Ghost From the Last Century

Ajay Pradhan | October 12, 2013

On the phone, she said, "I'll be there"

He replied, "Can't wait to see you"

Each excited, thinking of the other.

She arrived in a gleaming red sedan

He came by a rusty horse-driven cart

Her midriff-baring glittery Versace gown

Unmatched by his faded raw cottons

She walked by, her body undulating

The fragrance of her Chanel Coco Noir

Leaving his senses intoxicated in its wake

Unnoticed, but unfazed, he followed her

Wondering if she didn't notice him

Or simply played a joke and ignored him.

As he approached her from behind

He saw the doorman usher her into a theater

By the door, he saw a sign that said

"By invitation only: Premier of a love story

Spanning two centuries, a young woman in love

With a ghost that belonged to the past--

The Ghost from the Last Century."

Alongside was a picture of none but

The woman in Versace looking into the eyes

Of a man, no one else but himself.

Perplexed, he turned around

And looked into the mirror on the wall.
He saw the reflection of the doorman
And of the woman in Versace;
But he saw no reflection of himself.

Oct. 12, 2013