Last Night With Anne

By Amlan Roy

It was a cool night in the month of April.

I was walking down the country road.

Rich beds of wild flowers

Like a never-ending torrent of rainfall,

Penetrated through the deserted countryside.

And the moon, like a shining ornament of silver,

Smiled from Heaven.

Her warm, radiant light......

Filtered through the canopy of the tall oak trees.

I stared into space

At the multitude of stars dotting the night sky.

Time seemed to stand still--- perfectly still.

Rapt in thoughts, 

I suddenly spotted a solitary figure at the crossroads.

With the simplicity of a child, she turned her face towards me.

And all at once, the memories of my yesteryears

Flooded into my mind like a swarm of insects.

"Oh! My dearest Anne! My lovely Anne!

Did you not know, 

How painful your parting was to me?"

And then, an endless maze of thoughts.....

Thoughts that had remained dormant 

For such a long time,

Were ignited suddenly

And coming back to life,

They invaded every corner of my brain.

Sitting on the last bench at high school

With her head buried in her hands,

Feeling out of place in an unfamiliar environment,

She suddenly discovered me, a confidante.

From then, we grew inextricably close,

Pouring our hearts out to each other.

Having no worries or fears

And without any pains in this world.

Our first kiss, the breathless confession....

And then the terrible tragedy.

The greatest of all disasters befell her.

The most horrifying of all accidents

Which stole her soul

And forced her to her grave,

Left me numb and a feeling of vast emptiness,

Of desolation, of hopelessness,

Ravaged my heart,

Burned every inch of my skin,

Making my veins run dry.

I grimaced,

Cursed Providence,

Starved myself,

Much to the agony of my friends.

O Fate! Is it not cruel

That Death should separate two blissful young lovers,

Ardent,

And..... and...... 

A love not unrequited,

But blossoming into wild roses

Through the ravages of time!

And now, the deep scar of the incident,

Imprinted on my mind,

Found itself healing slowly,

As her rosy lips twisted into a sweet smile,

Delighted by the joyful reunion.

And once again, the biscuity odour of her skin,

Her warm breath,

Cut through my senses like a sharp sword.

(Night slowly faded away.

The white thread of dawn made apparition in the eastern horizon.

The countryside was filled with the sweet chirping of birds.)

I trudged home,

Blissfully unaware of the previous night's happenings,

All of which had been obliterated from my mind

By some mysterious power.

But perhaps, nobody in the world

Have ever experienced such a joy

Of a delightful, magical reunion,

Between a boy and his lost lover.

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By Amlan Roy