Once upon a time...

Devi Jayasinghe

Once upon a time
It was you, me and Christmas chimes,
With mistletoe and holly,
Just the three of us, in conjugal bliss
We lived in an isle of Cyprus and Pine
And its balmy clime,
But that was once upon a time

Once upon a time
As the years rolled by,
We cherished each other,
Like no other,
With hugs and kisses
But that was once upon a time

Once upon a time,
We listened to the symphonies of
Beethoven, Vivaldi and Mozart,
Piping in our bedroom,
And gazed at the immortal works of art
Of Renoir, Michelangelo and Degas,
Done with a genius craft
But that was once upon a Time

Once upon a time
Each new day was a gift,
Of glowing love with no ending
There was no parting or departing
Only a meeting and greeting
And dancing and romancing
Over the moon and honeymooning
But that was once upon a time

Once upon a time
We wrote poems
To each other in melodious rhyme,
Like Robert and Elizabeth Browning,
It was psychic and so divine,
But that was long, long ago
Once upon a time

Once upon a time
We read all the classics,
And books on anthropology and astronomy
And to top it all under milk wood
By Dylan Thomas our favourite poet
Who wrote about life, birth and death,
From the womb to the tomb,
But that was once upon a time

Alas! One black night
You suffered a rollicking
Bout of pneumonia
And flights of angels took you to your rest,
And I was left bereft
With photogenic memories,
And swollen tears in my eyes,
Rolling down my cheek as I did weep,
As I thought of Aesop's fables,
And a child's garden of verses
But that was once upon a time
Long, long ago, as I don't want to live anymore,
As I wait to meet you and greet you
As before, when
My turn comes to say goodbye.

By Ian Jayasinghe