Frozen in Time

Cycling across and forth the cemented portico
I vividly recollect
Your skinny moth eaten torso
Knees pressed to the ground
Head hung down in prayer

The reed charpoy and the spotless turban
Ceremoniously accosted you
Every single day
As you read out the verses
In silent communion with the Lord

Perplexed and Bemused
I was blissfully unaware
Of your intent and your prayer,
Of the panache
With which you cosseted
The Immortal Being

As I weathered the ravages of expectations
Your pepper grey hair connoted the same with time
Yet you fervently prayed
At dawn and at dusk
And at odd hours of the day

The red handle of my cycle is bent
My roots have turned into wings
My bags are packed
I look up one last time
And there you are

Looking up to the downcast sky above
Knees pressed to the ground
Head hung down in prayer
Hands cupped and eyes closed

Oh dear Lord
The only constant in my life
Overwhelmed with tears
Of long lost memories
Of happier days
I clench my fingers
And shut my eyes

I pray and pray fervently
May you be seated
Whenever I look obliquely
Towards the terrace spotted with the redness of bricks
When the lid of the jar of my childhood memories conks off

And I shall gaily remember
The sights and sounds
Of the evenings spent cycling
Of the untold stories hidden within you
Of the friendship we shared
In thought and in time

Frozen in time you shall always be
Furlongs away
Yet miles away
So close
And yet so far!