HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

--RAM KRISHNA SINGH

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

1.

FRESHNESS

The withered leavesblown in autumncome again with the tired rains

the season confersthrough the soft grey cloudsthe growing freshness on naked trees

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

2.

CROSSING

When the sea is still& mind is winglessthe shore & moon one:

we walk hand in handcrossing horizonshugging surge of time

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

3.

SPACE

How many defythe space betweensleep & leap

I hear soundsof cracked mirrors& torn veils

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

4.

AGAIN

short nights & long dayssleep loss rustles a frictionechoing in bedthe cycle of cravingsover & over again

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

5.

DEATH OF A SONG

In the stillness of morninghangs fog like smoke veilsher waiting in street

I watch my windowwavering shadowannouncing death of a song

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

6.

MIND

love without clotheswithout bone hasa joy within:soft, smooth & fulllike the mindcreative & free

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

7.

ECHO

Nobody hearsthe vacuummourning peace:echo haunts my soullike leafless treesraising griefto sick air

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

8.

EMACIATION

I am an imagethey secretly deridein the classroommental emaciationbridges the gapthat feeds a teacherto teach another

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

9.

WIND

I lost my sleepover a thought I could notmake my ownthe sun’s antidote changedthe voice of the wind

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

10.

I CAN’T SLEEP

It is for their loveof God they play loud musicor chant His name onloudspeakers but it kills mypeace the whole night I can’t sleep

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

11.

FRESH CATCH

the sea smellsfrom far off leaps to the skyI drive throughthe maze of returning folkswith fresh catch on their head

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

12.

HARDSHIPS OF THE SKY

I don’t want to mountthe hardships of the skyif the earth’s labor painis false or the actionstillborn with or withoutscalpel the doctorhumiliates process

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

13.

SKY

awaiting the wavethat’ll wash away empty hoursand endless longingin this dead silence at seaI pull down chunks of sky

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

14.

ISLAND

The shroud of fragrancein a closed room

& a ghostat the threshold

gnats & kitesabide my triumph

it all looksan island

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

15.

FALLING MOON

Draped in white the nightembraces ripplesdown the terrace the coursedefies my gazethe moon falls into piecesdown my son’s cheeks

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

16.

TEABREAK

With mordant commentshe tries to geld a standpatin a feminists’ meetand turns a sookat tea break

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

17.

SHIELD

The menopausal mandoesn’t know whetherit is love orpressure of the groin

he preachesheteropromiscuitysearching for frolicas another shield

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

18.

NEIGHBOR

with scheming mind& crafty hearta professional loserperfumes the roomwith flattering lips& strays a preacherinto revolution

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

19.

IS THIS ALL?

With prayers’ cocktaillive animal existence& boast, is this all?

in self-same cocoonfungus of illusions growtoadstools of damned tract

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

20.

KALI

Crudityof the stone concealsgrace of nuditythe image of Kalireveals to her devotee

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

21.

DIVINITY

The sunon a mountaingrave illumines the pathto divinity unrealizedin soul

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

22.

WAVES

Watching the waveswith him she makes an anglein contemplation:green weed and white foam breakon the beach with falling mood

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

23.

HAIKU PRESENT

I wish I could livenature’s rhythm free frombondage of clock timerituals of work and sleepexpanding haiku present

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

24.

CRACKS

The cracks on the parapethave widened for the peepalto stay green for oncerains too want us to drenchour heads and feel onewith cool windin a dark corner

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

25.

CRAZY

crazy these peopledon’t know how to godown with the swirl &up with the whirl butplay in the raging water

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

26.

BETRAYAL

There’s so much to seefrom birds to butterflies& mildewed roses

can I pick one forthe sun betrayed by cloudsthe city didn’t expect?

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

27.

TAKE OFF

resting his chinon the back of his palmshe stands atthe dusted railing to watchthe planes roar & take off

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

28.

PAST

There’s little to sustain the pastlooking beautiful each dayas we bury it or reviewover a drink with strangerswho don’t know & would forget soon

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

29.

HEAVEN

Heaven isthe frisson of unionwith fishwifebehind the boulderson sea beach

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

30.

WHISPERS

Seeking shelterunder the golden wingsof Angel Michaela prayer away nowwhispers the moon in cloud

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

31.

SHADOW

Last eveningI saw a flower bloomtoday it’s faded

but my fearlurking like a shadowever present

I can’t erase:emptying the mindeasier said than done

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

32.

GEOMETRY

with black & white marks& nest of ants on its skinthe tree grows tallershining through the geometryof sun moon & halogen

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

33.

SECRET

When I askedto open her secretshe showed me thumb

I thoughtshe would returnlove for love

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

34.

RELEASE

Melting chrysanthemumsilent chromosomesrestless energystones in woodwhere is the release?

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

35.

SILENCE

I clasp your hands& feel the bloodrunning savagelythrough your arteriesin tulip silence

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

36.

SHE

She is the treegreen & wideabundantly dressedoverflowingspreading her sleevesblesses allin her cool shadesolitude teemswith breezy songs

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

37.

CRUDITIES

the nude reads his skin peeling eyes& curses the crumbled canvasthe wrinkling hands couldn’t set:she suffers naked burialfor simple art in crudities

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

38.

BONDAGE

I wish I could livenature’s rhythm free frombondage of clock-timerituals of work and sleepexpanding haiku present

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

39.

AWAITING

Little candles failto illumine the deityor golden domein the valley darkness reignsand god too awaits light

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

40.

DIRECTION

night’s prisoned friendskeep me awake with planesflying over the ashramevery now and then I watchthe direction matters

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

41.

SCARED

slung-jawed awaketwo grinning skeletons sitbolt upright in bedhear the shrieks next door buttoo scared to call the police

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

42.

LOUT

My bones have holes for eyesI search my teeth in the muckleeches have sucked my blood:where’s the lout who ate my flesh?

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

43.

PRICK

Unpruned rosesunmown grassesmake me awareof the emptinessthe dusk in her room sounds

she searches outher shadow inthe rising moonI feel season’s prick

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

44.

TENSION

The blank space between wordsis the burnt skin of timeI couldn’t paint:they stole the colors& brush of the eyes

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

45.

WIND

I lost my sleepover a thought I could notmake my own:the sun’s antidote changedthe voice of the wind

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

46.

BROODING

Time is running outcracks in walls develop fastbut I stay static

shrouded in cobwebas if in dusk denying deathbrooding slipped chances

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

47.

POETS

Watching the moonin the western horizontwo haiku poetsscratch each other’s back and mockthe rest as neophytes

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

48.

OVERLOAD

Goes awrythe electrical circuitin the brain cells

in my drugged sleepI utter expletivesunmindful of

the victims:I can’t help my sensoryoverload

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

49.

NUDITY

The wind liftsher curved nudity hiddenin water curtain:I touch the strings that whisperlove in each falling drop

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

50

TOO FAR

Each death has a passageto surprise the deadawareness matters

no solace the cow’s tailin the river’s midstheaven far, too far

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

51.

DUSTY COLONIES

Dusty coloniesrecount in grammar of coughnew tales of hazards

near open cast pitsthey move with graves on shouldersmark my white shirt black

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

52.

SEASON’S EYE

The naked treeseems to swayin hope ofgreen wavesspring promises:

here am Iprostituting smilein mirrordespite changein season’s eye

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

53.

SHADOW

raising the glassto invite the lone moon:silent shadowsuffer the falling leavesyellowed with autumn

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

54.

LEMON IN COURTYARD

She props the stooping lemonswith stake but avoidsbending close to me:

I die to draw the blossomin my twining armsbut she likes the other scent

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

55.

ECHO

Nobody hearsthe vacuummourning peace:

echo haunts my soul

like leafless treesraising griefto sick air

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

56.

SNARES

weaving lies & hopeshe exposes his skillwith riddles onlyfools himself & pridesin snares of deceitsburies his own peace

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

57.

STAINS

Layers of dust thickenon the mirror water makesthe smuts prominent:I wipe & wipe & yetthe stains stay like sin

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

58.

SOUNDS

How many defythe space betweensleep & the leap

I hear soundsof cracked mirrors& torn veils

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

59.

FED UP

Can’t I grab a littlewarmth, fresh air & lovesimple, sound & innocent?

I’m fed up playinglife across the netshuttling nightmare in cold

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

60.

JOY

moonlight lingerson mango boughs like the fruitsweet yellow sun

in my courtyardcool shade travels with thin cloudI see love dance

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

61.

LIGHT

Memory fadeslike her bodyin dim light

I bury my headin open handsto escape noises

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

62.

WAKING

standing at the edgeI long to float with waves &wave with instant wind

on the dream water’s breastI read tomorrow’s wonder:the secret of waking

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

63.

VISION

teary eyeswith sparks and lightningdried vision

caged existenceseeks deliverancemuttering old prayers

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

64.

BODY’S SONG

Awake in dreamhe looks for the candle–love’s invitationlighting up in the darkand sings the body’s song

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

65.

BEWARE

Professors bewareintellectual successlies in inventinglies to conceal common truthsand sound holier-than-thou

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

66.

SHADOWS

the mirror swallowedmy footprints on the shoreI couldn’t blame the wavesthe geese kept flying over the headthe shadows kept moving afar

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

67.

ISLAND

at the rivershe folds her arms and legsresting her headupon her knees and sitsas an island

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

68.

ROTTEN RAT

Man is an animalwith a peculiar smellsays Bertolt Brecht:

he smells a rotten ratas he waves his khaddar armswith fake smile

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

69.

NIGHT’S SILENCE

Unmoved in the windthe rose still stands erectin the night’s silencei imagine my teensthe street is lonely& love-ache ever freshwith stolen fragrance

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

70.

MEDITATION

Unable to seebeyond the nose he sayshe meditatesand sees visions of Buddhaweeping for us

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

71.

PRAYER

On the prayer matthe hands raised in vajrasancouldn’t contact God—the prayer was too long andthe winter night still longer

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

72.

RIVER

Ripples of darknesstear the riverflowing within

I hear shrieksof shadow amidsavage hails

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

73.

SEX IN PUBLIC

sex in publicbackground folk musicin Weston Parklove masqueradesunder a foreign treeI await driverto take me home

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

74.

WATERY WEATHER

The watery weathercontinues to shatterthe mortal shell

one by onewashes the paintsthat hide the face

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

75.

HIGHWAYMAN

in the forest of her body& steeps of her breastsis the highwaymanI saw escaping the moonover stream last night

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

76.

WATERY LIPSTICK

a happier imagewith salubrious topturns rapturousas she tamps her lovewith watery lipstick

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

77.

WATCHING

The painted paper-god & christ on the crossstand on the dawn-colored wall of my bedroomwatching sex, prayer & restlessness

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

78.

MILITANT

Caught between flattery of politics& democracy of oppositionhe turns a militant & killsboth left & right

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

79.

HERE SHE GOES

Here she goes in the long lightand swiftly a shadow moves with her

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

80.

SMOKE

Who sees the smokeof the thumb-sized flamethe body burns

the ashes of silencefloat on the holy breasttears pollute

HERE SHE GOES: A COLLECTION OF MICROPOEMS

81.

NEST

Taken out of methe bone of my bonesI grow into her and be

each night discard the coversseeking each otherreturn to the ancient nest

Copyright: Ram Krishna Singh, India