vacuum cleaner
suddenly i see dirt
everywhere,
in freshly mopped rooms,
and crevices they have wandered to
a million times before.
dust settles
discretely along tiled borders,
gossamer fine cobwebs
cling to ceiling corners,
and baby pigeon feathers
find snug homes amidst
netted windows.
all this time
i took pride
in keeping a squeaky clean home.
and lived
in the delusion
of carrying an unsullied heart.
the gods’ vacuum cleaners
must be laughing loud.
Rosetta stone
sleep.
wake.
stare.
raise a palm in
half-hearted helplessness,
as better humans in better lives
hurry past,
sheltering their young
from these ungodly sights
of half-clothed old,
beggared beings
who will never belong.
a long ago memory surfaces
when this very life
walked past,
hiding its young
from similar sights.
the tears refuse to fall
because they don’t know how to.
Shobhana Kumar’s first volume of poetry, ‘The Voices Never Stop,’ was published by Writers Workshop, Calcutta in 2012. Her work is also featured in ‘The Dance of the Peacock—An Anthology of English Poetry from India’ edited by Dr. Vivekanand Jha and in online journals including The Brown Critique , The Literary Yard, Writers Asylum, Muse India and Kritya Journal of Poetry. She has authored four books of non-fiction. Her short stories are featured in New Asian Writing and will be part of the 2013 anthology. When not writing, she works as an advertising consultant, corporate trainer and story teller.
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