To Darkness And Back

And then there was darkness…

I kept slipping into a void,

a cold and slimy limbo,

there were doors,

multiple of them arranged

like an array…

I turned the knob of one

and the door opened into

a lush green meadow,

a hammock swaying

in a summer afternoon;

i was reading a book

and you came from behind

and closed my eyes…

And then another door opened,

to our wedding day,

we exchanging our vows

circumambulating the fire…

And another one opened

to a lazy afternoon

the fan droning,

beads of sweat sprinkling

from your forehead

and I rubbing the sweat on

Your forehead…

Another door opened to

a late evening with friends

and samosas and ginger tea,

You had your hand on my shoulder

and I was chatting with

Mrs. Sharma and Mrs. Banarjee,

and another door,

and another door...

Like a train slithering through

the corridors of my brain

stopping at every memory-station.

Then there was a piercing voice

and the train stopped in a never-land.

No doors, no me, no you

Just darkness...

I kept hearing your voice,

you were crying,

you were asking

me to come back.

And then I felt I was floating

surfacing up from a black sea...

My eyes opened

to see you leaning over me

as two drops of tears

slid from your eyes

and fell on my cheeks…

I recovered later

and was discharged

from the hospital.

A temporary coma was

what the doctors had said…

And you said it was

all a dream.

But I say,

I almost died

and came back

listening to your voice.

At least, that is what

I want to believe...