26 July 2026

Must be

Must be the blue saree
that runs down
like a river.
Must be your eyes
that drown well the 
spread of my solitude.

Must be the bangles
and the anklets that 
land softly like feathers 
on the bed of my 
silence.

Must be the jhumkas
and your dense hair
that wrap me up in
a steady warmth to
sync themselves to the 
rhythm of my cold 
heart-

Oh how it feels to be 
music soaked in your 
distant presence.
A song learning 
itself through your 
close absence-

Must be your laughter
that keeps filling up
the hollow places in me 
with fresh flowers.
Must be the fragrance 
of the same I taste 
on my tongue.

Must be the way
your name trespasses
through every sense
until sight begins
to blur with glitter.

Now that I see you in 
every other face,
Must be you've colluded
with my dreams too.

But where are you?