A Woman I knew

I once knew a woman.
Light as a feather she tread;
Watching every stone underneath,
As she took each step
Lost in the delight
Of watching her own steps take flight.

I once waited for her
On a busy street – eager.
Around the corner I keep watching;
A minute – a decade, and
A second – a year, it feels,
But time had lost its purpose.

I once sat with her – listening keen;
Of poets living from the pages
Of books – worn, and words – animate.
My time was now a machine;
Tick-tock it did. But my heart – anew,
Sang to me – ‘The beginning, the end is all here!’.

I once sat to write a song about her.
I strung a few words together, on a stray paper.
And I wished they felt fit in her tribute.
But they ran away – insecure!
Into a jungle of memories;
All they send back was – Special!

I once sat with her across
A table - uneasy between us!
Something in her sent me fetching
Each time I looked at her.
As if my words eloped
With her singing spirit.

I once walked alongside her
In loops around – as no end seemed right.
How much we wished
Each moment stood &
Each tingle we felt evaded time.
Oh, how little we knew each other!

I once had to say goodbye.
Some say I cried & others say I laughed
When I had to leave her behind.
I wished hardest then;
To stop my broken heart's leak!
But goodbyes evaded me.

I do wish now that we could do it all again
The endless roads, the poets forlorn,
The lost time & the busy streets;
Her hand in mine!
With a passing gale now I wish to it -
Take me along to her - that Woman I knew!

~ Arun Raj - 15/08/2010 ~
Dedicated to a special lady

Photo by rsplatpc