Breakout

I wanted to break out of that prison sublime
where I was serving sentence for the crime
Of trying to hustle words into rhyme
while composing my lines, every time

It made me afraid, what I was going to do
How would my poetry be, I hadn’t a clue
Deep within however, I knew I wanted to
be free of form, just say it as I feel

Started straining, breaking the bonds one by one
Marvelled at the strength I had when I was done
For now, there was no strain, and no anxiety
I was a flooded, tempestuous river;
not a tame canal…

The rains witnessed the transformation
Maybe they had sown the seeds seasons ago
When I had watched them,
disarranged by the wind, irregularly intense
And was somehow reminded of sheer poetry

Dissolution

Plastic covers and plantain leaves
Books and shawls, Hats and caps,
grocery bags, burlap sacks

Coats and canopies, overcrowded shelters
Tarpaulin sheets, corrugated roofs;
Thatched, tiled or aluminium even

All I see is them wanting to keep it
away and out
From their bodies and their heads

And here, I rue the keratinised skin and
difficult to dissolve inorganic elements

That don’t let me find a way
to the infinite oceans
by standing out here
in this glorious rain
and melting into it…

Clarity

Its nearly dried up…
Muddy waters in the bottom of our pond
Surrounded by muck
decomposed debris of fish, fallen leaves
and algae

It stinks, it is not pretty
No better time to clean it
so that when the rains come in
and the pond fills up and
all of us go to play in the water
we know that the depths are clean
Because we dug out the grime
in the hot, unrelenting summer sun.

Rehydration

I’d not known how thirsty I was
Till the first drops of rain
wet my parched lips

More drops fell..

I relished them

It then became a drizzle,
and I stood there
with my tongue hanging out

And as it rained more
my thirst grew
couldn’t be satisfied with
the heavens opening up for me

started lapping up the ditch water

When it felt full, pissed
…and drank again
Till I was no longer drinking
to quench my thirst…
But to forget the ecstasy of
the first drop

Rumination.

Will you forgive me for what I was…?
Because I don’t know if I can…
Once your lips touched mine in this world, I knew purity…
And the filth accumulated over the years stood out…
In stark contrast…
Your love washed away most of it..
but it is painful, disgusting – picking the repugnant leftovers
out from where they’re embedded…
I will endure, though…
For you…
For one day, these wounds will heal,
and with your blessings..
I will be whole again…