Zubeen Garg, the singer from Assam who sang in over 40 languages and dialects, passed away at the age of 52 on September 19. His last rites are today, September 23.

The weather gods predicted a grey sky
Cloudy for the most part
The swell of rivers
Oceans instead of streets
Tears soon to flood the highway of time.
We were waiting for a drop to fall
To assuage our feelings
Remind us of hope and the natural rhythm
Of elements that need no reason or attention.
Things happened on their own, we knew
Even if we didn’t move an inch
The cortege would slowly draw on
Leaving us walking with the elements
When dear Zubeen decides to climb the stairs once more
To finish the song not written.

(for Zubeen Garg)

Amlanjyoti Goswami has written three books of poetry, A Different Story, River Wedding and Vital Signs, published by Poetrywala. River Wedding was shortlisted for the Sahitya Akademi award. Published in journals and anthologies across the world, including Poetry, The Poetry Review, Penguin Vintage, Rattle and Sahitya Akademi, he is also a Best of the Net and Pushcart nominee. He grew up in Guwahati and lives in Delhi.

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