Hope for Love

We pledged our vows long, long ago,
Misfortune intervened…
we parted, friends no more,
And a decade slipped in-between.
You and I, we met again,
by some sudden quirk of Fate;
We toasted Love, our spirits soared,
but we cherished not this granted grace,
this glimmering of another chance;
You and I, in feigned indifference,
Consumed one another’s dreams
as petty jealousies thrived upon
proud illusions, misgiving intervened…
we parted, friends no more
and a decade slipped in-between.

My heart does beat with simple Hope,
Endurance now, a second skin.
Time to revere Love, true Love,
mellow, mature and kind…
redolent Love that must allay
this gnawing fear,
this revelation of losing you,
a part of me, to fading memory.
You and I must repledge our vows,
our tryst must heal our broken lives,
to enshrine this inner strength,
this sacred inner space,
never again to be defiled;
till Death do us part
… in Love.

He Said, She Said

It was the dawn that caused the first rift.
I saw darkness, he saw the light.
Yet we smiled in unison,
hiding the pain of incompatibility.
He saw the green of the forest,
I saw the danger lurking there.
Yet we plodded on through the years
adrift, on secret missions
to keep our family safe.
Now we agree to disagree
on issues once passionate,
to sever ties and reason,
little time left to argue
on who was right –
Life tips scales, every now and then
Urges compassion before strife!

Mid-life Blues

Reflective at three score four,
memories tease and wound –
knowledge gained but shallow –
this enigmatic Life is cruel, in tune.
Brilliant scholar, intense,
you soar far beyond my reach –
oblivious to my sorrow, this sad song,
Mid-life Blues, play on. Will you think of me
when I am gone?
The grey in my hair,
spread of my hips;
the warmth of my glance,
and crooked smile,
with its hint of scorn?
Will the words of this verse
amuse or aggravate –
as you wander on,
regardless of my sorrow,
this sad song?
The world nurtures its sad songs,
yearns for softer morrows,
Love’s return.
Mid-Life Blues, play on!

Lost Sunsets

Will you miss me when I am gone?
The soft curve of my wrinkled cheek,
my fragrance at dawn?
Will you recall all the moments of our family,
travel, laughter and song,
listening to melodies in alien lands?
Or will you frown, reflecting upon my constant need
for perfection, in an imperfect world?
Idealistic, frantic, seeking approval,
always placing others’ needs, before our own?
Will you miss the moments we missed –
as we plodded on, decade by decade?
In the quiet shadow of evensong,
I ask you, do you miss me while I am still here?
I apologise for all our lost sunsets,
But you owe me too…words, just words of faith.

Excerpted with permission from Morning Twilight: Poems, Jayshree Misra Tripathi, Speaking Tiger Books.