Parched sparrow
Does it ever happen to you?
A sparrow appears in your dreams
Beak open, mouth parched
Waterless desperation in its eyes
Night after night of a parched sparrow
You wake up one morning
with nothing on your mind except the memory
of some dry grasses
and pebbles in a gone-dry childhood stream
It takes an hour to remember
your real name
It’s time to begin again with some mud
in your mouth.
Salil Chaturvedi‘s short fiction and poetry has been published in various online journals. His collection, In the Sanctuary of a Poem is available on Amazon. He lives in Goa, India.