Gwalior 2

I had driven a jeep to the ravines
With you sitting next to me
The sun got stuck in the muddy undergrowth
Eyes that refused to leave you
On a countenance that strayed sometimes
It was so dry in an unforgiving moment
You spoke in syllables
Cracked by a turgid river
Of brigand
And horsemen
Sweeping past another time
Another place
A mound
Once ripped
Open a thought
When you whispered behind a veil
Memories remain a familiar hoof throb
Beating against an angry air
At night.

by Dr. Amitabh Mitra