Reflections In The Water

By Kalpana Manimohan

I passed by a canal

Filled half the way

In the moonless night

Reflecting the street lamps

Hard to see my reflection

Through brimming tears

Gentle waves throw me off

Waves in eyes or water below

The dark waters invite

With open arms it beckons

Waves whisper its call

I see my distorted reflection

Something lurks beneath

Breaks my image, liken 

To the heart that’s shattered

From words that stabbed

A waist-high excuse

For a barrier to climb

Easy enough to end

This pain coursing in blood

To fall, float and surrender 

No longer having to be strong

Twirl to the bottom, kept safe

No longer my lover’s wrong

Head spins in delirium 

Of meeting death, my friend

Knees buckle in ecstasy 

Hands snap me back to reality

Like a cruel joke, a stranger stood

Concern in his eyes

Proud to have saved me

I thank him, relief as a disguise

Gave an excuse of fatigue

I was trying to catch a breath

He believed it, thankfully

And went right on his way

I scrambled away in agony

A missed opportunity

Another day will come

To welcome death on embrace 

By Kalpana Manimohan