Dear Krithika, wish you a very happy birthday
Seldom, are you not full of joy
Conversing with you is a lot of fun
Thou art such a cool cousin!

Dear Krithika, wish you a very happy birthday
We may not chat everyday
Nevertheless, we share a lovely little bond
Thank you so much, for appreciating my poems to no end!!

Dear Krithika, wish you a very happy birthday
May everything go your way
Many memorable moments, have we shared
Quite a lot of fun, have we had
Always, will I cherish our relationship
Your affection for me runs deep!!

Dear Krithika, wish you a very happy birthday
May you have a fantabulous day
May you and your family get some quality time together
Wishing you a fantastic future
And may the Almighty bless you abundantly forevermore!!

You are my coolest cousin
Whenever you are around, vanish, does all my pain
Incredibly warm and friendly
You keep every single person around you happy!

You are my coolest cousin
Incapable are you, of any sin
One of the sweetest people
Never, are you dull
You also have a rather attractive American accent
Not to mention, some typical Ravenclaw wit!!

You are my coolest cousin
Over the years, have we had a lot of fun
Without you, Ireland would never have been the same
To your wedding, unfortunately could I not come
For that, am I so sorry
But for Akash and you, am I extremely happy!!

You are my coolest cousin
On the whole, a beautiful person
May you have an amazing married life
I am sure you are a fantastic wife
Hope to catch up with you soon
May the Lord bless you with many a boon!!

A very very dear cousin, you are
Always, have you shown me unconditional love and care
So lucky am I, to have you in my life
Been my bedrock have you, in times of strife!

A very very dear cousin, you are
All my rants, are you ready to hear
Really, are you patient to the core
Especially given that, off late I have been a bit of a bother
What all have you done for me, I am just unable to count
Truly do I love you as a sister, from the bottom of my heart!!

A very very dear cousin, you are
Interacting with you is such a pleasure
That I often wish the conversation never ends
Yes, greatly do I treasure our long calls and voice note exchanges
In recent weeks though, often have I tested your patience
However, I respect you loads
And I assure you that I will learn from my mistakes
And more importantly, act on my words!!

A very very dear cousin, you are
My heart beats for you, now and forever
Deeply, do I value your advice
In fact, have you helped me become a better person
Having you on my side is indeed a massive boon!!

A very very dear cousin, you are
So much, do I love your mother
So gentle, humble and understated, is your father
And Pradeep is so, so cool
Well, I love you all
Please do keep that smile on your kind face
And hope we soon meet, face to face!!

Over the holidays, I was watching Lisa’s sister little Leeza, she’s 14.
She has a rebellious fashion sense and a joyful innocence.
She’s still fearless too, and on-God, I hope she never loses that.

Too soon though—the disco’s coming to town—the world’s coming for her. It’s the same for all of us, I suppose, but in Lisa and my cases, covid shut it all down.

It’s a rite of passage—the shoes, the bodycon dresses and the makeup. Those carry negative connotations, I get it, but there’s an excitement too, about finally getting to dress like an adult—a woman—in one of those bodycon, cut-out dresses.

I know the pressures on women and their bodies, but at her age, it's not all stress, cattiness and comparisons—it’s just innocent teen fun. She and her posse can take hours just dressing and doing their make-up—together. It’s probably the best part of their night.

Leeza’s dad (Michael) saw the little group of teens, all dolled-up and launched, like a SpaceX Starship. Pacing the living room, he quietly opined to Karen (her mom), “I don’t want her going out dressed like that.”

Karen was right there with him to cool things down, “No, ***, at her age, it’s about self-expression, learning and girl bonding—these connections are really important in the girl-world.”

I’m not worried about Leeza’s physical safety. These girls are watched over and gently curated. Their every movement is orchestrated and security escorted—hell, Hamas couldn’t get to them—much less some gropey boy.

There’s just this new awareness these days of how unhappy some people are—and a lot of them are teen girls. I wouldn’t want to see Leeza mired in the sad, brain-draining social media pressure and self-esteem traps.
Teenhood is scary—I was feelin’ positively parental.

Then I looked at Lisa, and I was reminded that they’ve done all this before, and she has a big-sister, role-model too.
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Songs for this:
Good Time Girl (feat. Charlie Barker) by Sofi Tukker
Dance To This (feat. Ariana Grande) by Troye Sivan

I wish I didn’t hate you
As much as I loved you
I wish our relationship was easy,
Just as sisterhood is supposed to be

I wish you didn’t get so angry
And your rage didn’t feel so routine
I wish I didn’t have to think twice
Before listening to you, wondering
If your story’s a lie, or just your warped,
Narcissistic truth

I wish this felt more like family,
And we didn’t have to talk behind your back
I wish you were happier, and freer
And less controlled by your anger

I wish you didn’t self-sabotage after
Every good thing
I wish you didn’t love me so much
Because maybe then, it would be easier

I heard the door open. It was Leeza (Lisa’s 14-year-old sister),
she’d been out on a date. I was the only one in the living room
as she came in and sagged, dejectedly onto the huge, white
sectional couch, right next to me. She looked positively
deflated. Which is unusual because up until now,
she’s been all freckles and smiles

Ok, here’s where we get poetic and rhyme, with innuendo and allusion:

Me: “Did you have a good time?”
Leeza: “No but I was trying.”
Me: “Did he get handsy—the swine?”
Leeza: “Argh! No—but his kisses are a crime.”
I gasped: “You didn’t give him a climb!?”
Leeza “NO!” she said, somewhat horrified.
Me (trying to be neutral): “No judging, it would have been.. fine (I lied).”
Leeza: “That’s never going to happen.”
“Good,” I declared, “he was just a distraction—and, you know Santa.”
“What about Santa?”

Whew, that’s enough of THAT (rhyming business).

She asked, so, yeah, I sang it.. I had to.

“He knows who you’ve been kissing,
what you’re thinking when you’re awake,
he knows if you’ve been bad or good—
he’s kind of like a cop that way.”

After a moment's silence Leeza asked,
“Is there something creepy about that?”
“Only if you think about it.” I admitted,
as she put her head on my shoulder.
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A song for this:
Fairytale of New York (feat. Kirsty MacColl) by The Pogues
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A Christmas Playlist! There’s 6 days til Christmas (and Hanukkah)
http://daweb.us/xmas/Christmas_25.mp3

What a wonderful sister, you are
For you, a lot do I care
Not all the time, may we talk
However, when it gets really dark
You are the light I badly need
Your words of advice, are always to be heeded
And interacting with you is so much fun
That it makes me forget all my pain!

What a wonderful sister, you are
With you around, is there nothing to fear
Indeed, do you have a very calming presence
And gifted are you, with oodles of common sense
No wonder, are you such a fine lawyer
A lot of trouble, do you often have to bear
However, every test do you end up clearing with flying colours
For you, are no circumstances too adverse!!

What a wonderful sister, you are
Grinning was I, from ear to ear
When you arrived a few weeks back
Brought me some respite from work
So thoughtful, was your gift
Truly, do you possess a golden heart!!

What a wonderful sister, you are
And will be, now and forever
Keep smiling and take care
And may you be blessed with a glorious future!!

In another universe.
Things would be so new.

There wouldn't be a me.
Without having a you.

We'd have the things we crave.
Our stomachs would be full.

There would be so much laughter.
There would be so much chatter.

Your smile would've never dimmed.
Your eyes would've never darkned.

We'd be a family.

There would be a fully set table.
There would be a fully set house.

Nothing would ever be fixed.
As nothing would be broken.

You would have stayed you.
I would have stayed me.

Now we are worlds apart.
Now we are left alone.

All I have are memories.
Even in time they fade.

There is no alternate universe.
And it's killing me everyday.

We will always be sisters.
We will never be the same.

My heart will always ache.

Her smile lays upon my glassed eyes
The replaced I was, I cried
She smiles with an evil grin
The fate of my sister she did spin

Now I am the second choice
She’s left to rot, echoes her voice
The next best thing to come to her
Guess I am just here for a leftover

How easy it is to throw a ******* smile,
Say some normal words while your brain runs a mile,
How your feet keep walking and your hands keep moving,
Yet everything inside you decomposes into ruin.
To laugh a happy laugh and make a funny joke,
While your stomach twists and turns and feels it’s going up in smoke.

Last week was fine - what has happened to my mind?
I was enjoying life and sunshine - why now can’t I stop crying?
It consumed me less before so why so much today,
Why’s my heart now breaking why’s it ruining my day?

There’s no rhyme or reason to this crazy thing called grief,
It calms down for a moment then picks up like a stray leaf,
It takes it time to come and then it hits you all at once,
So please excuse me for a minute if I’m failing this front.