I recall him saying,
” of all the possible possibilities isn’t it possible
that there being no possibilities is amongst them? “
To which I countered,
” We cling obsessively to those pieces of a jigsaw
we’ve somehow come to accumulate by chance,
accident or ulterior design, only for those pieces
never to fall into place or even bear any resemblance
to a discernible outline or pattern or a promise of coherence. “
I contemplate the solitary glass of absinthe
that sits forever stationary on a marble top table,
un-paid for and un-drunk until The Stranger returns,
and quaffs it savouring the liquid’s unique indifference
as it surges down his gullet;
We are only led to imagine such things
because we imagine that the Stranger,
long since absconded into the obscurity of the world-at-large
might somehow re-appear unannounced as if by chance,
fate or ulterior design,
And then we might recommence the desultory dialogue,
the Stranger and me
that dialogue which he chose peremptorily to abandon
with his trademark flaneur disquieting insouciance;
and so I sit and toy with the pieces of jigsaw
left me as a memento or perhaps not,
some pieces are clearly missing and
the glass of absinthe requires that I pay for it.
……………………………………………………………………..
Author’s footnote:
My previous poems featuring “The Stranger” are
The Stranger,One Last time ( 23/4/2019 )
A Stranger Returns (23/4/2018 )
Encounter with a Stranger ( 3/10/2017 )
Quite intriguing, fascinating poem…it makes the reader retrospect in a bid to search for the ‘pieces of a jigsaw’ we expect at some time to bring to light certain issues…
A ‘mesmerizing’ poem,contemplative and puzzling; a territory revisited and delineated with aplomb.
Thank you to both Parneet Jaggi, Pushmaotee Subrun and Vijay Nair for your discerning and insightful comments and observations!
The uncertainty and the unexpected in life and the wait for someone , all these make life as well as the poem intriguing and captivating.