One more monsoon

shiny black insects
scurrying around the dark moistness
of my skull     
searching  gnawing    at your memories
loosening the firm clasp of your thighs
around my fingers
  though the pretty crinkles around your lips
seem to be safe for now

where would i be
without your body
   to feel the shape of my own

i hurriedly throw down some dead leaves to distract the
insects
and with broken tiles
picked up from noronha’s backyard
i build a bund around your memories
hoping they’ll hold out
      one more monsoon.

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Salil Chaturvedi
salilwheels@gmail.com