The 93-year-old woman who lived next door
(My mother texted me at work to let me know)
Died. And her corpse was found by a maid, in tears,
With no one to turn to when she knocked
On our door, and my parents
Took care of it.

When I finally reached home at five I found my dad
Was chill about it all. (She was 93, he said)
While my mother was still a little dazed.
We talked of it in her room, still words turned mundane
Quite quickly, as conversations often do
Between two who know each other so well.

But when I made to move, she held her gaze
At me, and said, Life’s beautiful,
Isn’t it? Yes, I replied. Yes.
Otherwise we’d all kill ourselves, and not wait
For old age. In a bit she turned around
And slept. I turned off her lights, closed her door,
And left.

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Cover image by Tapas Das / Pexels. The copyright of ‘Today’s Lesson’ belongs to Sameen Shakya.