Sip by Sip

I was his beloved, his vessel of happiness and mirth—  

His comfort in sadness, the elixir to his thirst. 

He gave me his attention, and I blessed him with my joy;  

Every glance from him stirred a bashful gaze of coy.  

He showered me with love, adorned me with blissful pearls; 

I sealed our every moment in those icy, swirling worlds.  

He quenched his thirst with my laughter, the bubbling tea inside—  

But with time, his hunger grew, every sip steeped in pride.  

I resisted his power, I begged him to stop—  

But with a sinful stare and a vigorous sip,  

He gulped every merry drop.  

I was left bare—  

Alone, with his memories sunken deep.  

The dancing pearls once bright with joy  

Now lay in a stagnant, shadowed heap. 

I was shaken and broken, filled with nothing but frozen ice— 

Empty, filled with silence.  

Devoid of life.

Shambhavi Gokhale