There was once, a song or two
That called me home, home to you.

I was lost in a haze, of sun and sand
A drive by the ocean, to another land
A sweet escape, it was meant to be
Past all the bitterness, I wanted to see
Few new colours, a new face maybe
A smile in a while, to set me free.

I should’ve known, seen it coming
For it wasn’t new, but a long time running.

The voice crooned, a soft melody
Taking me places I had left behind me.
A whisper in my ear, a caress on my skin
A tickle on my arm, the song played me like a string.

Turning around, no longer certain
I let the roads show me the way
With a little hope, and a flutter in my heart
For a little more could break me apart.

I thought I knew, saw it coming
Could’ve fooled myself, with words promising.
Silence and hurt greeted me so warm
For a moment I wondered,
If this is where I now belonged.

Left no trace when you left this place
The one in our hearts,
We used to call home
I’m back in the streets
Coursing through lanes
Of memories old and dreams long gone.

The music is the same,
Just a tad more blue
As it no longer sounds like the song I knew
The one that you sang, and I held so true
The song that brought me home to you.

(Photograph captured in the Tawang-Bomdila route in Arunachal Pradesh, India)