by Deepthi Krishnamurthy
Forced Intimacy
In the orgy of humanity
The ebb of urban commute
Candy crush tinkles
Kala chashma on earphones
Armpits smoosh in faces
Crotches rub against asses
Outside, the relentless city
Drenches in rain and light
Through a mesh of straining arms
A cross eye peers at me
I’m not alone
When can I ever be?
Insomnia
I’ve become an insomniac
Sick to the stomach
A nightly cauldron bubbles
Seizes my eyes
Takes them prisoners
I compose all night
Absurd soliloquies
Fill them in bottles
Of sparkling emptiness
They hover and bob
Over the stubborn lights
Of a soulless city
Love and longing languish
Roll restlessly in bed
No fix but to suffer this state
Go deeper
Get it over with
I lie like a corpse
I let it have its way
The city that didn’t sleep
Is awake before dawn
Chirps and honks hurt my ears
The eyes are released
But that hurts too
Daylight filters in
I despise its warmth
The morning is blinding
A vortex of small talk
I spot lonely red eyes
It is a widening network
Of anonymous insomniacs
Hugging their bottles
Of sparkling emptiness
Claustrophobia
I’m inside, I’m working
I’m inside, I’m awake
I’m inside, I’m driving
But all I can think of
Are doors to outside
A few steps, or some more
Swipe out, open the latch
Tug a handle, push a bar
Through a turnstile, break a wall
Beep, click, whoosh
Creak, thud, smash
I’m outside
Now what?
Well written..loved it