Stories of an Evening.

The sun sinks into the horizon
As though bored. Lazily.
Hues of golden-yellow warmth scatter,
And the garden I sit in becomes Wonderland.
I try to take in as much as possible;
The breeze caressing me calmly.

All around me are faces–
Young, rosy and full of life,
Old, wrinkled and full of wisdom.
Running around, strolling, talking,
Contemplating, playing, laughing.
Stories just beginning, and stories about to end.

As I pause to smell the lilies,
Kneeling to capture its beauty,
Little children stop by to look at me,
They peek over my shoulder, wide-eyed.
Four innocent grins greet as I turn around,
I smile back at them as they run along.

I watch from a distance,
As two young lovers let go,
Sobbing uncontrollably, clearly unable to do so.
Across me sits yet another couple,
Giggling and whispering sweet nothings.
‘Ah! Young love,’ I sigh wistfully, looking away.

I walk further ahead and see
A father chasing his toddler around,
And the mother watching them happily.
Time flies by so swiftly, I wonder,
As I recall my own happy childhood
And the simpler times with my family.

As I decide it’s time to head back,
I come across an elderly couple holding hands.
I wonder as I look at them walk away,
The countless stories and lessons they must have
For all youngins like me,
I wish I had the courage to ask.

Do I exist in people’s stories
The way they do in mine?
Perhaps I do, as the lonely girl
Who walked around smiling at strangers,
Or as the odd one out—
I guess I’ll never know what goes on in whose mind.

I am but a simple curator
Of stories and memories, good and bad.
I gather tales of those who stand out,
And those shying away, hiding in the shadows.
I’m a story-teller, and I do see you,
I just secretly wish there was more I knew.

~©Shubhangi Srinivasan.

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Hey, everyone! I always notice small things around me when I’m all alone and I am fascinated by what I see sometimes. I love seeing snippets of people’s lives and I hope you do, too! I also hope you liked my poem. Let me know if you did in the comments below. You can also reach me on socials, link to which are below and on my Homepage. I’ll look forward to hearing from all of you!
Yours truly,
The Shubhster.

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