were the browny mynahs’ in my backyard!