Hear them rush through, the magic splinter of it
Cutting through the stars, clouds,
The roars of the leaves rustling.
It has been too long.
I don’t wait for you anymore.

Round, my love, the ring, the globe,
This whirlwind of things we remember of each other.
Round and perfect, it never ends.

What more do you want –
The bones, or the memories,
Piled up together in that hut,
Husk brown and wild,
Smelling like some wild beast bleeding to death.

The promises, the promises.
How I believed the words.
Exiting off your mouth like gold watches
Gleaming with fake glamour.
Lies, lies, who would thought I had it coming.

Mud-thick, they plop to make a scene.
This one, that one.
They’re all the same.

Your legacy is torn, just as you decided
To do away with me.
Taking her, the sister-*****,
Who held your heart before I began to.
Overshadowing the very being that drew
You away from me.

No remorse, love, no,
That’s not the right way to live.
This cycle, this viciousness,
Proud and naked like the night sky.
All round and fat.
They never end.

Shalini Nayar
© 2004