Candid Talk..... Poem by RIC BASTASA

she took a
handkerchief and
tied it round her neck

her niece said the prayers
saying it was caused by
mere feelings

feelings end
everything sometimes
and it is no wonder
it is acceptable nowadays

the sad fact is no one
wants to mention it
and so
it simply forgets itself
like water boiling and
evaporating and
what is left is
the cold tin of
a can

in our chat
you blame me for taking about
endings

that i should have
mentioned more about
sunlit beginnings

grazing fields and
limitless horizons of green
and blue
and flaming sunsets
that make our
mouths gape
for
beauty

i tell you i am
not a story teller
i am a poet
and endings
are not open
most of the times

sometimes they are
insults that one must bear
even in one's
self dug graves

there is always a responsibility
that must be gripped by our hands
and if these hands open
and surrender respect
to some
insignificant handkerchiefs

so be it

sadness is not a reason
and it is not always
beautiful

so be it

let those who cannot bear
bury themselves
we have our own preoccupations
our graves to dig too
our our litany of justifications
after