Wandering Thoughts Poem by Rajiv Khandelwal

As always
When I am alone
And my thoughts
Wander

That's when
I see in you
Dear daughter
The reflections
Of bits and pieces of myself
And I fondly admit
That you are my pride and joy

Your nature shines
A daughter beyond compare
You are stellar and rare
More than the sacks of money raked in by a beggar

As always
When I am alone
And my thoughts
Roam aimlessly like a typical window-shopper

That's when
I perceive
I love you very much
More than a politician's liking for corrupt public procurement posts

As always
When I am lonely
And sitting with your thoughts only

Erratically
Your thoughts
Vaporize
As fast as over poured petrol
In sweltering heat
And that's when
The drifting musings
Bring in your mother
As silently as the breaking section of the iceberg sliding into the sea

And losing myself completely
I discover
I have never loved
Anyone
As much as I love your mother

And the thought popping into the mind
Says: These are not words that every husband tells his wife
But it's quite like a blind person's yearning for eyesight


Above Poem Published in Naaji Naaman Foundation, Lebanon Anthology 2018