! ! ! ! Delusion Quelled Poem by asma bahrainwala

Not so long ago, I perceived
The soft sound of your approaching footsteps
Closing in from somewhere behind the mist
But before I could glimpse your silhouette
It faded away in an instant
Confounding me
Thus making me believe
The intuition I had
Was nothing but
A mere figment of my imagination.

Not so long ago, I sensed
The faint whiff of your fragrance
Drawing near, riding on the North-East wind
But before it could seep into my being
It disappeared into nothingness
Like a teardrop
Vanishing from the hollow of my eyes
Leaving just an empty trail
Thus making me acquiesce
The dreams I had so delicately woven
With the fragile thread of tender anticipation
Were irrevocably condemned to be shattered.

Not so long ago, I discerned
The indistinct presence of your shadow
Walking by my side on the moonlit nights
But before it could attain a substantial distinctness
It transpired as just another illusion
Melting away into oblivion all at once
Leaving behind nothing but
A frigid loneliness
To chafe and deepen the fresh lesions
Inflicted by Time’s scythe.

Just when I had concluded
With an absolute sense of finality
That I was doomed
To plummet irretrievably
Into the murky depths of despair
From where none could ever redeem me
A warm smile on your loving face
And a tender touch of your hand
Breathed new life into me.



27th August 2009