If you have forgotten your dream
don’t worry
I saw it with my own eyes.
The figure that stood before you
with a bouquet of fresh roses was
not me
The arm that wrapped round your
waist tightly was not mine, nor the fingers
that stroked your hair.
The umbrella that suddenly escaped from
your hand and disappeared in the sky
was me
leaving you free
in the rain
to walk, laugh, run and slip
before you awake.
ABOUT THE POET ~
Ajmer Rode has published books of poetry, drama, and translation in Punjabi and English. His works have been included in several anthologies in Canada and India. His 1000-page book Leela, co-authored with N Bharati, is included in outstanding works of the twentieth century Punjabi poetry. Ajmer is considered a founder of Canadian Punjabi drama. His poem “Stroll in a Particle” is among 8 international poems permanently inscribed on a public wall outside the new building of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, 2011