He Sat Near, Without Coming Too Close

6 May 2026
All rights reserved by the author

A stray dog settled near a group of people sitting outside a small shop.
Not among them.
A little distance away.
Close enough to feel part of the space, but not close enough to disturb.
It stayed there quietly.
No movement toward them. No attempt to get attention.
Just sitting, observing, sharing the same space without entering it.
Every now and then, someone would glance at it.
No one called it over. But no one pushed it away either.
It was simply allowed to be there.
There is something familiar in that.
Not every presence needs to be central.
Sometimes, being near is enough.
In our own lives, we often feel the need to fully enter every space—to speak, to participate, to be noticed.
But not everything requires that.
Some moments are comfortable even at the edge.
Tonight, there is something simple to take.
You don’t always have to step in fully.
Sometimes, just being there—quietly—is enough.

Rajat Chandra Sarmah
Guwahati, Assam, India
Instagram: @rajatchandrasarmah
YouTube: Converse With A Smile