When you die, I’ll inherit
a mass of lead
and prepare to carry it forever.
I’ll memorise the words
you mispronounce
and chant them like a mantra.
I’ll eat what you’re allowed
and breathe in the intonation
of your rasps. I’ll meditate
until my skin turns the colour
of your needle stabs.
I’ll carry and
memorise and
meditate and
prepare to live
without you
because it’s all I can do.
Suchita Parikh-Mundul is a freelance writer, copy editor and poet. Her poetry has appeared in literary magazines like The Bombay Literary Magazine, Yugen Quest Review, Outlook India, Muse India, Sahitya Akademi’s Indian Literature, and anthologies like Amity: peace poems (ed. Sahana Ahmed, Hawakal, 2022), The Well-Earned (ed. Kiriti Sengupta, Hawakal, 2022), and international compilations.