Aug 17, 2016 Free Verse, Original Poetry, Uncategorized
Ghost
©August 17th, 2016
By Vijaya Sundaram
Every day, a ghost visits me
Formless and opaque, she fools me;
I see her as a wisp of air,
A shade of light,
A spectre of cloud-moisture.
She follows me and needles me
And pokes and prods and pushes me
And mocks me, and jeers and gibes at me,
And asks me in a susurration of curiosity:
So, how did you spend your time today?
And I turn and see her face
And know that I can never escape.
My ghost is mine alone,
And I can never run from her.
My ghost holds a mirror up to me
And asks me over and over again:
How did you spend your time today?
And I stammer and reply:
I did this and I did that,
I took care of an urgent matter,
And strove against time
To complete my tasks.
And my ghost asks, quietly:
Did you sing today?
And did you dream?
Did you weave tales
From light and air,
And did you feel free?
Did you help someone?
Did you feed the hungry?
Were you of use?
Did you speak words of love,
Words of praise,
Words of thanks,
And words of hope?
And my answer to these
Is in the face of my ghost.
And my ghost asks, quietly:
And did you feel happy?
And my answer to that
Is in the face of my ghost.
My ghost is satisfied,
And walks away into the night.
I know she will return tomorrow,
And I brace myself.
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