Departure

The soul takes leave of the body,

half-mangled by life.

Sorrow sweeps over in waves,

rising to a crescendo,

then ebbs like the tide.

The grief remains,

like a dead weight

around one’s neck.

What is it about death

that leaves one

pensive or subdued?

Is it the pockets of absences,

the anguish of unspoken words,

or just the shocking

ephemerality of life?

Sunset in the Bath Tub

I lay still in the bath tub
listening to jazz. 

The water felt cold

and tasted of

sterile chlorine and soap.

I imagined watching

a sunset.

A broken kite

swirled like 

a mad dragon

and finally rested

in the dark green casuarina tree

with its tail streaming

flame blue in the evening breeze...

A two-year old

both amazed and terrified

by the majestic sea

mud-wiggled

as gentle swashes swept

her tiny feet.

She laughed...

A  woman

with hair as white as wisdom

lay down to watch the sky.

The iridescent sun

sent streams of rays

as brahminy kites hovered in its glory.

This must be what heaven looks like…

I lay face down,

the water filling my nostrils.

I could taste the salt

on my lips.