Nitoo Das (India)
The Poetry of Everyday Life: I
Safety Pin
I am a fish
a wire fish
holding things
lips and friendships together
with a prick here
and a prick there and
the sweet circle of blood
TV Remote
I exist blurred
between memory and all
its antonyms
hidden in the folds
of furniture while unknown
nails search for me
Fingers tap-tapping
on my body charge me
make me arch.
I grant muscle
to the hands that control me.
Paint brush
I am animal
hair, tin and wood.
Lick the hair
to know
how flawless I am.
See if all of me bristle
to a close.
Umbrella
I am a flower eroded
with tears and the sun.
A steel skeleton
gives me wings.
Look for me
when you need a veil.
Safety Pin
I am a fish
a wire fish
holding things
lips and friendships together
with a prick here
and a prick there and
the sweet circle of blood
TV Remote
I exist blurred
between memory and all
its antonyms
hidden in the folds
of furniture while unknown
nails search for me
Fingers tap-tapping
on my body charge me
make me arch.
I grant muscle
to the hands that control me.
Paint brush
I am animal
hair, tin and wood.
Lick the hair
to know
how flawless I am.
See if all of me bristle
to a close.
Umbrella
I am a flower eroded
with tears and the sun.
A steel skeleton
gives me wings.
Look for me
when you need a veil.