Empty Space

myriad of darkness illuminates the bedside lamp
I snuggle close to my mother
she sings of dreamlands tucked away in the remotest of location.

The civilisation listens to the gods
but I know of the poets that transcended borders
and sprinkled hope like cherry blossoms on a field

I know when I look at my mother’s palm
a fabric of greatness
intermingling with flesh
the mesh will sustain
all that came before, all that will carry on
her childhood, in all its glory
is a love story
between the haveli and her sternum
the rooms echoed,
photo frames carrying legacies transcending times
and blankets that stood the weight of crimes
the walls sprawled, a force of their own
navigating divine tests through timelines
it appeared to be at the borderline
for change.

the haveli is a liminal place in the space
that was too sacred to be home


one night, as she slept
gods paid a visit
she asked, show me a home more pretty than mine
they guided her to the verandah
chest swelling with joy, she beamed
to be the chosen one
in a swarm of similes
filled her with pride
too heavy for the tiny body to carry

overwhelmed, she blurted, pointing fingers at her fence
that marked her territory
i knew what I held is powerful
I knew what i held is precious
I knew what I held is beautiful
why the fence, the gods enquired
beauty becomes eternal when it is sang through throats that are not claimed
confused, she tilts the head.
father says, beauty is to claimed or it becomes omnipotent
beauty, she continued runs the risk of infecting the strays.


the gods, stoop down. at her level they recite her a story of their sights
starry skies, engulf your cries
starry skies make a place for you illuminated piles
of cement that you call your own.
starry skies
starry skies dispense the bliss that no claim every lays power against
that you sit in awe of every night.
beautiful homes they tell her, don’t guard their existence
They exist and connect all that makes us real.