Loved By The Gods...? Poem by Daniel Trevelyn Joseph

More than forty years ago Rajan and I
On the suburban train from Tambaram
To Chennai city. A dreamy look on his face.

Shifted gaze from the left of the noisy train,
And pointed to a car down on road near
Mambalam, being driven by man with a tie.

He explained, “As an IAS officer
You would soon drive a new Fiat car”:
I don’t remember what I said.

A little later I got married with
Rajan standing next at reception
At the Imperial Hotel opposite Egmore.

Three or four months later in Gadhinglaj
My wife informed me one afternoon,
Very afraid, “It appears Rajan has died”.

All die, I knew: he was not even twenty-seven:
I continued to eat my lunch to her amazement,
I spoke no word, nor made another friend.