Longing

by Samreen Sajeda

In these poems of longing by Samreen Sajeda, absence is neither a feeling that surges in during moments of seclusion, nor does it make you a recluse. Rather, it walks right beside you as you return to familiar locales.

I
 
When I miss you,
I trick my mind
And you appear.
 
Breathing the same air,
Strolling,
Listening to the sea echo.
 
Often stopping at a book shop
Lost in wonder,
Pockets empty.
 
Or just walking
Through Fountain* —sitting on Asiatic** steps,
Waiting for dusk, that falls
 
With a drizzle
Over mellow street lights
Gently stirring the night.
 
Later, resting tired feet
By reclining on an easy chair
To read the starry sky…
 
But my mind is no fool,
Aware—you’re not miles away
But oceans beyond.

II
 
I have stopped missing you.
Then perhaps, it’s a mistake
 
To walk into your favourite restaurant,
Order tangy rice noodles (like always),
And muse over filter coffee,
 
Later take the longer route
To greet the old chaiwala
Under the tinned roof
Thrown as an afterthought
Over two brick walls.
 
Or stroll in Chor bazaar***
Silently absorbing
The bustling chaos,
(Like how you did),
 
Often rummaging
Through footpath book-stalls
In search of first editions.
 
And never missing a single
Reading by your favourite poet,
Then wandering through galleries,
Letting art slip out of frames
And seep into my blood.
 
Perhaps, it’s a mistake
To wait.
 
* An area in South Mumbai.

** The Asiatic Society of Mumbai.

*** A flea market in Mumbai.

Samreen Sajeda graduated in English Literature from Sophia College, Mumbai and has an MA in the same from the University of Mumbai. Samreen writes poems and short stories. Her work has been published in Muse India, the Indian Cultural Forum, Hakara, and the anthology of Poetry India.

Pic credit: Wikipedia