torn
the internal pipe in my bathroom burst
and water poured out of the walls
it cost me 5000
then my washing machine went
and I let it go
I said I will live in this broken world
amidst these walls
these buildings these people
these skies all over
these railway tracks
these houses these trains
these millions shuttling past
the mental energy
the noise and the silence
and soon the stars come alive here over my building
and start to sing
and then the moon sails in
like a dream and I am entranced
at the sheer scale of the light shining
dazzling my mind a mountain of song
and this is her voice the world’s
her millions singing choruses of wild harmony
and all those roads those planes in the sky
I think
the weapons the wars
what about all that
did they all just disappear
I ask myself
the boredom the madness
the complete loss of comprehension
what about becoming the wall
becoming stone concrete brick
or just nothing at all
emptiness in the sun
and then finding no answer
soon through the nights of my childhood
I set sail once again rowing through memories
through trees of flailing rain
pouring now once again so loud
so deafening falling from this same sky
these strips of shining water
rushing down all over
these castles these lakes these forests these roads
these motorcycles these horses these bandits
these guns these soldiers these wars
see there is no more place to go no peace
I tell myself
all is here all the sheer sad songs of mother moon
the unborn the living
the billion voices the dead the dying
the crying
I tell myself
you’re stuck here
you’re lost
you’re crazy
and when people ask you
how you’re doing
you say cool
like a fool.
The above poem is from my third collection The Branches (2015). You can download The Branches for free here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/dominic-alapat/the-branches/ebook/product-22413518.html