If I were to tell you that I had it all planned this way—that I’d chosen the occasion, my 90th birthday, the venue, my home, the place where I’d been the happiest, and the guests, all those whose faces I’d have loved to see before I rested my eyes for good—you might even believe me, the planner, the strategy maker that you’d known me to be. But the truth is, it wasn’t without surprise that I’d felt that sudden urge to close my eyes, almost knowing then that I couldn’t open them again as I sensed the mist slowly covering my body while it was adjusting itself, after the sauna’s intense heat, to the temperature outside, the moisture evaporating from the skin, the memory of the afternoon still somewhat fresh, the taste of the wine, the clinking of glasses, your laughter, your sweet voices wishing me well and an even longer life, the smells of the food and the perfumes you wore, and the light that presided over the happiest coming together before what—by now the cooling body had found out—would be the final farewell. I hope the sauna is switched off was the last thought to leave me.

Eugene Datta

is the author of the poetry collection Water & Wave (Redhawk Publications, 2024) and the story collection The Color of Noon (Serving House Books, 2024), winner of the first Walter Cummins Award for short fiction. His poems and stories have appeared widely both online and in print, with some having been anthologized, and translated into German, French, Arabic, and Italian. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Touchstone Award for Individual Haibun. A native of Calcutta, he lives in Aachen, Germany.

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⚡ Interview with Eugene Datta by Susan Tekulve in South 85 Journal (23 January 2025)