Coping Without..

I've contemplated,
Many a time;
Those brief instants-
Of madness- I'd call them.

On the way home
In the school-bus,
During Thunderstorms and
Those nondescript moments
Whose roots are known to none.

Imagination is Bad-
I'd declare to myself.
A shake of the head,
And then back to
The bliss called normalcy.

But now I'd say,
Imagination was Better-
Much Better than This.
The Pain. The Void.
Reality makes them Worse.

Those warm trails
Burn my cheeks in solitude.
To dam is more agonizing.
Bonds hurt when broken, with
One end on the earth and the other beyond.

Would it hurt less,
Had the bond been weaker?
I ask myself.
A pang clears my head.

Each smile, Each story,
Each dish you made for this brat,
Each non-pampering reprimand,
Each pet-name,
Is worth an ocean!

That tingling laughter,
That voice,
Those phone-greetings,
That last kiss and the last hugged-sleep-
Remain evergreen. Be it two months or two centuries.