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 and
floated

lightly, under falling
brown leaves

and rested in the dark ash
of burnt grasses

we learnt to hold still
and admit

its presence now
and then.

__
Salil Chaturvedi
salilwheels@gmail.com