GRIEF'S
ENCOUNTER WITH THE BEYOND
-Rajiv Khandelwal (India)
In eternal repose she
lay
A world beyond my
mortal grasp
Believers speak of "Communion
of Saints"
Yet I
A skeptic
Held no faith nor
inclination
That bonds could span
beyond pyre
And mortals can hear
the echoes of the departed
Or communicate with
spirits
From the shadowed
realm of death
As believed by
sipirutalists and occulists
Loneliness wrapped
around me
Of their own accord
The filters changed
The world transformed
Felt altered, became
distant
Three days had passed
Constantly battling
with grief
I am not a ‘voice
hearer’
But surrisingly
An auditory mirage
seized me
Her voice, soft yet
resonant, spoke:
"The same pants
for three days now
Shave, change your
clothes, my love
Carry on with life, I
am beside you."