I Never really got to talk to you!

Tarapada Ray

One lifetime has passed by just like that.

One life is slowly slipping away, imperceptibly .

I had set aside one life to talk with you,

I had set aside one life to spend beside you,

laying a mat under the jackfruit tree.

I had set aside one life to write poems for you

with a steel nib on bamboo paper,

I had set aside one life to write poems for you,

and one life has just passed by like that.

One life was spent in making ends meet,

in search of food and clothes,

One life was spent searching for a roof over my head,

One life was spent wandering with a trunk on my head,

in the wrong city, with the wrong address,

One life passed by just like that,

One life is slowly slipping away, watching.

I never really got to talk to you.

A high school teacher, Pritha finds her deepest connection in poetry, where every line feels like a mirror to the soul. Though she loves to wade through the stories that novels offer, it’s poetry’s ability to turn the ordinary into magic that keeps her coming back to it in moments of happiness and sorrow alike. She dreams of travelling the world, weaving memories from the rich mosaic of cultures and cuisine. Her days are brightened by her students, whose curiosity and humour constantly remind her why she loves teaching. She’s been learning, since what seems like eternity, to understand movies beyond the surface. Tagore is her safe haven, a place where she finds calm amidst the chaos. Despite all the flaws she sees in humanity, Pritha chooses to believe in its goodness—a quiet hope that carries her through the world. That said, there are days when she can’t help but feel that dogs make far better companions than humans.