Moment

By Priya Velayudhan

There it lay before her.

Bare as the sand under a jubilant sun.

Sweet and supple like an overripe mango.

She tried to grasp it slyly, but couldn't.

It was slippery like sand itself.

Escaping through the gaps between her fingers.

Not once letting itself be bottled, even for making perfume.

She clutched hard but it was pointless.

And she didn't let go, even as she realized that it was.

She held on to it, like a stubborn child.

It escaped her grasp effortlessly

Taking paths which were only too familiar,

Watching sights it could rebuild from memories now.

The colours, the smells and the feeling

All of it was like home.

It remembered every nook and corner.

Where the wild rose blossomed,

And the orchid passed away.

Where the grass grew long and fearless

Like children's dreams..

They crossed paths again.

She could only watch from the corner of her eye,

As it slithered away like a seasoned thief.

Creeping up on her at unexpected times.

The little rascal called the Moment.

Only to tease her like a besotted lover, before merging with the ocean called Time.

By Priya Velayudhan