Departure's Trail
Departure's Trail is an illustration of the disturbance one may feel, every time one has to leave home to start a new chapter or journey, this is accompanied by a poem that amplifies that feeling of being pulled away from someplace, when you do not want to, Echoes of the Meandering Roads.
Through the meandering and unidirectional roads
The car's engine whirred, pulling me from all that is home.
The car's engine whirred, pulling me from all that is home.
Leaving behind the star-studded skies,
the life-brimming green leaves,
the gush of the rhythmic dance of lake waves,
the oxygen-rich air,
the kinder than kindest of souls,
the city pulsating with life.
Through the meandering and unidirectional roads,
the car's engine whirred, pulling me from all that is home.
I lowered the windows, embracing the silence,
gazing at scenes that, even after decades,
retained their enchantment.
The November Himalayan winds, coursed in,
drying tears before they could form,
as they wept to part from it all.
Through the meandering and unidirectional roads,
the car's engine whirred, pulling me from all that is home.
As I was made to descend,
my eyes yearned for one more glimpse.
Like a heartbroken lover, my head turned again and again,
longing to rebel against departure.
To linger one more day in its warmth.
Through the meandering and unidirectional roads,
the car's engine whirred, pulling me from all that is home.
As the winds grew warmer,
the leaves turned browner,
the sky veiled in fog,
the people less kind,
the land parched.
Through the straight and disjointed roads,
the warm embrace of the cold wind,
was remade into stifling air.
A concoction of cold hearts
caused a deluge across my face.
Resulting in rolling the windows back up.
Still looking outward,
yearning, turning and glancing.
Now drowning in nostalgic longing.
The car's engine had taken me away from all that is home.
the car's engine whirred, pulling me from all that is home.
As the winds grew warmer,
the leaves turned browner,
the sky veiled in fog,
the people less kind,
the land parched.
Through the straight and disjointed roads,
the warm embrace of the cold wind,
was remade into stifling air.
A concoction of cold hearts
caused a deluge across my face.
Resulting in rolling the windows back up.
Still looking outward,
yearning, turning and glancing.
Now drowning in nostalgic longing.
The car's engine had taken me away from all that is home.
Creators Note
I was leaving my hometown right before Diwali to go to my parents to a place that more often than not, makes me feel imprisoned, and I had this gut-wrenching-heart-tearing feeling along with this huge lump in my throat that ensured my silence for the rest of the trip. As I stuck my head out of the window to feel the air of home for as long as I could, I realised that having moved several times in incredibly short span I have lived, I have perhaps felt this way more often than I care to admit. Therefore, for the poem the emotion was there, I just had to find the right words. It did take me about two weeks to finish it up. This illustration was not so difficult to imagine or even sketch out roughly, what was hard however, was everything that came after. My initial draft consisted of a rearview mirror and not a heavy background, but I did not like how it turned out. So, I changed it around to something straight out of many films. Something I believe is important to point out is that the poem along with the illustration is very much based on multiple real-life experiences, which is probably why, even as I am minutes away from publishing, I am not very happy with the artwork or the poem.
Created On: 10.12.2023
Published On: 13.12.2023
