she had -

no sugar for happy endings as I expected people her age to possess.

she had -

on her left hand - niazi's surrender in dhaka
& on her feet - the dust of roads she ran.

she had

white sarees, and then some more.
& tragic endings. day-by-day of india-china '62
& skin wet in june showers of '75 emergency.

she has [ insert euphemism for death ]
passed away, assumed room temperature, kicked the bucket, at peace -

in that white saree on a white bed,
that dark body privileged with the ease
of melting into shadows.

she had -

an achronological storytelling style, so I too
jump back to '91 when she smiled at the union budget,
blasphemously understanding it. she had
a laugh that she still makes tea as her father-in-law liked it -

she had no sugar for her tea either.

~Ajay
2/8/19