In Absentia

 

Breaking the silence of the night

My phone rings softly. It’s not you.

 

I am no stranger to late night talks.

Long back you used to wait

For my late calls: I always called

At the same time, from a phone booth

Where the owner strained hard

To hear our hushed conversations;

 

Measured by the impatient meter

We spoke our love softly,

With quiet words and some silence,

As much as I could afford then:

Our exchanges stayed incomplete;

 

The phone rings softly. It’s not you.

I used to know your caller tune song:

Sometimes out of habit

I still call your disconnected number.

 

But if you ever call me, friend,

I shall give you some of my silence.

What have you known of silence?

You have only heard all my songs.

 

Diptesh Ghosh