I closed my eyes and made a wish,
As I blew on the candles lit on my birthday cake,
I saw a happy me sitting on the lap of the person
Who made me laugh so much that evening.
I opened my eyes to see
that person smiling and winking at me,
And I reached out to offer the mouth
Beneath the ‘Red Nose’, the first piece of cake.
My parents are clicking away photos happily,
Pretending not to be hurt by my gesture.
And everyone else is busy too
Trying to get a piece of the delicious cake.
The ‘Red Nose’ brushes my cheeks,
A hand holds mine tightly,
And a pair of lips close to my ears say,
“Let us have some more fun”
Excited about more games and laughter,
I let the ‘Red nose’ take me away,
Away from everyone at the party,
away into the dark.
We came to a room with many masks,
All of them had a ‘Red nose’,
Like the one that had brushed my cheeks.
And the one whose hands, now kept brushed against my thighs.
There was laughter,
Though I did not find this funny anymore.
I tried to get away and even cried out,
There was more laughter, and then just darkness.
The ‘Red Nose’ is here today too,
As I close my eyes to blow the candles on my 21st birthday,
Because it refuses to leave
the place behind my closed eyes.
Note: Originally published on Illumination
