24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Everything can mean anything
And nothing can be something too
everything has been said before
you never have to think again
Premade, prepackaged
pull request
10 random words:
Age, specifically mine, has begun to define me.
I think of “The Twilight Zone” imagining a world
But not this one.
I think of a world without humans.
After all, we’ve already had our shot.
A world free of abuse, corruption and assholes.
Well, only literal assholes will be allowed.
Actually, if you make exceptions for wasps and feces-throwing primates, all assholes will be welcomed!
Maybe my imagined world will have time for sleep,
Because, you know, not this one.
Not at my age.
Not this one.
Domes, unicycles, key rings, arenas,
only infinite perfection in this circular space,
no hard angles, sharp edges, jagged saws,
in the protected lands.
Soft voices and hands,
plump hens and heiresses,
rounding the hill tops to home,
a mounded cupola, an igloo, a yurt,
no plaits but curls.
waves, arches, crowns,
all year round,
roundabouts full of beetles,
scarab rings and necklaces
they wear with semi circle smiles.
Flight patterns and arguments,
discoid, rings and hoops,
u-turns atop u-turns,
the land of no return orbits
planets, looping stars and suns,
gas balls infernal, eternal, annular
and endlessly unfree.
We watched with interest as crews labored,
Digging foundations,
Securing beams into place,
Smoothing concrete.
Installing windows and carefully,
Lovingly,
Stroking on the red paint.
The architect, we imagined,
Sought to communicate,
To share her brilliance,
To secure her legacy.
Surely, we thought,
This must be her
Masterpiece.
Nature, though, cares little for
The vanities of humanity.
Nature seeks out the
Heartbeat of the world,
Displaying her bounty
in abundance or scarcity,
Willy-nilly; when and where
she alone chooses.
Thus, the building –
That carefully constructed facade
Conveying an equally careful
Message to the neighborhood –
Lost its voice to the
Seemingly random presence
Of a single, scrawny tree.
SOMETHING SMELLS NICE
Something smells nice
Ah it seems to be coming from the rectangular box
Hey what is this?
Something circular is inside a rectangular box
The smell is just mouth-watering,
Tomatoes, cheese, capsicums, olives seem to be beckoning me
I cannot control myself anymore.
I stretch my hand,
This is a mystery!
What’s this?
A triangular piece is in my hand?
It smells so heavenly,
My mouth automatically drools in the smell of cheese and oregano
I take a bite
My eyes automatically close relishing the flavour of the hot melting cheese
I cannot control myself from extending my hand for the second
Third
Fourth
Oops, I lost count till
My kids yelled,
“Mummy, where is the pizza?”
That’s when I realised
I had devoured the whole box
My stomach feels happy
Soul satisfied
I never bothered to share
A box of yummy pizza.
BY
SHREYA SURAJ
An Aquarius Love II
He is my pillar
when I am about to fall.
When my thoughts
reach outer space
he is there
to pull me back to earth.
He takes my worries
and tosses them
to the ends of the earth.
Pats my head
as if to say “There, there.”
If the world
gets too much
too handle,
he’ll stand in front
and let me breath.
For once
I am not
being judged
by my mistakes.
He just smiles
and let me be.
An Aquarius love
is something out of this world.
Just like their tarot, the Star,
they know how to bring in
a fresh start.
He is just that to me.
Text messages
Good luck this weekend! I hope it goes as uneventfully as possible! = I wish I could come see you after the busy season ends
I hope the tourist don’t send back their plates and tip the staff well = Tourists are assholes
Man, I miss the ocean = Man, I miss the ocean
It’s definitely a change to be down here = Texas is almost like another country from Maine
Maybe we can reschedule that video chat? = I would rather curl up with you and watch a movie
I intentionally didn’t watch the movie we were going to = I wish we could be together
The nervousness is understandable
there’s so many of them on the Internet
and in real life
it bothers me too how they’re always happy
and aren’t always the most intelligent
but you have to think of the disciples
and what they were before and what they gave
how easy it was to start following
how the promise is utterly free
that piercing on your nose, that tattoo is nothing
whatever you think is too much
doesn’t even tip the scale
keep your eyes forward, they come and go
what we’re here for never changes
and there’s a place for you at the table
if not here
up there for certain.
Everyone talks about the firsts or the lasts,
the beginning or the ends,
but what about just before it ends,
when sun and moon appear together in the sky,
Its not night yet,
neither a full sunrise.
Just before the exam bell rings
you are yet to write the last answer,
there is still some time left,
no need to hold your breath.
Just before walking the aisle,
still holding your father’s hand,
there still some while left,
before you get on with life.
Before saying goodbye,
knowing its not the end,
the last time, the last lines are special,
but its the second lasts,
just before the time something changes,
which holds together,
until we meet next.
