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Writer's pictureTeresa Carstetter

Four Poems

By Indranil Ghosh


(Twitter: @indraghosh314

IG: @indraghosh314)



The Choice



A hummingbird tattooed its wings,

and the applause followed.

Motivated,

it decided to direct a film

criticizing the social stigma

that surrounds piercing and tattooing.


It prides itself of being studied film

under the tutelage of Satyajit Ray.

It denounces moral policing. Sure,

it is tiny and hates conflict,

but it is well aware of when to

voice its concerns.


The plot will tell the story of a kiwi bird

which pierces its beaks, gets kicked out

of its family, learns to hold on to

its choice and self-respect, and

ultimately teaches itself how to fly.

All while carrying its piercings boldly,

the whole time!


The hummingbird jotted down

the script,

and the applause followed.




Tea Party


On getting invited to Gluttony’s tea party,

Guilt got smeared with insecurity.

“Your tea tastes like mud”,

complained Guilt.

“Says who?” asked Gluttony with

a smirk on his face.


Guilt knew he had been defeated

for the umpteenth time by

Gluttony’s wily.

Guilt beat himself up thinking

there was no point in getting

the lion tattoo.

Guilt was embarrassed.


Rubbing salt on Guilt’s wound,

Gluttony revealed the viper tattoo, painted

just aptly on his tongue. Guilt could hear

his mini-heart pacing like a stallion.


“At least my tea tastes better”, screamed

Guilt in agony.

“Says who?” asked Gluttony without

exhibiting an ounce of remorse.


Guilt stormed out of the party and

decided to get himself a fire tattoo.

Meanwhile Gluttony started repainting

his tongue.

He understood that the ocean

is not an easier piece to capture

on the muscle.

Moreover, planning another

imperfect tea party isn’t

as plain sailing as it seems.




Post-expiration Whimsies


I once met Sukumar Ray

during my journey to the Neverland,

post-expiration.


He asked me what my profession before

the unfortunate event was.

“A mathematics grad student” I said.

“Could you formulate poetry

with equations?”, he enquired.

I was left speechless at the query.

“If I were you, I would name

a mathematical theorem

after Andre Breton”, he continued,

“and award the Nobel prize in Physics

to Dostoevsky!”.


I was all smiles. But again,

what better ways to denounce

the oppressing social norms

than with wit? Growing up,

I have always looked up to

the surreal works

he demonstrated through his

nonsense verse in HJBRL.


“Would you want to join us

on discussing our new project?”,

he asked with utter humility.

I nodded in agreement.

How could I ever say no

to one of my literary idols?

I got down at the same

destination as Ray’s,

only to find Luis Buñuel

waiting to receive us.

I knew what pride

actually meant

at that very moment!



Reflections


The moth completed writing

up the final draft:

“A hundred ways to steer clear of the fire”.

The mirror never fails to remind

it of its fallen wing;

the one that got burned

to ashes.


A flickering candle misguided it;

the trap unanticipated.

Compiling a book was the best way

it could profess with.


It does not consider itself

a fauvist yet, although

craves for the tag.

The emotional transition

wasn’t a smooth one.

Flying/wandering all over

the place was what it

lived by.


The moth sighed!

A couple of tear drops smudged

the fresh ink on the page,

revealing to it its own

reflection.

It ended up editing the title

of the draft:

“A hundred and one ways to steer clear of the fire”.





About The Author:




Indranil Ghosh is a Ph.D. student in applied mathematics from India, currently living in New Zealand.


Highly inspired by Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, and Robert Frost, whenever he is not working, one may find him either reading classic poems or listening to music from the 70s and 80s.


His poems appear in the Aphelion webzine, The Unconventional Courier, Roi Faineant Literary Press, etc.


His Twitter handle is @indraghosh314.




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