open sky :: SAMVAAD/28th September
- sanjuktaa
- Sep 28, 2025
- 1 min read
hosts : Sanjuktaa Asopa & Aparna Pathak
early autumn
the little girl next door
turns forty today
-Arkady Elterman
(The Heron's Nest, 2.11, 2000)
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The backstory of this beautiful poem in Arkady's words:
Summer was coming to an end. I had turned 40 earlier that year myself and was reflecting on another birthday that was just around the corner—that of a girl I used to know and be in love with. We were neighbors then and grew into our teenage years together, though she was a couple of years younger than me. She still lives there, over half a century later, and I had since moved half the world away.
I can relate to this so much and so much attached to our daily conversations. Thank you!!
Good one! Simple and effective .