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I fear your existence in my life. 

You are the habit— the quiet echo in my mind, 

The shadow I step over but never escape.

 

I could visualize the silence where you used to be, 

Yet find you lurking in moments 

Between scattered words of plastered memories, 

Like the last note of a song 

That refuses to fade.

 

I want to shake you off, 

Like the weight of a dream upon waking, 

Like the scent of rain long after the storm. 

But you are stitched into my skin, 

A ghost that wears my memories.

 

So I fight the habit of you— only to find myself reaching for it again.

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Sriparna Mitra is a poet and writer from India with a Master’s degree in English Literature and Language and a B.Ed. She has also qualified for NET JRF. Her works have appeared in the international anthology, Paradise on Earth: an International Anthology Volume II , and she is a recurring contributor to Double Speak, where her poems have been previously published. You can explore more of her work on Instagram: @sriparna_1996mitra.