Experiences

a poem by Shraddha Arjun

It was a saturday night,
I remember.
When I had stayed awake till midnight,
enjoying a movie, enjoying the fight,
I just lay on my couch with the T.V glaring bright.

My mom wasn’t in station, my dad was off for a holiday;
all alone with my grandmother the whole weekend I had to stay;
She wasn’t any company as she was muttering in her sleep,
and wouldn’t wake up until she would hear the alarm beep.

It was a dark night I remember,
but not as silent and holy enough you see;
Cos’I could hear the raucous cries of drunken men,
walking up and down the street,
and the sky was covered monsoon clouds dark,
dark enough to block the moonlight!
When night insects quivered and croaked;
something went past me and silence broke,
My T.V switched of by itself, and the music system played a song,
that I never heard, a song I never would play.

It had a haunting tune with a melodious beat,
I could hear a woman”s voice I could hear her weep,
I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming;
And while I was doing so I saw in front of me- beaming.

She looked confused and terror struck,
she wasn’t on the ground,
she was luminous,
her face-pale and round,
she wanted to tell me something (I guess);
probably would have had the intention of frightening me;
but I was not of that sort, I wasn’t timid you see,
And finally she opened her mouth, (or I thought she did)
And spoke:
“I am a very lonely soul,
got betrayed by the one I loved!
I thought he loved me;
he wanted the money I had;
he wanted to inherit my legacy!
We got married, but it was only a ceremony.
Soon he made me sign on papers, said, he was getting me a gift (sniff,sniff);
then he blended arsenic to my coffee;
blinded by overwhelming love drank it till the last drop,
it was the last drop indeed!
I found myself crying with pain, and suddenly so light and free,
I found I was dead. I WAS A GHOST!”