Graveyard of Old Memories

by

I keep digging deep
In the graveyard
Of old memories.
No tombstone, no name
No dates necessary.
Daturas and nightshades
Hovering over your remains –
Marking where you lay,
On your final resting place.

My shovel hits the coffin –
Wood once varnished with my tears,
Now rotting and crumbling.
There, I buried your smile;
There, I hid the tune of your giggle
And the smell of your neck.
In the curl of your hair
I see worms of time –
Small and humble gods
Of forgetfulness and void.

In your dimple I see
A small sprout of mushroom :
Spreading its divine spores,
To the pores of your skin
That once used to turn red
As you blushed from my touch.
Now, the only red that remains
Are tulips of tomorrow,
Fed from the remains
Of yesterday’s melancholy…

Image credit: Feature image generated with DALL·E using a prompt based on this poem and its themes.
If this piece resonates with you and you’re a visual artist, I’d love to feature your own soul-crafted work in place of the AI image.

From the poetry compilation

Happy Hallucinations

More Poems

Smadness

Smadness

There are days when You wake up to Requiem in D minor, And then fall asleep To the wet wails Of Darbari Kanada. Days that start with Internal Screams, Munching on a heart Static, frozen… As if The yellow corridors of hell, Where Dante would not Dare to venture alone,...

Letter to her

Letter to her

To the woman I’ve not met yet —First of all: hello!Although I cannot see your face,You’re just a shadow,A barely visible silhouette,An unlockable video game character.I cannot see your smile,The colour of your eyes,Or how your hair radiatesUnder the summer sun.I have...

Manifest!

Manifest!

Thought Emerge! Without fear! Without shame Or care! Just be! Be free! Ascend! From the sea Primordial And free. Rise drenched And wet, With meaning And intent… And rise! And climb! And soar Blindly! Are you mine? No, you’re not! I’m the womb To grow in To be...

Dear Strangers

Dear Strangers

I hope this poem reaches you.May it survive the turmoil of timeAnd the turbulence of space,And create the same mess,The same splatter of emotionsThat it once madeDuring its violent, painful birthIn the dark void of my mind.I hope it shows you the same lightThat guided...

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse

Once upon a time There was a lonely little lighthouse, Derelict, on a teeny-tiny asteroid Floating through space Aimlessly swimming Through the writhing waves of Cosmos, Sometimes upright, Upside-down at times, Or sideways every so often. For an adventurer of darkness...

Origin of the World

Origin of the World

As I climb your mountains,Stand on top of your peak,I gaze far awayAnd see your valleyOf thousand mysteries —The fertile crescentFor which men wage wars,And die miserable deathsOf forgotten despairYour majestic canyonWould be the muse for artists,Or sometimes a...

Keep in Touch

YouTube

Become a Subscriber

LinkedIn

For professional purposes

TikTok

Follow me!

It’s a Rik Life

Rik Bhattacharja © 2023

All Rights Reserved