A school mate calls me
after decades. pleasantly
surprised. I greet her
She is the same old
even now, bubbling
with enthusiasm,
Speechless I remain
while she rambles fast,
a monologue.
She shares her happiness
and grief with ease. has lost
her first son recently
her second one
lives abroad with his wife
a foreigner.
She pauses a few seconds
bemoans the misgivings.
resumes soon after.
Her stoicism ” life has to go”
baffles me as I recall how
timid she was at school.
Experiences have made her
what she is, age has mellowed her.
She is a free lance counsellor
transforms affliction
into distinction. Life is a a balance
of inputs and outputs, she says.