Do You Remember Me?

“Do you remember me?”
I whispered slowly.
My fingers brushed the wall lightly
Leaving lines in the dust covering it.

A chance visit to my hometown
After many, many years
Led me to my old ancestral house,
Now crumbling due to disrepairs.

“Do you remember me?”
I repeated the question in my mind
“I do. But do you remember me?”
A low and trembling voice replied.

“This was the room where you slept,
And I watched over you as you dreamt.
On this floor, you played with your friends
Using chairs and sheets to make tents.

Do you remember your fifth birthday?
I was decked with colorful streamers.
You were over the moon that day
To get a bicycle from a well-wisher.

I remember how your laughter
Echoed right into my beating heart.
And, my walls would never tire
Of holding memories in photographs.

Yes, I remember,” the voice said,
And, just as sudden, it became silent.
In that moment, I felt an instant regret,
As if I’d just lost a deeply beloved friend.

I Remember You

I remember you
As if it was just yesterday.
You were sitting near the window,
And I was narrating an incident
From many years ago
When I fell in trouble at work
Due to a misunderstanding
Caused by an email.
A smile spread across your face,
And you started laughing
A hearty belly laugh.
It was unexpected, yes,
But, then, I suddenly could see
The funny side of the story.
And in that moment,
I started laughing, too.

I remember
As if it was just yesterday.
You took me out for an evening walk.
The next day, I had an examination,
And I was worried about a classmate
Beating me to the first position.
And, it was at that time that you said
That my race was only with myself
And not against the other children.
If I kept performing better than before,
Then, I would reach the highest score.
All at once, my perspective shifted.
Studies became less of a burden
And more of an enlightenment.

I remember
As if it was just yesterday.
You tucked my sister and me into bed
Saying “Good night” in a sing-song voice,
And we too said “Good night” in that tune.
Then, you said, “See you later, alligator.”
And we repeated, “See you later, alligator.”
Then, you asked us to wiggle our toes,
And laughed and wiggled our tiny toes.
Then, you sang a nonsensical melody
Like “Ching pong ching ding dong ding.”
And we repeated this after you, singing,
And all the while, we kept giggling.
This was our childhood nightly ritual.

I remember everything
As if it was just yesterday.
And, though well-meaning folks say
You’ve passed on to the heavenly realms,
To me, you’re very much present –
Sitting on your rocking chair
Or reading the newspapers
Or doing things that seem mundane.
Like watching the news on television
Or talking on the phone with your friends.
For the others, you may have left,
But to me, you’ll always be there.
My dearest papa, I can never forget.
I remember you like it was just yesterday.

I Will Never Forget You

There are people,
And there are memories.
And then, there’s you, infused in all my memories.

There’s hardly anywhere I can go,
Or anything I can do
Without thinking of you.

There’s hardly any object I own,
Or any that I don’t
That doesn’t remind me of your love.

The other day, I was in the subway
When someone handed me a pamphlet.
It was of a store announcing a sale,
One of no remarkable interest,
And yet, I saved it till this day
Because its red shade
Reminded me of the roses you gifted
Me on the day we had first met.

Then, there were the tear drop earrings
Made of imitation rhinestones
Twinkling in the afternoon sun,
As, in the shop display window, they hung,
Very much like the light in your eyes
Whenever you looked at me and smiled.

You knew I loved birds.
The scarf with printed peacock feathers
That you bought for me is a reminder
Of the times we spent together.

I love you – that’s quite plain to see!
And I really like to think –
These knick knacks that bring forth memories
Are actually just you – always professing your love for me.