The Heart on the Pavement

by Kushal Poddar

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To Nabina

Ours is a country of poets who pen about war.
One bard told me once that nobody reads them.
I haven't yet, and I remember him because 
on the pavement lies the heart of the rain
removed from the firmament, pierced 
with the shards and shrapnel of some yellow flowers.
A long intestine of the clouds hangs loose
in the blue. The pariah of the lane barks and howls.
I cast some crumbs at it. I have been carrying those
for long. Those have gone stale. The dog refuses.
A squadron of pigeons startle me. I turn and see
the heart's evaporated. I breathe the heart.
I open my mouth and let it flow inside.

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Kushal Poddar, the author of ‘A White Cane For The Blind Lane' and 'How To Burn Memories Using a Pocket Torch' has ten books to his credit. He is a journalist, father of a four-year-old, illustrator, and an editor. His works have been translated into twelve languages and published across the globe.