Some observations made by the ghost of a dying year

Kouseyi Saha

as he floats through the streets thronging with a festive busy-ness

guitar riffs thrum above his head, hanging like static in the air and squeezing into the warmth

of hurrying bodies

he sees humans being as human as they could

gearing up for one grand burial, preparing the shroud for another one gone by too fast

the mourning of the could have been’s quickly replaced by the hopeful will be’s

the shop windows reflect the bright funeral hues adorning every dark corner

he sees the humans gather in front of the clocktower, chanting away each tick and letting go of

a steamy breath

FIVE

their eyes so very intent on following the minute hand, he catches hints of regret in every blink

FOUR

a childish regret, like letting go of the collection of figurines on one's desk

THREE

he sees them holding their breaths, charging the air around them with anticipation

TWO

lips parted in feverish hunger, of swallowing the minutes whole and spitting out a newborn day

ONE

the sky is charged with jittering sparks of crackers, the spontaneous bursts drowning out the

collective whoop of the gathered crowd

he sees a blurred vision of bodies in embrace, melting away with the shimmering fireworks

he gets caught up in a tornado of transient celebration

amongst the dawdlers scrambling at his fleeting remnants

he sees humans as they are

putting together pieces in their man-made puzzles

searching for the ones they cannot find

between every crack in the pavement, within every stranger's impassive face

the dawn rises, not as bright as last night

the empty streets are littered with broken bottles, jagged edges glinting like sets of grinning

teeth

the ghost stands like a destructor in the middle of the road

the chill of January creeping past him like a goosebump spreading through the skin

he wonders why he wasn't properly buried, why he has to drag his feet through the confetti and

the condolences

maybe because his obituary reads: gone but never forgotten

he has seen humans being as humane as they can be

what they bury, he understood, they wish for it to come back and haunt them forever.

Published in Issue No. 5, Aeternum Scriptor, February 1st, 2025.

Kouseyi Saha is currently pursuing a Master's in English Literature from the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. She had always been passionate about reading and writing poetry and her works have been published in Opal Age Tribune and Morning Star Literary.