Reminiscence

For ELTU, Wayamba University

“A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses.”
A Chinese Proverb

As soon as I stepped in,
He came towards me,
Beaming at me with an affectionate gleam,
In his eyes,
In a flash of recognition. 

Waving the magazine,
In his right hand,
He spoke before I could,
‘There was a poem a by you
in the magazine today,
so I reserved it for you;
here it is!’

For a moment,
I stood speechless,
More moved by that simple act,
Of kindness,
Than by the excitement,
Of seeing myself in print.

Now I no longer glory in it,
And see it not as a good poem,
But as a piece of mush,
Written in a moment,
When infatuation overcame,
My sense;
Perhaps wisdom of age or something else,
Almost as potent,
Has diminished its literary value,
While time and termites have had
Their respective tolls on it.

But his kindness engraved,
On the metal plate of memory,
Remains indelible,

Forever.