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555

Poetry

I Called You, But Someone Stole Your Identity

Ananya Negi

In my nostalgia, I looked for you
In people everywhere
Through and through

The times we shared in school, in class
The jokes we cracked, the gazes we passed

In my nostalgia, I pined for you
For our memories
And the joy it brought new

I remembered your birthday each time it passed
I remembered your dimples each time you laughed
Your gaze was soft, your eyes clear
Your morals were strong and actions sincere

But in these delusions, perhaps I forgot
My abandoned memories had all but rot
What was real? What was fake?
Sweet icing on a rotten cake

I dialed your number
Years later,
The feeling I craved, might come back greater?

But when you spoke
I knew it then
My memories awoke
From the sweet nostalgic scent

I awoke to reality, a bit too suddenly
To an empty house of memory
I refused to believe, confused and upset
I found a stranger in your place instead

What do I do with all the feelings I amassed?
How do I grieve those who have yet to pass?

Flowers of plastic placed on a fake grave
Who did I miss? What did you say?

In my nostalgia, I tried to reconnect
To pretend between all that was left unsaid
But what use could it be, when all I could think
Is someone committed identity theft.

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