Student Publishing Program ::

Kim Rodrig

Across the Universe

Was it the gentle plucking of rusting strings,
Or was it the lyrics,
Those sweet fading words, “Jai guru deva,”
That instantly plunged me into the past?
My own? Or perhaps
I’d been sent swimming
Through a vast, collective sea of memories. I found myself suspended
Underwater
In a slow-motion step,
In and out of a cloudy dream-
like consciousness.
Images draped in their matching sepia cloaks, half-muted sounds from miles away,
And faint, warm scents I couldn’t quite put my finger on,
All flashed before me; in my reach, but endlessly far away.
Frozen, were my limbs, and at last, the moment caught me.
Stuck,
There I was, at the bottom of that boundless ocean.
For a moment, water became memories, then back again––or, maybe,
They were the same all along.
Enveloping me was the drifting nostalgia of all those too
Enchanted by this timeless tune.
Nothing’s gonna change my world, I was thinking,
As I slowly floated up to the surface.

And I listen to it again.

[TABLE OF CONTENTS, LHS CLASS OF 2013 EDITION]