When I Die
If it is Summer
then bury me under a mango tree
where its deep green leaves will
keep cool the stilled heat inside of me.
In winter bury me in the warm sunlight beside the Guava tree.
I will hear the parrots trill a song and feel the fall of a pecked pulpy guava from the shady green tree.
In the monsoons when it pours rain out of the dark blue clouds
lay me to rest under the vast spread of the purple jamun tree.
In Spring when the grass
blooms flowers and the butterfly unwraps itself from
the fragrant lemon leaf
then put me to sleep deep inside the colour sprinkled
Earth.
I shall return to my Maker
baked in brown clay
I will breathe his divine breath
again and live another day.
Bio
A poet , editor, writer and academic Dr Roopali Sircar Gaur taught English Literature at Delhi University and Creative writing at The Indira Gandhi National Open University.
Her areas of interest are women, gender, ageing, violence, cinema, and military families.
She has edited four international poetry anthologies and contributed to several . She is consulting editor and travel columnist for Different Truths a prestigious ejournal , poetry editor for Aspiring Writers Society and mentor to Fertile Brains. Dr Roopali lives with her military spouse in Meerut. They have 3 rescued dogs.