Two Memories
Painting: Hilma Koelman
By Tikuli
1
A window opens through time
scented by deodars and pines,
as I lie on the wooden balcony of our cottage
my eyes linger on the shadow stencils
of the Dhauladhars rising beyond the valley,
the leaves murmur as the breeze tugs at them,
the sun, forgetting to set,
filters through the swaying branches
and meanders along forgotten paths,
a twist of smoke rises to meet the sky,
I breathe deeply, eyes closed,
inhale the aromas that we once shared,
the crackling warmth of wood stove,
the tang of our salt-laced bodies
with their steam rising into the stillness
like the echo of dreams haunting this house,
outside my window time advances slowly
2
the stone steps lead to a clearing
on the slope of the mountain
but today I’m taking a trail into the unknown,
I listen to the shifting silences of the trees,
the leaves spiral down and dance
to an imaginary music along the pathway,
they cling to my worn sneakers,
my gaze follows two pairs of wings
chasing each other in the clear blue sky
as I shift the weight of the packsack
onto the other shoulder, I pause
between Cedars and Oaks
taking in the shifting rhythms of the landscape,
the path gently passes through the forest, then dips,
the sound of falling water only makes the silence apparent,
here, there is no such thing as time,
I inhale the hot fragrance of the day
and share my breath with you,
in your mind I may be only a memory,
in my mind, you are a pause between my thoughts
Bio:
Tikuli is a blogger and author from Delhi. Her short stories and poems have appeared in print and in online literary magazines including Le Zaparougue, MiCROW 8, The Smoking Book (Poets Wear Prada Press, US), Life And legends, Levure Littéraire 10, The Enchanting Verses Literary Review, Open Road Review, Cafe Dissensus, Mnemosyne Literary Journal, Women’s Web, Readomania and Troubadour21. Tikuli’s print publications include poems in Guntur National Poetry Festival Anthology, Melange – a Potpourri of thoughts and the much acclaimedChicken Soup For The Indian Romantic Soul (Westland). Her debut poetry book, Collection Of Chaos, was published in 2014 by Leaky Boot Press.. She blogs at tikulicious.wordpress.com.
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5 Responses to “Two Memories”
this is sooo good
Thank you.
Beautiful poems replete with the scents and feel of the places and spaces.
Thanks so much for appreciating.
[…] Cafe Dissensus Everyday is the blog of Cafe Dissensus magazine and has fabulous content. I have been associated with the magazine since some time and absolutely love sending my work here. Do read some very fine articles, fiction and poetry among other things once you read my travel memory poems which recently got published. Two Memories […]