CASKET OF LOVE

                                               by Ranjan Mathews [ published in Asian Age dtd. 6th Sept. '98]

                      Come, see the swollen carcass,

                      of my bloated ego,

                       lying Alone

                      abandoned and uprooted

                      by barbed spikes,

                      of your jettisoned love.

                      Come, feel the pain

                      as you rip open

                      my insides,

                      bright red roses

                      dripping blood,

                      riding high on our love.

                      Come, seal this tale of love,

                      nailed with thorns of your roses,

                      dipped in the salt

                      of my tears,

                      sharing your grief

                      and joys forever.