A Sibling’s Chronicle

We fought
Against or together
Conversations and silences
Deep and long
Books, films, characters, life
Home and away
Mountains and escape
The world our neighbourhood
Siblings with stark dissimilarities
Or perhaps perfect complementary

You chose to be detached
But connected
I am a natural clinger
Holding tight
And so life happened

You dwelled
On departures
With arrogant indifference
I thought it
A mere rant
Simply glorifying the end

April…and a hot summer day
I lay ill and worn out
You made light of my frailty
As usual
All our conversations
Ended in strong differences
This too…
Our very last

You never took leave
As was your nature
To depart
Unsung…
On your own terms
So completely
So entirely

And as always
I blamed you
For not caring enough
For making little of everything
Even your departure…

You left
So as
Never to leave ever
I still cling onto
Your words your misgivings your foresight
Perhaps you knew
With your uncanny insight

You lie at peace
Finally
The old wise tree bends o’er you
In reverence
Leaves and sunshine lovingly drape you
In intricate patterns
The lilies celebrate eternity
Of one
Brutally honest
Dangerously truthful
Daringly forthright
Giant of a man

My Brother…

Dr Supatra Sen, currently Associate Professor in a reputable Kolkata college is a veteran academician, teaching and researching in the fields of Botany and Environment. Her over hundred twenty publications as international books, papers and reviews are chiefly in her professional subject. She has edited several UGC funded ISBN volumes and is also the founder and Chief Editor of an ISSN peer-reviewed multi-disciplinary academic journal Harvest since 2016. Her tryst with poetry writing began in 2020 during the global pandemic and in October 2021 her poetry anthology My Autumn Sonata was published. Read other articles by Supatra.