The Signatures We Exchange

 

Between Two Signatures

I signed your birth certificate
with shaking hands,
and a heart full of prayers.

That day,
you came into the world,
and I left mine behind.

I counted your first breaths,
held your little fingers,
walked behind your tiny steps
until you learned to walk alone.

I wiped your tears,
carried your fears,
kept my dreams aside
to build a sky for yours.

You called me in the darkness
when you were afraid.

I was your shelter,
your first home,
your quiet place of peace.

Then time passed.

Your hands became strong,
your voice became distant,
your world became bigger.

And mine became smaller.

The child who once searched for me
in every crowd
now searches for time
to remember me.

I still wait by the door,
not for your return,
but for the child
you left behind.

One day,
you will sign my death certificate.

But before that day comes,
sit beside me once more.

Let me hear your silence,
let me hold your hand.

Because I gave you my beginning…

And all I ask
is that you remember
I was once
your whole world.

Mayanglambam Meerina Leimarenbi