Rearview by Ali Ashhar

Dad takes us on a long drive 
as we reunite after two years. 
We come across my old school
dad starts reminiscing first day of my school
and exclaims, he used to be a brat;
Mamma replies, this institution is a palette
of memories which turned him into a sincere boy. 
Two miles away, there’s an exhibition going on
where I recall going every year
after being done with my exams;
we chatter about how my parents used to
bring me here to get my favorite toy
on the pretext of passing my exams with flying colours. 
We move forward in a similar way to life, 
we dine at my favourite restaurant, 
mamma asks dad to order chicken curry
which bring tastes to our conversation;
for it used to my favourite dish 
and mamma used to cook it for me eagerly
on different occasions. 
We finish the scrumptious dinner
and go for a walk, 
we look at the sky and introspect:
time elapses fast
just like the disappearing sun under the horizon
my childhood disappeared somewhere
under the responsibilities of adulthood.

About the Poet:

Ali Ashhar is a poet, short story writer and columnist from Jaunpur, India. He is the author of the poetry collection, Mirror of Emotions (Notion Press, 2021). Following the release of his book, he was chosen as the Best Debut Author for the year 2021 by The Indian Awaz and was the recipient of a India Prime 100 Authors Award. His works appear in Indian Review, The Raven Review, Wild Court International Poetry Journal and The Bosphorus Review of Books, among others.