The Jasmine Girl

She stood selling Jasmine flowers
at the turn near a bridge
She would call out
to the slowing cars
waving the Jasmine strings
Long skirt with a faded top
hair pulled back
in a tight pleat
Few strands of curls
dancing to the breeze
Large eyes sharp nose
prominent cheek bones
pouting lips
May be seventeen eighteen
she was a Jasmine girl
I used to seen her
driving past the bridge
My heart would race
nearing the bridge
I would steal few glances
eyes locking for a few seconds
A smile playing on her lips
One day I stopped the car
she walked down to my car
pushed her hand in with jasmine strings
I took the floral strings fingers brushing hers
My heart flip flopped like never before
Her exotic face said a hundred things to me
Next the next and the next day like this
many days passed she was not there
Couple days latter I stopped
near the bridge I brought a few bananas
wrapped in a piece of news paper
Home I unwrapped the bundle
the news print had her photo
with a paragraph underneath
The language unknown to me
ran to my neighbour
A wayward bus ran her down
was the story it told
Every thing stilled in me
The exotic face smiles at me beckoning
The Jasmine girl is gone
Leaving me behind
You never needed the Jasmine
Celestial Jasmine is better than ours
I know for sure
You love her more than me

K.V.Radhakrishnan