Ciao

                                    Ciao

                     

 I think of you
quite often Brunelle,
Is it strange that you still 
linger in my memory?
We only met for a few hours,
But a part of your life had you  shared 
and I attempted to do the same
as you were a foreign traveler in my land!
And you looked at me with such eager eyes
That spoke of your curiosity!

I remember your eyes Brunelle
Grey in colour
old and tired, 
and yet they held the  fervor of a traveler's soul
Short blonde hair, fell to your shoulders in curls
it was fading into a grey...
the shade of your eyes!

You wore your spectacles,
when you took out your phone
and showed me  many pictures of home
Such luscious strawberries grew in your backyard..
"This is little Joseph",
you introduced your little grandson
His cheeks like
they were brushed with
the nectar squeezed from those strawberries!

You asked me to share
the pictures of my home
It's all so...varios, you said to me
"Italy is a small land,
not as big as your country!"

I showed you pictures
of the mountains of the north
and the seashore from the Southern parts to where you were flying
You promised you'll come back Brunelle,
Come back to India, 
to explore each hidden trove
Enfolded in its mysterious bends and curves
The deserts, the mountains and the waters,
"I'll be back to see it all", you'd said.

I hope you're still there,
with little Joseph playing in the backyard,
That your passions and love haven't submerged in this pandemic
Which, I hope is soon restrained!

For those hidden troves await you Brunelle,
And so does my country
await this traveler...
who saw nothing but beauty, wonder and allure
even in its spices and the scents!

"Ciao", you said your goodbye,
A strange feeling now lurks in me...
I wish you hadn't said a 'Ciao'
But something,
that could assuage me at
such a time, 
Knowing that your memory isn't the only thing
that I'll revisit in the years to come 
And the hopes I keep!
 Dear Brunelle...
Do you hear me?