windrattled leaves sunlight disco interlock dark

tapwater gushing through rosewater bottles turned into nozzles

over formic acid tubs turned into buckets

filling with indigo ujala water

with poppable icebergs of soapfroth

two chestpuffed cocks faceoff

four ducks wade into the evening water

i had to break a wasp nest ( is it a wasp? is it a nest? )

to plug in my plug into the plugpoint

briefly my laptop temple has another winged pilgrim

a monkey died stuck in a chicken-net

a piebald chicken's rotting eye only a pink swell now

we only make poetry out of the still green still things

because there's nuance in their cruelties

at dusk the mother chicken does not return with all her children

an eagle a wildcat a civet a human

over 3k deaths here today the pyres are viral

dried yellow drumstick leaves are being swept away

by the windbroom of a bent mother

stepmother nature

                          look at the kingfisher—

a tearfalling shard from the breaking sky

the glitchy flight of the dragonfly

the swirl of wind carrying antwings

hugging the malnourished pillars of this earth

i hug nothing i hug

it's raining outside i text vayu the wind god

hey could you close the curtains i'm trying to sleep here

the plants the walls breathe heatmist through slant rain

ok, vayu replies but i'm already asleep here—

eve would sin again for a bite of that apple of my dream

~ ajay

29/4/21