The Lady with the Blue Veil
By Pratibha Kelapure

I don’t remember our first meeting,
But I know she is my closest friend,
At least a friend who would never
Leave me alone. She follows me

Like my shadow, this blue veiled lady
Trailing every morning glory, the dew of
My dawns, the sunlight that I slip on
She was there when those

White garden lilies wilted in my
Hand when he walked down
The dusty street by the mango tree
The din of her noise quieted for

An afternoon. I evaded her and then
The sun shone for an entire summer.
I played with my smile in the sunflower
Fields, making memories of the light. Alas,

The sounds of her footfall reunited with
Me at one dusk. Their cacophony
Rose above the north-star in the
Night sky. The steadfast star—like

The woman next door who tends her
Family and garden with unmatched
Fervor while I spend my days with
The lady in the blue veil. She clutches

My heart in her cold hands, and I lie in
My flannel pajamas, knots in my hair, and
My child sitting silently in the corner,
Thumb in her mouth, with a
Question in her eyes.