The Death of a Rose

'The rose withered / Petals flew away / Death came / Being was struck / Chop.'

Sounak Banerjee

'The rose withered / Petals flew away / Death came / Being was struck / Chop.'

Chop. Thud.
Chop. Thud.
The knife rose.
The knife fell. Chop. Thud.
The sounds played out together.
The goats bleated.
The hens clucked.
The blade fell.
Chop. Thud.

The rose withered.
Petals flew away.
Death came.
Being was struck. Chop.
Time stopped. Thud.

Fire boiled.
The meat was cooked.
Brown corpse on a white plate.
Mouths smiled. Eyes stared.
The lips licked.
Dinner came. Grilled meat.
A rose was given.
Hearts were taken.
Dinner was eaten.

The beings went hand in hand.
A being shoved, a being heaved.
Chop. Thud.
The sounds played out together at once.
Blood rushed up, fluids gushed out.
The eyes stared in sorrow.
It was over.

The rose withered.
Petals flew away.
Beings were struck. Chop.
Time stopped. Thud.
Life shoved. Death sighed.
Life came.
Death sucked it away.

Sounak Banerjee is a recent graduate in Sociology from Hindu College, Delhi University. He loves reading books, especially philosophy and fiction and watching the autumn sky.

Featured image: Evelyn Bertrand / Unsplash

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.