gulab khandelwal selected poems

They are all gone.
They have all left me.
I am floating on the waves quite alone.

Some parted at the door,
Some on the outskirts of the village,
Some near the well,

Some at the end of the fields and farms.
Some knowingly and some unknowingly,
They have all left me
Immersed in their own selves.

Some went back tossing nice concepts to me,
Cautioning me and entrusting me to providence
With soothing assurances. 7
Some came up to the sea-shore
Pouring tears from their eyes.
They have all left me, ‘
They, who were enamoured of my beauty only.

There is ocean below and sky above, now.
There is no companion nor any one near and dear.
The storm is now my boat and the tide is my oar.
Sometimes I rise and sometimes I fall.
They have all left me. They are all gone.
I am floating on the waves quite alone.