My Bengali Brother (Poem)

“The good is oft interred
With their bones”
No, his good deeds and
Laughter will stay with us;
It will endure, memories will only
Radiate brighter with time

He (VG)
Was one-of-a-kind 
A very unique person
With a flair for classy things
Of life –
From locally produced Maple Sugar,
Crispy Cortland Apples, luscious juicy
Southern tier peaches to
Date Palm Sugar of India

He tried to peek
Thro’ the foggy windows of time
And visualize better times
For humanity; he
Wanted better crops of sugar,
Newer tuber crops and 
Community gardens with heirloom tomatoes

Always loved the aromatic
Madurai Malli, Kakinada Red rose,
Jasmine Grand Duke, Michael Champaka,
Or the rare redolent Hosta (plantaginea)

A lone Cyclamen or a puny Curry Leaf plant
Will keep him happy and buoyant
Through the hard winters
Of Central New York
Once
He cooked a
Pure Vegetarian lunch
With handmade (ghee fried) puris with cauliflower curry
Made me totally feel at home –
A home away from the Indian subcontinent

He was such a sweet
Bengali friend; I miss you
Rather, we all miss you
So early, so soon
We can’t utter goodbye now
Barely we’ve started understanding each other
Yet we must …
Wish you the best on the onward journey

Copyright 2025 by the author