30 July 2026

Mirage

somewhere I hear the 
sound of your anklets.
and I slip to sleep 
as if it's a dream.

you exist between my
dreams and delusions.
a fantasy if I close
my eyes and a daydream 
when I open.

you arrive without arrival,
leave without leaving,
linger like a question
I don’t want answered.

in that thin space
between sense and 
surrender,
you feel almost real-
enough to touch,
never enough to hold.

and I keep returning there,
half-aware, half-lost-
hoping the sound of 
your anklets doesn’t 
fade into silence.

But it does.

but it does and I go on 
chasing your shadows 
and silhouettes.
sometimes even an
outline seems enough.

but can a mirage ever 
be anything beyond 
disappointment?
well, my fancy with a
palette disagrees.

believe me, 
filling colours to the 
outlines of a person 
who doesn't exist,
Uhh! It's a habit beyond 
a certain repairing.