And the rain comes pounding in, battering at the door,
Slanting through the windows, splashing on the floor.
My mind wanders, lost and lonely, through the summer night,
Dreaming in the darkness, hoping for a sight,
Of your familiar face. You’ve been gone so long
That sometimes I wonder if perhaps we had been wrong
To promise to be faithful. The words that we had said
To bind us to each other have become a cord that’s frayed
And worn under the pressure of nights alone and dark.
Nights when I would lie in bed, just dreaming of the spark
Of passion that between us once had brightly burned.
And now I am afraid that my interests may have turned
To one who lights the darkness, as lightning streaks the sky,
But the one word I’m afraid of is goodbye…
*****
M.A. Mohanraj
September 1991