I thought beads were beads

 And pearls were pearls

But lately I have learnt

That beads are pearls and pearls are beads

No matter what I am told.

 Lately I learnt a bitter lesson

An online chain of stores

Tempted me with a bright fascinating ad

That I could not ignore

It entranced me with its ‘fishy’ display

 A beautifully layered pearl necklace

Three of its kind in a row

I struggled to shift my travelling eye

Not once but many times

It stole my sleep, my mental peace

Until I ordered it online

In my dreams it floated merrily

Twinkling before my eyes

The next day messages poured

Into my android

With tempting messages, divine

The day passed, the evening dawned

The sun set behind

The dark night spread its tentacles

The pearls did not arrive

It was a hoax I gathered so

I spent sleepless nights… the pearls did not arrive

I wrote and wrote till finally

The pearls did arrive

My excitement grew, my curiosity too

I entertained myself with a smile

But soon the spreading smile and grim

Vanished, for I had been taken for a ride

On opening the box, I stood aghast

There were no pearl necklaces inside!

The bubbly wrapped pieces stood staring at me

Just as I did for a while

The shimmering gold plated beads lay silently

Hoping to be hugged and tried

My shock was too great, my hope simply died

When beads were said to be pearls divine

 Remember folks when you order online

Be sure you confirm the ordered good is true and fine

Before you are taken for a ride

                                                                    ~Shobha Diwakar

                                                                      Jabalpur, India