Visalakshi 4 Poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar

She herself that day called me up,
That she never did hitherto.
She got my number from one,
Being her confident and my friend.

Given to know about my health
Affected by deadly cancer,
She was tempted to contact me
Which she never thought of doing before.

She was at ease as much as she was
During our sojourn of love
Enacted when we were sixteen,
About fifty seven years ago.

I gathered courage that I couldn't
In earlier opportunities
To confirm the news that was gnawing
At me all fifty seven years.

‘She fell into well from love failure',
The next day after we were caught
Red handed in her room by mother,
Was the news I heard when I left.

She confirmed it as true in a tone
To show me how deep she was hit
By the failure I inflicted.
Her suicidal attempt put me dry.

She consented to my offer
Of visiting her in her abode,
Which she's never encouraged so far.
It shows she couldn't put down her urge.

The spark of love I ignited
In her as a maiden love has stayed
In her for the past forty years
Of family and her widowhood.

She is a widow but I am not.
Even if I were a widower,
We cannot reunite by body,
In front of our descendants.
07.06.2014