My Father’s In the ICU

his blood sugar

is fluctuating

his sodium is low

he’s in the same hospital

he was a while ago

when he had Covid

and the doctor had said

that all his organs had

been damaged

and early this week

he was hospitalised

for fluctuating blood pressure

and then they got him home

and my father who can’t speak now

because of his tracheostomy

kept trying to say something

and the nurse and my sister

couldn’t understand

what he was trying to say

until finally the nurse got it

he was saying that he wanted to walk

but he had forgotten that he couldn’t

he had been in bed for more

than four months now

being fed through his stomach peg tube

and he had to be lifted up to sit

and they told him that he couldn’t walk

later he asked for water

and my sister had to tell him

that she couldn’t give him water either

because of his tracheostomy

it would go into his lungs

so she wetted his lips and tongue

with some water

and then he had cough

and the doctor said

he’ll have to get

his tracheostomy tube changed

so they went to the hospital again

to get it changed

and when they came back

the next day

my father’s blood sugar levels

were fluctuating and so they took

him to the hospital once more

and he’s battling for his life

and it is pitiful.

My Body Is Diseased

and I can see it

in my mind

the scars against

the red flesh inside

and I am

like a ghost

outside the neighbour’s baby

cries and cries

and I can feel

its pain

it seeps into my heart

and I become heavy

sadness weighing on me

and that is why I look

so longingly at

the wide blue sky

its lightness

its sprawl

its arc so graceful

and full of light

and I am reminded

of what life is

how free it is

while the Earth holds

my broken body

in its hands

and my pain

makes me wish

for the end

when I can

fly away

like a bird

and I look at the

big white clouds

floating like cotton

in the deep vault above

and they take pity on me

they rub the tears

from my eyes

and I feel nice.

Two White Birds

fly over the green forests

the gorgeous trees

the huge mountains

under the beautiful blue sky

in the golden sunshine

and the view

delights me so much

I feel calm

in admiration in awe

of the scene before me

and the birds here are chirping

adding their sweet music

to the cool air

and neighbours chat

and there is

this small child’s voice

and you can feel

how happy he is

because you were

a child too

and now the picture

is lovelier

as the leaves begin

to sway in the breeze

and this peaceful

neighbourhood

reaches its

most sublime moment

glowing in gold

it stands in silent gratitude

its face touched

by the warm palm

of the world.

And Nothingness

I think

is the most beautiful

feeling I have experienced

as a human

when oblivion

snatches your mind

out of you

and you are not

aware of yourself

but the entire cosmos

everything you can see

and you can’t

you have embraced

and freely given

your love

and you are lost

in its soothing hands

in the comfort you get

the relaxation

the pure silence

that kisses you

like a lover

you have forgotten

your own self

for a moment

as the world

holding you in its palms

finally releases you

and you fly away

like a bird.

The World Was Working

for so long

and then it seemed

to stop

some say it died

that it simply grew wise

and became tired

of itself

and wanted to live

no more

and when I think

about the whole thing

it appears to be true

the universe seems

to have come to

a standstill

when you look at it

sometimes

and because

we are part of life

we too

must have died

something in us

definitely has

gone away forever

not wanting us

not wanting to live

in us

it has met its end

and that’s why perhaps

we are sometimes called

the living dead

not fully aware

of ourselves

as time slips between

our fingers

like sand

and we stumble on

and fall

and rise

and walk again

with our children

and the cosmos too

that has had

so many mishaps

in the past

they say

is a big zombie

come alive again

and moves on

with us

carrying our children

in her womb.

The Day Is A Drag

my tongue tastes

the tar road

and it is bad

yet so many of us

are condemned

to live that life

on the streets

destitute

and the mist today

is telling me

so many things

so many stories

of misery

I can’t contain them

I overflow

and I am sewage

running under

the ground

flowing through

old iron pipes

full of rats

and now I know

what it means

to be treated

like dirt

and I gather

the sorrow

of the world

in my arms

and sink breathless

lower and lower

till I have been

overloaded

with so much pain

I go down

and down

and I die.

The Children Are Running About

and are happy

one small one

cried gleefully

gas van gas van

as it passed by

and this town

of Kumily is moving

right under the sunlight

and its mountains

and forests are glowing

like brothers and sisters

and the blue sky is so content

you can hear its song

in the air

its peaceful music

and the girl next door

is drying her hair

walking round and round

on the terrace

and I have never

felt so connected

to the world

to the Earth

we all belong

and the children

are talking again

this is their town too

and it is so nice

to hear them talk

their innocence

so calming

their voices

so joyful to hear

and soon they are

all talking at once

as the birds chirp

and I think

of the children

as angels flying about

and now they are

all gurgling in glee.

The Trees Are So Beautiful

they take you back

thousands of years

and you are

in the green forest

of magic

as animals

pass by calmly

and you eat

what the Earth gives

and your bed

is the cool silver

of the moon

and your body is bliss

like you have

never felt before

and the wind is your element

and a small

yellow and black bird

says hello

as you pass by flying in the air

and the blue skies are a beauty

beyond compare

how they shine in delight

and later the stars twinkle

with the universe’s might

and I am married to the night

and I say O my dear darkness

I hold in my arms

you I kiss

you are such a great companion

let’s make love

once more

let’s light our fire

and after our death too

we will be together

and lie again with each other.

Paradise

I can hear

I mean the birds

in the trees

and they all

sound so different

and beautiful

their music

has built me wings

with which I fly

and I see

these avian creatures

are so full of colour

green black yellow brown

as I rise into

the white and blue sky

and the mountains and forests

below are my children

and the people and animals

my brothers and sisters

all of whom l love

and the air up here

is of the purest kind

you look into it

and you see yourself

your life unfolding

which is everyone’s life

and you stare at the sun

in wonder

at the magic

of the universe

and every pair of arms

is open to embrace you

and you fly beyond delight

when you are touched

pure love flows

through your moving body

every moment of your life

you live again in wildest joy

you feel them in your bones

as you melt in the ecstasy

of the cosmos.

The Broken Sun Has Shredded The Earth

into slices

and the planet

has lost

its form

its gravity

and we are flying

through the universe

skeletons moving through space

the lives we had

are gone

and soon even

our bones melt

and become nothing

we who lived for so long

for so many thousands

of years

have now been transformed

into emptiness

in a few moments

and we knew

this would happen

we believed in it

and it finally occurred

and we felt nothing

because we knew

we were nothing

that we came

from nothing

and that we will

become nothing

so there was

no surprise

when it happened

only recognition

of ourselves

and welcome

home.