Thirst.. Nirmal bhattacharya

 

You came to flood me with love.
You rightly felt I was thirsty.
All sorts of women on my way
kissed me
to the edge of flesh and blood
meant for biopsy.
Like heartless mermaids
They only kept changing forms of thirst.

My throat dried like long-unfed breasts
and in my lungs unknown gasps coalesced
into death chamber.
The wings of life-saving myths grown on two sides
there was none to water.

Ashes dumped on me
Torn magazines dumped on me
and where I was left lying
a non-functional tubewell -----
all stopped all dialogue about my thirst.

And on that unforgettable night
You came back with so much health
in your breast.
You understood the nature of my thirst
and on my body
like a flood you with so much water burst.

©️2021.