Shattered Smile

Anitha Devi Pillai

I gathered broken pieces

of my heart scattered all over

the floor of the year.

The larger pieces that I found,

I kept – to glue together someday.

Memories of lazy conversations

stolen moments and silly laughter,

broken but intact.

The smaller pieces escaped me as

they turned to dust with my touch.

Some dissolved in the tears

like forgotten promises

leaving no trace at all.

I could not save those.

The rest – tiny odds and bits

were the hardest to discard.

Photos, messages, gifts –

they left me bleeding

as I yanked them off their pedestal.

Then

I found his shadow at the door

and he said ‘hello’ once again.

I smiled.

First published in SARE: Southeast Asian Review of English Journal, 2019