Joy

The sunny afternoon on a

Highway, waiting for an unscheduled

Bus to unexplored destinations,

The time you pulled me close

Under the night sky, in a suit, and

Traced the crease of my dress to dance

With me to my favourite song, or

The rhymes of your laugh in

A hotel bathroom, used roach(s)

On the sink slab, and a

Full stomach of

Umpteen joy in range of emotions

You gave birth to this year but

I know not how to name.

I thank you for all

That and all that I’m incapable of

Putting into words.

So so much.

Sketching Parallels to the Universe

Maybe in an alternate universe

An atmosphere exists where fresh

Air moves inside out, smoke particulates

Are replaced with dandelions,

Dandelions remain metaphoric

To beauty, and beauty resonates

With the calm of the ocean during day.

There may exist this universe where

I’m breathing, but I choose not to

Wander off to that other side.

I stay here, with oxygen supporting 

My lungs, and ash spilled beyond the

Brim for I no longer bother to 

Empty the ashtray; 

Feeling as though with every passing 

Second the world is closing in on me,

Just by a millimetre more. Yet,

Despite disturbances inside the fissures

On my skin, I have made peace with 

The sun, aligned perpendicular to 

The highest measurable altitude, by man,

Reflecting back light onto me

Through the moon; the tides 

Inside my ribs beating and

Fluctuating.