eavesdropping stars

Your soy milk swirls around your cup and your Illam tea matches the colour of your skin.
To form those magical milliseconds, your aunt had to send the golden parcel of unorthodox loose leaves all the way from the country's westernized shopping mall to where you now reluctantly reside.

Why the reluctance?
because I miss the rooftop...

Kathmandu,

I was sitting at the rooftop

The stars were having their usual debate,

I was eavesdropping their conversations,

everything came easy in my life,

even then, I am not taking a single ounce of my experience for granted,

just like this Ilam tea in front of me,

I  have always been blessed and fortunate,

Kathmandu, a different story

you were sitting on the overhead bridge

not eavesdropping,

marvelling at the stars shining within the city.

When you etched your name in each garment that bought your friends a cup of tea,

I hope your friends know the pride swirling around in their cup,

keeping them warm for a few minutes maybe, 

their warmth kept you going all along...

All that you are now, 

you deserved every bit of it and more. 

I am so proud to have found a friend in you,

who shared a completely different horizon of the same city I partly grew up in, 

even though I was born in this city, 

This city knows your name in large letters and proudly spells out its love for you. 

Through you, I was, once again, introduced to my hometown

for that, I want to thank you.  

that night when I was eavesdropping stars,
they said one of their friends made his way to the heart of this city,
right in the Mandala of the city!