the pellucid waters mirrored 

a face of mesmerizing glamor

limned against a backdrop of 

a cobalt sky and a few tinges 

of pearly white clouds

heart blighted by the curse of self-indulgence

mind beguiled by the world of fantasies

frenziedly he sought

for something of ultimate intangibility

yet as the maw of time 

gnawed away his youth and beauty

as his long, lustrous hair starts to lose its sheen 

and as the pale flowers of his name

blossomed on the spot where he had 

once stood gazing so dotingly 

the serenity of the forest had remained unaltered

the verdant grass still bowed at the 

hefty weight of the dewdrops

the dainty hummingbirds still trilled 

their mellow hymns of bliss

and the thin willow leaves still swayed

at the light brush of the summer breeze…