I Saw You Again

I saw you again
at the Bugti hillside in Balochistan
where Nawab Akbar Bugti was once assassinated

I saw you again
at the Lahori Gate in Shahjahanabad
which doesn’t exist anymore

And I saw you again
in the eastern ramparts
of the Gwalior Fort

A Maratha smile etched
asking me, are you still looking for me
“abhi bhi, aap humein dhoondh rahe hain”

Your legs dangled playfully
in a sea of sand
and memorials

A deafening wave
of old talks
older smiles
older laughter
gripped us once
again