An enigmatic poem about a girl, and later a woman, by the cool banks, pebbles and tears by
Blue Eve.
‘By your cool banks, I sat down at last.
And wept.
Wasn’t it the same bank
where once I fell?
With pebbles in my palms.
A curious me,
throwing them in
to pierce your heart?
Pebbles never hurt you though.
Instead, you splashed and
sent me ripples that day.
Even a lone crane waiting
for its prey
flew off on the pebble trail.
As I sat shedding tears for the hurt I felt.
Till I saw me, in your ripples
that made me sway.
And I laughed in joy at wildflowers blooming by your banks
in the scorching May.
Chasing dragonflies that often played
on your rippling banks,
green with grassy moss.
‘I have come again.
By your banks,
I weep again.
No pebbles in my palms today,
Only marks of hurt and pain.
Beaten, bruised and shamed.
By all who promised me
a married heaven.
Yet burnt me in the fire of hell.
You tried hard to make me laugh,
sending your dragonflies, butterflies flowers and moss.
To turn my tears of loss
To laughter again.
Yet, in your ripples
I never saw me again.
I was just a woman,
who sat by your banks
and wept.’
©Saheli Mitra
Pix from Net.