Saudade

A whistle, the coffee that I was heating
A rustle, the bed that I refused to leave
A bell, the alarm that I set
A groan, the struggle from my waking

A ring, the call from my mom
An answer, 'yes mom'. I'm up. Love you
A splash, the shower that I turned on
A slam, the door as I left

A sigh, another uneventful day
A beep, the cars were rushing to and fro
A ding, the elevator reached my floor
The clamour, this is where I work

The mind, something tells me to leave
The wonder, as I left my office
The question is, where do I go
A creak, the bench I laid down to rest

In a magazine, I covered my face to hide from the Sun
A voice, as sweet as honey, and ice cream
A greeting, 'I believe you have my magazine
A startle, the embarrassment that I felt

With a handshake, I reached out
A name, I remembered
moment, I think I'm at a loss for words
A conversation, we continued until dusk

A flower, I gave you the next week
A handwritten letter, I wrote for you for the next few months
A hand, you held in the moments we shared
A yes, I received from you the year sizzles

A sizzle, the breakfast you were cooking
A hug, tight as my hand around yours
A lifetime, the plans we made
A sparkle, the eye that I'm fond of looking at

An argument, voices raising, tempers flaring
The tears, it was heartbreaking
The door, left open as you left me
The silence, drowning me in my shattered heart

The calls, and hundreds of messages I left
A talk, hugs, and tears were exchanged
A ring, the future we'll have
A promise, the lifetime we'll share

The bells and angels, singing for us,
The people, crying and clapping for us
The flowers, blooming all for us
The tears, I held back as I saw you walking down the aisle.

-Khushi Kaul