Our Sunset- Ananya Nayak

A summer-cast park bench holding rainwater memories,

a sunset that seems to linger and never let you go

as long as you don’t look away.

Veins on a frosted glass, heavy with raindrops

these drops are heavier away from the aery wind

they drip as tears from ice cubes, metaphorical props

watching the wilting sun with all the time they have to spend

Does the ice drop watch the melting sun with knowing sorrow?

does it resent the ember cast skies for the same love-

knowing they will never meet again

once they both melt in the dusk trove-

lost to darkness and void and silent pain.

“Are you leaving, my sun?”, the ice-drop murmured

“I thought we had six minutes before the twilight cast its shadow”

I thought I wouldn’t have to see you melt first

Well, at least in the realm of our tiny universe collapsing,

you and I here are to watch the last six minutes of the supernova

I can hold you still inside my frosted glass hands within the imploding”

“Think not about who melts first, my frost”, the flame said steadily

“Instead think about the convergence of our memories, now still,

Standing so still at the event horizon of our fates ending,

stay with me in our twilight meadow of finite infinity

Hold my hand as the meteors fall, as I am drawn under

pulled by cosmic strings that will rip apart our embrace

in four minutes our clock holds no domain in this space

but they can never take away the infinity

with which I cast my glance upon your face

Cast with my love transcending this imploding space”

“I still wish I hadn’t seen you melt first, my love”

The last ringing tones of the ice drop’s wish lamented

etched so gently on the frost

“I saw a million pulsars in your gaze as you melted away”

and in saying so the ice drop also halted its stay

dissolving with all its tears at the base of the frosted glass.

and yet the sun rose again.

Fate was kinder to her whose reality ended at the end of our embrace

and yet the sun, now alone rose again,

dragged upward by cosmic strings to play light to new rain

One fated to watch their flame melt first,

One fated to fade first and rise alone, again.

Our infinity ended yesterday, my ice drop

but when I melt once again today

I shall glance at your memories with the same love as yesterday

I will contest fate again as it tears me away"