The Bookmark... Poem by Bhaskar Roy

She plucked the flower
A rare hyacinth
Blood red soft and tender
Here...your bookmark, she smiled

Over the years
Flipping through the pages
Of various experiences
Have i observed the bookmark
As if trying to search
The mystery of its tenderness
The essence of its softness
The dye of its crimson hues

The distance between
Yesterday today and tomorrow
Seem so visible
In those fine lines
Of the beautiful hyacinth
Almost pulling me
In an unknown vortex
Of a timeless zone
Where living and dieing
Are simply words
Useless words

We are all connected
Says the flower
Beyond time
Through an invisible bond
Unfathomable to the mind

Sometimes i see her smiling
Through the vulnerable dry petals
Giving me a gentle reminder
Of impermanence
As if telling me
To pause and ponder
The scheme of things
In this wondrous universe
Where all elements ultimately re-combine
And nothing is lost forever

And when at times
I look lost and weary
I hear a silent whisper
Telling me to rest awhile
Resume reading tomorrow
I hear her say
For lessons are more to come
Keep the book aside now
And don't forget
The BookmarK