A Hello

By Kirti Ujjwal

I did try and say hello, to catch your eye and stare into their endless depths. But perhaps you were too engrossed, watching the blue-eyed boy in the jostling crowd.

I did try and hold your hand, but you drew it back in haste. You mistook my touch for the ladybug that landed between us from its branches— the embarrassed brush of my fingers against your perfect hand.

I did try and break the silences that hold us still, but my words were lost in the noise of the bazaar. Its din is something I dislike still.

You know, I did try and love you, to touch your cheeks against mine. But the cruel breeze of twilight blew your hair like rising sands, and my touch was lost in the breeze— like whispers on a northern marshland.

And now, when we are far—so far away— I fear crossing the bridge of our broken hearts, lest another accident drown my attempts in the abyss that pulled us apart.