We met after what seemed aeons
You me, she he, old friends, ex-lovers
Seated at a cafe table
With our minds in sweet disarray

Longing trickled from our eyes in heady abandon
Weightless in its content
Seamless in its pervasiveness
Expressionless in its expression

Communication was intense, fervid
And yet not a word passed our lips
Flowing haltingly through our clasped hands
Enshrouded in total silence

It was not the silence of recent times
But one travelling back from decades
Carrying the aroma of our first meeting
Our first holding of hands

Every heartbeat was precious
For it mingled with another heartbeat
Creating a rare duet of impassioned tunes
Of a melodious past and an unknown future

Subir Chakraborty
17th July 2021