I know....

When I am gone

I will not have eyes

To see

If I left all the colors

printed On the fingers of time

holding butterflies of my dreams

Neither will I have ears

To hear the music that love is

Buzzing in soul of those

That heard my symphony of life

When I am gone

I will not have legs

To run back to those

I needed to hug

A lill extra longer

Or places I should have visited but did not

Or dance I should have danced but did not

Or paths I should have walked but did not

When I am gone

I will not have mouth

To say out loud “forgive me”

To those who I hurt

When I failed on my kindness

Or say out loud “I love you”

Those I did not say enough to

Or those that I did say enough to

Or sing more songs or chatted a lill longer

Or kissed a lill harder

Or tasted sun moon stars and skies a lill better

Or spoken harder for those who could not speak for themselves

Or spoken softer to those who needed that more

When I am gone

I will not have hands

To be on service of others

To be for safety of others

To care for those who needed them

To caress my love on my skin

and on soul of those starving of it

When I am gone

I will not have mind

That knew (that) it did not know enough

but that was ok too

That did not always picked the right battles

And at times drowned in anger and fear

Instead of patience and courage

But At times left exquisite marvels of life

from pool of ancestors before me

On shore of life

That surprised me with joy and

ached me with nostalgia

When I am gone

I will carry my heart with me

As stubborn companion of soul

Because that is where

I always lived and was accepted

for most part

That’s where love began and life began

That’s where the footprints of truth stayed

and received every moment like

sacred prayer of universe

That was brave to love

even when it was scared to love

That wanted to keep beating

because it transcended beyond

cycle of what time is

When I am gone

I take that part of me

Between ashes

As naked bones fail to move

I will become light that I always was

without the shadow of the opaque world

And I will rise To kiss

the nothingness of unknown

Leaving weight of so much more

When I am gone

Art & poetry

By Nivedita Lakhera

11/12/2020