A melancholic poem about ageing – by Mohini, exclusively for Different Truths.

There used to be a person
Behind that wrinkly skin
A spark, in place of that baggy squint
Curiously flipping the pages of past
Words unsaid
Dreams unfulfilled
Songs unsung, dances not danced,
Sweet lullabies echoing in lonely gallows
Bright days turning to sooty clouds
Marbles of memory turning yellow
Reminiscing all the blues and bruises
Falling apart in a second
Then making a flame or two
Only for it to burn out
Waiting for it to burn out.
 
I saw a coat on old bones today
There used to be a person there.

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Mohini Awasthi

Mohini Awasthi, a 24-year-old poet from Lucknow, has completed her graduation and post-graduation from the University of Lucknow. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University. In the poems, she attempts to capture the social sadness that the world has presented to her. She is on her way to understanding this world and its nuances. Her writings vent her bitter-sweet life.