A Constant, Quiet Funeral - By Hiral Mankad

Written By: Hiral Mankad

Category: Poetry

Competition: Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

In "A Constant, Quiet Funeral," Hiral Mankad invites readers into a poignant exploration of grief and memory. As a submission to the Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, this piece is a testament to the enduring nature of loss and the quiet persistence of memory. Through carefully crafted verses, Mankad captures the delicate balance between hope and despair, resonating deeply with those who have experienced similar emotional landscapes.

About the Work

Hiral Mankad's poem is a haunting reflection on the cyclical nature of grief and the passage of time. With its vivid imagery and evocative language, the poem draws readers into a world where every breath is a battle and silence is filled with the weight of absence. The piece is both a meditation on personal loss and a universal exploration of how love and memory can linger in the spaces left behind.

A Constant, quiet funeral

Original Submission by Hiral Mankad

A Constant, Quiet Funeral

Every six months the seasons bend,

The calendar bruises,

breaks, and mends.

We walk again through hospital doors

That know her pain,

her lungs, her wars

She sits there gasping,

thin and still,

Fighting air that bends to will

Each breath a battle,

sharp and slow,

A quiet ache we’ve come to know.

Machines surround her,

blink, and hum,

Their cold, mechanical prayers go numb.

They breathe for her when she cannot,

They mark the time her body forgot.

She sips her pills like harmless snacks,

Bright little lies in plastic packs.

She swallows hope in measured size,

While fear lives deep behind her eyes.

We laugh too loud,

we talk too fast,

Pretend this visit

won’t be her last

We speak of food,

of home, of rest,

Dressing dread in Sunday best

Six months ago she stood up straight,

Six months from now- we hesitate.

Time circles cruelly, never kind,

Leaving mercy far behind.

Then comes the word we dread the most,

A whispered fear,

a quiet ghost-

Ventilator.

The air turns thin,

As if goodbye has now walked in.

Her breath is borrowed,

timed and fed,

Not rising from her chest

but led.

She waits while strangers choose her fate,

Teaching love how long to wait.

No one teaches you how to stand

When life is held in another’s hand,

When Staying hurts and

leaving kills,

When mercy wears

impossible wills.

Her final breath does not cry out,

No grand farewell,

no final shout.

It leaves the room the way it came

Soft as breath,

sharp as flame

And it happens there

where laughter lived,

Where stories bloomed and love forgave.

The room remembers what we can’t-

Her living voice,

her easy chant.

At home her absence fills the air,

Her chair still holds

imagined weight there.

The kitchen aches the most,

I swear-

Her voice still stirs

the spice and care.

Her words still lingers near the stove,

Her love in things she never wrote.

The way she talked,

the way she stayed,

In every meal she ever made.

Her room waits frozen,

paused in time,

As if she’ll cross the threshold fine.

But six months pass, and truth sets in-

Some doors don’t open once they have been

We miss her in the quiet things,

In folded cloth,

In broken rings,

In footsteps that no longer sound

In silence heavier than

the ground.

Grief doesn’t scream, it slowly stays,

It learns our rooms,

it counts our days.

It breathes where once her breath would fall,

A constant, quiet funeral

And every six months,

still, I know-

My body tenses,

muscles slow.

The machines,

the pills,

the waiting room

The way the air prepares for doom.

Some losses never truly die,

They live

in how we breathe and cry.

She’s gone

yet in each ordinary place,

Love keeps the shape of her soft face.

About the Competition

The Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar is a celebration of literary creativity and expression. It provides a platform for writers and poets from around the world to share their unique voices and stories. The competition highlights the power of the written word to connect, inspire, and evoke emotion, fostering a vibrant community of creatives passionate about storytelling.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Hiral Mankad for sharing "A Constant, Quiet Funeral" with us in the Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Your words offer a profound insight into the human experience of grief and memory. It is through such authentic expressions that readers find solace and connection.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.