Months in waiting,
The palpable anticipation,
Of Their arrival
Time mimicked that of a snail taking a stroll along a cobblestone road
And then just as we’d hoped
The time had come
The squeaks and embraces a plenty
I’m full
I’m home
They’re home
Immense joy
In a blink of an eye
It was but a dream
I still hear the laughter and scurries of little feet
Ghosts of what was
An empty house
Heart emptier still
Each room is filled with their scent, memories, their stories
I search for them like a pup for their mother
Why must it be so
Where did our time go
Separated by the vast ocean
Swayed by the waves
In the darkness, I sit
Wishing for the time I lay waiting
Or when I felt full
Full of love and family and full of heart
Emptiness courses my body as if it were hollow
I pray for numbness, to forget, to rewind
I send them love, and myself
Until we meet again
My sweet loves
Until I’m full again.
– Freya Pirbhai, September 7, 2022