Falling to her knees when he cried,
In between gasps when he sighed,
She was stiff, wanting to flee,
And destiny was watching from above with glee.
He cried after her; would she hear his cry?
Tears fell in vain, how hard did he try!
And up she went as fast as she came,
While in the darkness that followed, he was a totally lame.
And the dear evening passed before his eyes.
Days that he spent planning, prayers for compromise;
Now was gone the promise of ten days before-
So long a wait, a million years or more!
Up there He was laughing, but was she smiling around,
Seeing him down, being raped gagged and bound?
Hands clenched, a moist lump there he was;
Helpless, a crying face, from the stairs he rose;
Out in the starlit night it felt so cold,
He went with a last glance upwards, like those in days good and old-
"One kiss my bonny sweetheart! I am after a prize tonight,
But I shall be back tomorrow, before the morning light…",*
From where she would once wave goodbye, smiling with her radiant face-
Now the place was empty, with not even her trace.
Walked along the single lane the drunkard alone,
Like a forsaken ship, until his eyes shone-
"When I can fall for a girl not in love with me,
When I can descend low enough to touch her knee,
What life am I living in this world- fake?
If my life's this useless, can’t I spare it for her sake?"
-August '96, Calcutta-43

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*Taken from 'The Highwayman'