The Stub

You had your morning coffee-

Like you always did;

Half-smoked your favorite cigarette,

While devouring the newspaper-

Like you always did;

Had a hearty laugh over local politics-

Like you always did;

Fondly requested for your favorite brinjal mash-

Like you always did;

You asked for help to get hotwater-

Like you always did;

You walked into the bathroom-

Like you always did;

And then we heard the loud thud-

You enjoyed the waters, we laughed.

But, you walked out of life-

Just like your many sneaks to the neighbourhood stores;

"You" dissolved into thin air,

With the smoky air still in your nostrils

As our grief engulfed,

I spot and hold:

The stub you left that morning,

Still wet with your lip-prints,

And the indented crevices of your fingers,

Still lingering on it:

That moment,

"You" comforted me out of my grief

Your love outstood your disappearance.