Many a movie
On cheap tickets
From the front most rows
In theaters we watched
And scrimped to spend
On cheaper fried rice
Served hot and spicy
By the roadside
We shared
Our wardrobes
Delighting in the newest
Permutations and
combinations
Engineered in front of
The hostel bathroom
mirror
With our lives almost
We fiercely guarded
Our little electric heater
That remained concealed
Under the bed
In a yellow polythene bag
Only to emerge
Late at night
To clandestinely cook
That coveted pack
Of Maggi noodles…
Over a decade and a
half
Has passed since
But the intensity
Of our bonding
Still makes me burst
Into long winding
narrations
To my interested little gal
I refuse to break it to
her
That you have
forgotten
What I still remember
So vividly
So fondly
I refuse to accept
That for you
I am now a stranger
And that our
friendship
Has long run its course.
