Ghost of Summers Past
This summer, is the ghost of all summers
This sun, a ghost of my childhood sun
I feel the laughter and the joy
Ghosts of December past.
My path, with its wild flowers
Which I constructed, tantalizing yellow
The ghost green, blooming in dreams
They have bequeathed their stories to the moon.
The ghost larks and kingfishers
From childhood, in multiple repetitions
Fall into the frame of memories
Ghost snowfall of coming home every year.
The stories of the past, telescoped
The earth with its huge cracks
Laughter, her ghostly laughter
Rain, precise and minacious
The ghostly pendulum of life
Oscillating, earth, enveloped by the sun
Above the oceans remains
A ghost of the past too.
Half sensed by the hum of drones
Movements, AI-generated thoughts
I cover my face, ghosts of dreams
Parade across my sky.
Through Thick and Thin
There are friends
Of different kinds
Some that are worth living for
And some worth dying for
Some go with the sunny days
And some for the rainy days
Some for the verses
And some for the words
Some break the bread with
And some munch on the sullen stories
Some to go to the victory stand
And some to heal the wounds
Some to sit by the fire
And some to kindle the inner fire
It’s lucky to have them all
In one fell swoop, otherwise
A lot of time is spent
Separating the grains
From the worthless chaff.
The Last Sound of Anything
A poem wakes up
In the last call of the bird
The remnants of the night
Shimmer on its wings.
Its glittering eyes
Watches the last train groan
Leaving the station
Helpless on the rails.
He sits with you in the shade
Your feet ache, the work is half done
The breeze wipes away the gloom
A reassuring hand on your shoulder.
She walks home with you
The day is burnt to ashes
But it places a candle on your table
Your soul wakes with a sigh.
She rests in a handful of darkness
That silently went inside
With the last click of the door handle
Ready to sleep in your soft bed.
A poem begins its life
With the last sound of something.
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About the Author
Jaya Anitha Abraham teaches economics and statistics at Abu Dhabi University. Her literary interests include writing and translating poems. Her poetry narrates her insights and experiences using natural imagery and modern life. She has published her works in major online portals such as Literary Hatchet, Poetria, Spill Words and Mad Swirl. In addition to writing poetry, she is also interested in green and mindful living.
