The Song of the Melancholic
She sat,
She wrote,
The song of the melancholic.
She knew –
No one will read her,
The world is buoyant today.
But she –
She was doleful.
She wrote
The song of the melancholic.
She was a girl that women loved to hate,
But he –
He said he loved her.
He had lied and she didn’t know.
She penned her memoir,
The song of the melancholic.
“Am I depressed?” she asked herself.
Life smiled and said
“You have the euphoric youth
Live your life for heaven’s sake”
Her favorite melodies played while she wrote,
The dark patches below her eyes –
She hasn’t slept since several decades.
But today –
She sat,
She wrote,
The song of the melancholic.
She remembered Italo Calvino,
She remembered Soren Kierkegaard,
She remembered Emilie Autumn.
She penned her last lines,
The song of the melancholic.
There will be no tomorrow,
She will join the desolate souls today.
She wrote for him her last lines.
“I am here, I am here
Say for once you loved me”
There was no reply.
The walls haunted her –
Forlorn she was –
She wrote,
The song of the melancholic.
Forever and ever,
She closed her eyes.
About the author:
Rimli Bhattacharya is a gold medalist in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, and also holds an MBA in supply chain management. Her essay on mental illness in the anthology “Book of Light” published by Speaking Tiger Publications caught much attention in literary circles. Her writings have appeared in several magazines. She is also a trained classical dancer (Kathak & Odisi forms).
