this page will have real feelings
meaning there is a punchline
gut kicking the intestines
asmr swoosh of contradictions
not a jenga tower of blahs—
my aim is to spark something
as in when you can laugh
unfreaked about excess
as in when you can tug
at an ache by dress pins—
most days i wait for a moment
to sink its teeth into my grammar
dashing past the white noise
that whispers you’re freaking out
stop now i am cool, so cool
to answer: what makes you
happy, what breaks your heart
will beat me into um and ah
hardwiring to trigger control
i keep buffing my words
atomizing provocations
till the taste is anaesthetic
mock meat soup
for the soul
beast
press of ceiling on saliva
treacly walls concave to make room
for endless craving when there is no
incision left to lick i ingest nooks
and crannies so far i have swallowed
in big mouthfuls chilli sauce books
colanders bubble wrap money
cactus thorns antiseptic bars
a dead terrarium monet’s water lilies
i lose the urge for tobacco and tea
but lights taste like smoke
my gut is a mixed feeling
when i bloomed a tongue
my mother said we must eat
everything on our plate
Sohini Dey is a writer and editor living in New Delhi.