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.