-Republic Day, 2021
Sometimes precious things
disappear in a moment,
like the flash and bang
of a wedding cracker
or that cat you used to feed,
caught under a swerving bus;
but sometimes they slip away slowly,
like an early morning dream
where you know you left something
of great value in the train car
you see sinking in the river—
a box of old family photos,
perhaps, or the lipstick you took
from your grandmother’s table
on the day she died—
and you’re glad you’re safe on the shore,
but by the time you come fully awake
you cannot remember
where the train had been going,
what had broken the bridge,
or how many fellow travellers
now lie beneath rushing waters.