Forgive me, my dear! (Dedicated to Rohinie Haridat)

by Sheena Chin
(Guyana)

Brave heart, you faced the winds and pains

The searing pulse of poison running through your veins

But was I there to comfort you?!!!!!

Was I there to see you through?!!!!

The cruel world, the troubles, a world comes crashing down

A jolt of the mind, someone fell

You knew not who it was, nor can you tell

For now you cannot see, nor can you smell

Forgive me, my dear!

For I carried you not on my shoulders

Forgive me, my dear!

For I never pushed you aside from those boulders

I'm feeling it now

My soul cries

It aches for your laugh, that sweet melodious voice

It pains, my dear!

Take it away! Take it away!

For you were there when I needed you most

When I was frustrated and crying because exams were so close

My soul cries to hear you say 'hey Chin'

Or laugh because of some joke we were cracking

To see you dance at a Diwali concert

Or see you alive, hyperactive and alert

I'm scared, my dear!

For there's a lot my heart fears

Would I forget your voice, your giggles, your laughter?

Would my life have to move on without you in the next chapter?

I was scared, my dear!

That 10th month of last year

A white dress you wore, a crown on your head

Not moving, not breathing, not laughing

I wanted to shake you, to holler, to scream

'Wake up my princess! My best friend, my queen!

But you said nothing....

Just lay there in that coffin

Come back, my dear!

I promise I'll be here

We'll cross mountains, reach the sky

Touch the stars, burning high

I know you're up there

Smiling brightly through your tear

And, just like the three stars (the Orion belt) in the sky, dear

We'll always be 'Rohinie, Akeeta, Sheena'-

The three musketeers!