REQUIEM

REQUIEM

Sitting by my window, I reminisce and remember...

How I'd lost you during the monsoon thunder shower!

Your memories are snapshots on thin ice…frozen!

They shimmer crystalline, aureating imperially golden!

And unforgotten they remain

Fragile! As a daisy chain..

I guard them closely, like a last cookie crumb

But when they audaciously seep through unawares, to briny droplets I succumb...

Nostalgia bathes in the late afternoon sepia light

When you and I sipped steaming cups of tea chamomile…

Autumn limbers in with a soft serenade in all her bridal finery of reds and gold,

Reminding me of all my bountiful days of glory old

The October winds whisper their crisp russet songs and melody

But, it's your sweet nothings I yearn for, it's my only remedy!

Your stories had my heart melting, your wisdom warmed my soul

Your sadness carved my feelings deep, your joy made me whole…

On solitary evenings, my soul ventures into the jewel-toned wilderness realm

I've lost my anchor...my ship... and also my helm!

I walk in the fall rain, regaled with a bounty of towering flamed foliage abound,

Soaking in the crimsons before they become mulch on the sable carpeted ground.

Singing grieving lullabies, heart broken trees like me, stand tall and bare,

They shed rainbow tears dissolving into the quilted bed ochre…

I remember guitar-strumming under cloudless autumn skies

Bonfire evenings with you over warm laughter and fresh pumpkin pies

October is my orchestra and symphony of leaves fluttering,

Hope flickering in the honeyed golden realms like a fire crackling

Sitting in front of a fireplace, sipping your favourite mulled apple cider or cocoa with cream,

Aroma of cinnamon-vanilla cookies wafts from my kitchen like a dream.

Woolly socks, plaid blankets are thrown around to snuggle into

As I watch the soft-spun clouds and fading rufescent sunlight outside... without you…

Nature hibernates to preserve the acorns and holly-berries

Until spring brings another bountiful cornucopia along with a fragrance of wild roses and cherries

I miss your warm embrace, you made things better

I wish I could hug you longer and tighter…

Grief though intangible is tucked away into corners, they stand tall like soldiers in full glory and glimmer…

Luminescent in hard to reach places like a shimmer of glitter

It will soon be another Christmas without you; sadness is rife…

But seasons come and go, so do phases in life.

Can we relive all our beloved moments again?

After we reunite for eternity in heaven?

Comments

ANAM CARA

The waves are soft and frothy. Laced with gossamer frills tenderly kissing the tips of my toes covered with the grainy sand of the rugged seashore where I'm sitting, wistful. A gust of briny breeze tousles my hair as I gaze as far as my eyes can see. A flock of terns wheel overhead, their sharp, shrill cries punctuating the air as they dive and swoop over the surfs. A lone frigate bird , its crimson belly dazzling like a jewel skims majestically above, its long, slender wings outstretched as it rides the thermals high above the ocean. I absorb the sights and sounds of the late afternoon while absentmindedly scooping seashells beside me. As the afternoon phases, the furthest rim of the ocean is fringed in a gilded hem and the sleepy sun yawns, its dipping glow streaking the sky in a mellow tangerine and warm cherry. As I continue sitting there, the ships and yachts appear --specks of light from the portholes glimmering in the distance, reminding me of the phrase “That ship has sai...

BOKETTO

In my quiet moments, I pause the world from its frantic pace. In that stillness, I wistfully gaze into the distance and just let things unfurl as they please. I let my thoughts flow, absorbing nothing. Internalizing nothing. And just like that, the strands of tightly woven twine untangle and the knots come loose. Today, as usual, I found myself caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily grind. I was rushing to get things done, stressing about deadlines, and feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of tasks on my to-do list. But then, I took a deliberate pause. With a deep breath, I stretched, stepped away from my desk, and walked out onto my balcony. Leaning on the railing, I looked down at the familiar lanes of my neighborhood, twirling around the corners behind the blocks of apartments. The park and playground stood deserted at noon amid the cluster of flowering trees and surrounded by the hedges lining the curbs. I gazed at the sky, feeling the warm sun on my face and ...

ARIEL AND BLUE-BLOOD SHOES

The waves crashed violently against the craggy mountainside and the moonlight shone on the lacy froths. As I waded through the water and stepped on the wet sand, I remembered another night which was many moons ago. The same glinting lights through the palace doorways and windows, the fireworks adorning the night sky like shooting stars and meteors. A royal celebration with all the works and the guests dressed up in their best finery and aristocratic jewelry. Of noble births they all were. Blue blooded as the matriarch had pointedly told me once. That unholy night! That night of icy hearts and howling laughter, the echoes of cackling that followed me till I ran on wobbly legs to find my place of comfort where the land met water… Hot tears streaming down, I regretted those days when I lost my heart to a man so spineless. Had I not dragged him to the shore, he would have been a mangled mass after being torn apart by the piranhas and other monstrous maws. How I regret…Oh!...

CHẠ̀WKHRĀW (Chxw̒kh rxw̒)

As usual, at the dot of 8 pm, the Guzheng plays its stirring chords, the haunting notes beginning a slow sweep, rising to a powerful crescendo and alternating with a tranquil ebbing of melody surfing me along the waves of soul-stirring, yet a serene stretch of an hour every day. I make it a point to sit right beside my dining room window to bask in this lulling sound therapy as my neighbor downstairs diligently plays on this zither, oblivious to my admiration. What a luxury it is to have a live orchestra while I savour the last meal of the day. It's a welcome distraction to the otherwise jarring squabbling of the playful neighbourhood children. The Chạ̀wkhrāw of this– that the musical household might move one day is a foreboding thought. Foreshadowing this, deeply ingrained in me is the shattering news I had received upon returning to Singapore after an 8 month absence here. The Ramadan festive season was fast approaching at the end of March but the apar...

HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIDE

The sleek steel grey landline with it's cordless handset gleams in the mid morning sunlight. It's only a fixture on the tabletop these past several years yet loved and flaunted for old times sake. Also, for the numerous times the handset had nestled in our palms. The vintage feel of it and the stronghold of memories I associate it with beats the smartphone by miles. It has in turn been a confidante of our precious moments, some idling talk, some annoyance oh yes ! and all before Whatsapp made an entry into our lives and the poor dear was no longer in demand. The world was at our fingertips. It doesn't complain, doesn't whimper, not even a sigh, murmur or a slightest hint at a whisper of life for the past decade and more! Except… On Thursday the daylights were socked out of me! Lost in mundane chores, I had my gloved hands deep in a pile of soapy water scrubbing away at the breakfast dishes. The usual swell of silence was harshly rend by the landline from the livin...

Sangeetha Kamath

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