an abrupt collision of faces
we look shocked, or surprised,
and almost say hello
so I quickly hide behind my mind
and recall the memory of a ghost
no, this is someone else
I see you walk ahead surrounded
by your thoughts shouting at each other
you pick something you don’t need from the aisle
to drown the emotions that you do
I stand still, suspended, like in a reverie
fast-forwarded from another lifetime
no, I am someone else
I crawl on my feet to the counter
and reach in my wallet for a note I had written
from a time I had promised myself
that I must never remember
we walk away from each other
with the gravity of remembrance stretching between us like a tight thinning rope
We, two strangers.
NOORMOHAMED 