The Bench Under the Rain Tree

Date: 03/07/2026
All Rights Reserved by the Author

“Life is made of ever so many partings welded together.” — Charles Dickens

In the center of an old neighborhood stood a wooden bench beneath a rain tree.
Nothing extraordinary had ever happened there.
Yet, over the years, thousands of ordinary moments had passed across it.
Retired friends discussed politics.
Children shared ice creams.
Students revised lessons before examinations.
Some sat in silence.
Others spoke without pause.
The bench never chose between joy and sorrow.
It welcomed both.
Communities are not built only by grand institutions.
They are sustained by small places where people pause and belong.
Every town possesses such silent witnesses.
They ask for no recognition.
Yet they hold countless stories within their weathered surfaces.
Perhaps wisdom itself resembles that old bench—steady, patient, and always available to those who need a moment of rest.

Rajat Chandra Sarmah
Guwahati, Assam, India
email: rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com
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