Somewhere, that road still curves without you, a question mark lying on its side, waiting for your footfall to make it a full stop.
Kumari Bambasara handu da — do you remember that road, maiden, where the dust smelled of rain and the tamarind trees bent low like old women sharing secrets? kumari bambasara handu da
Kumari, do your fingers still trace that air — the one heavy with jasmine and diesel smoke, the one we named handu da because no other word would hold it? Somewhere, that road still curves without you, a
Handu da — the step where you paused, one sandal loose, laughing at a bee drunk on nectar, while the sun slid gold into your hair. that road still curves without you