The Garden of her memories by Jamil Afridi. Image Courtesy: ArtChowk Gallery.
grab random thoughts
that flit past. the painful ones
will come easy.
layer them at the bottom.
you won’t want
to keep pulling them out.
favourite clothes, fragrances.
add measured doses of sex
and cigarettes.
yes,
measured.
rest. this can get tiring.
wait for those moments of epiphany
to arrive. these are best picked
when you stay still.
the happier ones
often need
some cajoling.
pour them into the nooks
and empty spaces.
repeat process until the box brims over.
serve occasionally.
statutory warning:
- do not tilt the box.
- keep locked in a cool, dark place, away from all light.
- close immediately if salt water enters.
- empty when too heavy.
~ Shobhana Kumar
Shobhana Kumar has two collections of poetry published by Writers Workshop, Calcutta: ‘The Voices Never Stop’ and ‘*Conditions Apply.’ Her work has appeared in Raedleaf Poetry, The Buddhist Poetry Review, CLRI, Spark, Kritya, Muse India, Poetry Pacific, Kitaab, among others. Her work is also featured in several anthologies.
