To Grandpa, With Love!

 

Five years gone by.. Shadows of existence flutter by...
Amidst the steams of a hot cup of tea,
in the holy fragrance of the incense sticks,
in the enrapturing scent of the 'beedi',
in the laughter of the army men during break,
in the smoke of the fire lit on cold evenings
I find you beside me, even today.

Five years gone by.. Shadows of existence flutter by...
The sandalwood paste accentuates the nostalgia,
the calm forehead that had then turned cold,
the toes that suddenly seemed icy,
the body that was the temple to your soul
suddenly had turned empty, but still
I find you beside me, even today.

Five years gone by..Shadows of existence flutter by...
The slowly flowing river took with it your ashes
the sweet scent of your perfume
that refused to leave the home
that stands testimony to the time that we 'lived'
To the being that now exists in a photograph-
I find you beside me, even today.

- Divya Nambiar