laughs in such mirth
the wind laughs too
and my heart is joyous
as the birds chirp
and the sunlight says
take this golden glow
let it bathe your body
till like water you flow
and the sky taps me
on the shoulder and goes
come dance with me
and you will be free
and I am lifted up
into the firmament
as a cloud sings
this is love
and gives me
a playful shove
and I learn
life is magic
and turn
into a dove.
I turn into a bird
flying in the sky
the air sustains me
so beautifully
I sing in joy
winging across fast
and when I look down
at the world
at people
I overflow
with love
and happiness
beats in every heart
folks tell each other
we will never part.
inside my head
and my life
is a stray dog
going down
this street
and I feel
such bitterness
in my heart
tears of acid
roll from
my eyes
burning
my feelings
my body
which is
soon charred
into ash.
I tell myself
be without
a care
and I go out
of my house
and watch
my neighbours
tying a net
for the plants
the sun shines
warmly on me
and I say
good morning
to another neighbour
coming down
his stairs
and he wishes
me right back
and now as
I write this
there’s a hawker
calling out
veluthulli veluthulli
and the birds chirp
and folks chat
and the blue sky
comes in through
my window
and kisses me
all over my face
till I laugh in joy.
_______________________________
Veluthulli is Malayalam for garlic.
all my thoughts
away
like sand
in the breeze
and it feels
so good
like I am
swinging
across the universe
and slowly I find
my body
disappearing
into the air
and it makes me
so happy
I laugh
without a care.
and sometimes
I go looking for them
but can’t find them
and new thoughts
keep appearing
and vanishing
O why are we
made to run
after ourselves
like this
like a dog leading us
on a leash
our lives are
running ahead of us
and sometimes
it is so strenuous
breaking our bodies
and brains
and only when
we realise
that all this pain
is strength
and wisdom
that we gain
making us better
and better
then this lesson
we wish to
leave behind
for our children
our labour of love
and we pick
ourselves up
and run.
with my hand
I turn into a bird
when I fly over
the Earth
there is silence
and people are
so relaxed
love glows
in their hearts
in all its warmth
I dive down
into the water
weeping tears
of joy
at the peace
everywhere
and then I
take off
into the air
once again
singing
there is
no more pain.
of my mind
and start to float
while my body
feels like air
and I ask
myself
who are you
and I laugh
in happiness
as I fly
without a care
and the blackness
is so silken
so comforting
I weep
tears of joy
and I realise how
beautiful
life is
and blow it a kiss
because I know
when I die
I won’t have all this.
I become a golden spaceship
long ago I knew I would become one
when I played with my toys
and since then I have been killed
so many times
that I barely recognise myself
I have been beheaded
I have been shot
I have been poisoned
I have been smothered to death
but the sky gives me life each time
and like a zombie I wake everyday
and wish my neighbours
and go about my business
and who are you Dominic
I ask myself again and again
and ghosts run out of me
howling in madness
and I fall to the ground and die
one more time.
has gone by
memory
like a breeze
blows
and the sunlight
makes all those
scenes brighter
and the voices sharper
as I see and listen
and my heart is warmed
by those old skies
those birds
those people
calling out to me
and tears
form in my eyes
and flow
with love.
Dominic Alapat 