Poem by Amita Sharma

Love Song
For Ashok & Mala


They say Farewell to wish someone well
on a journey, they say Adieu, to God, when
someone leaves: a goodbye.

But if you think about it, I never left,
I have not gone. I could never travel
very far, or find my way without you.

Even in the darkest times
when pain consumed me
it was never close to
the pain of leaving you,
and we clung to each other
as we would a raft in the raging sea.

Look up and find me in the stars,
for I have not gone, after all.
I am there in the ocean’s breeze that kisses
your mouth—rosy lips on a most beloved face.

I am the caress on your cheek
as you walk into the sun—any excuse
to fold you in my embrace.
Smile for me then, for your smile
lights up my world, warms me.

I am in the faces of our children,
and their children, in the stories
of our families and friends.

I am there in the air you breathe,
in your soul, in every fiber of your being,
in our precious memories:
I have not gone.

And in that lonely space
when all the world has gone to sleep,
when you are shrouded by the dark night,
when tears spill out like liquid stars,

that is when I am the closest to you
for I am nestled in your heart;
I speak to you in the language
of our heartbeats.