I did wait for you when you were late,

And the night roared with the bulging clouds.

I did wait for you when you were late,

And the happy- go- lucky night flirted with the stars and the moon.

I did wait for you when you were late,

And the breezy night appeased the drooping leaves of hot summer season.

I did wait for you when you were late,

And the night matured into the hours of silence and stillness.

I did wait for you when you were late,

And the hunger stirred but ebbed with time’s lashing. 

I did wait for you when you were late,

And the food that I cooked cooled down,

And I warmed it up again.

I will also wait for you today, my son,

You are late,

 Since you are stuck in your task to dispose the dead,

Those the relentless COVID has amassed with macabre hands.

 But I will wait though I sizzle within the polythene,

 That they have enfolded me with.   

 I will wait for you till you come

To dispose my body off and receive my belongings,

The thermos that you procured to keep my liquids warm,

A small curved knife that I gazed at when you pieced the fruits with,

And your photo that I have treasured,

Since the time it was taken over much fuss of yours,

When you began to toddle with your small and downy feet.    

…………..Dr. Fathema Begum