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Twinkling Lights Pratibha Kelapure At one time Pratibha's signature line read, "a mother, a poet and an engineer-- in that order." At the age of fifteen, she completed Rashtrabhasha Prachaar Samiti's Pandit degree with first place in the state of Maharashtra and discovered her passion for literature. Later on though she followed well traveled road to a science degree, marriage and move to bay area - California, where she has lived for past 22 years. She is a software engineer by profession, and a piece of code with imaginative, meaningful variable names moves her to tears. She retains a child's naivete, curiosity and sense of wonder about the world around her. Kindness is her philosophy in life.

Beyond the winding ways taking weary travelers home,
Beyond the twinkling lights of the far away town,
Lies the love that you and I created.

The Music fills the space in my mind,
I am cradled in my soft emotional swing.

Every wave of the swing is a memory of your sweet whispers,
Every breath of fresh air is your soft caress.

I wonder where you are and I long for those soft moments.
My heart is warm and suddenly it is calm.

You my dear are always in my heart,
Moments we shared are still alive.
The winding ways, the twinkling lights will always be there,
So will the love that you and I created.

Pratibha Kelapure
6/16/98