Her Eyes Should Have Remained Open Poem by Devesh Path Sariya

(Visiting the Facebook profile of a stranger woman who died during Covid)

8 May 2021

Election rallies deemed essential,
while health guidelines and laws apply unequally.
As they tightened their grip on triumph,
hundreds of thousands lost their grip on life.
She was one of them.

Today, she is no longer here
to celebrate her wedding anniversary.

1 April 2021

In this age of trolling,
who uploads a picture with their husband
on April Fool's Day?

She did!

They twinned in black attire
A month before her passing,
she brimmed with life.

12 January 2021

This time, her child appears in the photograph as well,
adorning a little coat with a red pocket-handkerchief,
a gentleman in the making.
She and her husband gleamed with happiness,
illuminating the horizon behind them.

7 Nov 2020

For the first time,
she shared a photo in a saree.
A golden Mangalsootra and a chain adorned her neck,
adding elegance to her proud half-smile.

31 March 2020

The virus had entered the country,
chaos devolved into disorder.
She uploaded another photo,
pledging to stay home
to prevent the virus from spreading further.

6 January 2020

Perhaps her assailant hadn't arrived in the nation yet,
or was too preoccupied with riding the victory chariot.
She enjoyed a vacation,
standing beneath an umbrella
held by a mannequin dressed in Japanese garb.
Her child contemplated something sitting beside her.

20 December 2019

Despite the dazzling sunlight,
her child's eyes remained open.
Wearing a floral dress and Jhumkas,
she appeared even lovelier than before.

15 Aug 2019

This is her only black and white picture,
not an old one.
The sky filled with colors that day,
our leader delivering a speech from the Red fort.

2 Sep 2018

Visiting a temple,
she prayed for the longevity
of her husband and son.

19 Feb 2018

She wore a different necklace—
more elegant, more precious maybe,
yet the same pride and smile.

3 July 2017 

She ventured to a Hill Station,
her child nearly a year old.
Her husband appeared more charming,
and with her hair dancing in the breeze,
she seemed younger as well.

2 May 2017

This must be four years before her death,
but what kind of picture is this!
Her eyes barely open,
why would she upload a picture with closed eyes?
Her eyes should have been open.

18 August 2015

It was through this picture I discovered
that besides mountains and ponds,
she had also visited the sea.

One hand in her father's,
and one in her mother's,
their son learned to walk
on the sandy shores.

4 March 2014

Her Child has not born yet.

Her hands are still embellished with Henna. 
She has come to some place for a vacation.

Outside their resort,
There are plants shaped like the Taj Mahal.

11 October 2012

She and her husband looked youthful.
Someone called her 'bhabhi' in the comments,
indicating her marriage,
though no public pictures from the ceremony.
Considering they married in May,
only five months had passed.
Countless dreams shimmered in their eyes.

30 August 2012

This is her final (or first) photograph.
She stood in Amritsar,
outside the Golden Temple,
by the Pond of Nectar.
She doesn't appear much lively,  
despite seeking solace
within the sanctuary of divine spirituality.

(Translation from Hindi by Shivam Tomar)