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The Travel Vest

by Bakul Banerjee

What if you could trap sixteen of your affections in a travel vest? Bakul Banerjee pens a poem that showcases an interesting perspective of romance.

My vest has sixteen pockets.
Accurate graphics printed inside
the left breast explains their uses.

If I could I would capture sixteen affections,
only precious ones, of different shapes
and sizes. I would put them in pockets.

Some will stay with the precious passport,
or the money bag, others with used tissues,
or a forgotten devalued Cambodian note.

If I could I would keep them trapped
forever with fancy closures, flaps
with Velcro or zippers. Upon whim
I would take them out to play.

If they try to escape I would tether
them with brass D-rings and claws.
I would travel the world fearless of loss.

To prevent any jealousy or conspiracy
to revolt, I must never put two of my
affections together in the same pocket

I would keep my favourite in the pocket
close to my heart. If a stray bullet hits,
I plan to die with my beloved.

An award winning author and poet Bakul Banerjee published her first volume of poems, titled “Synchronicity: Poems” in 2010. For the past fifteen years, her poems and stories appeared in several literary magazines and anthologies throughout U.S. and India. She lives near Chicago and received her Ph.D. degree in computational geophysics from The Johns Hopkins University, Maryland.
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