and then death
and then death came and lived
with us
behind the peeling
paint
in the night-whistle of
a train
inside light bulbs
dark
between your legs
it curved
around your hips
floated
lightly, under falling
brown leaves
it rested in the dark ash of
burnt grasses
we learnt to hold still
and admit
its presence now
and then.
Salil Chaturvedi lives in Goa. He writes short fiction and poetry. He uses a wheelchair. He dreams of setting up a permaculture farm. His debut collection, In the Sanctuary of a Poem, is available on Amazon.