Four Poems
Painting: Marguerite Bride
By Mubashir Karim
How does a poem die?
(For Langston Hughes)
How does a poem die?
Does it die
By not talking about you?
Does it itch itself to alphabets
In your absence?
Or sleep between the lines waiting for it to come.
Or does it die because of misinterpretations
Or lack of it?
Maybe it dies
Due to the sheen of paper.
Or does it just end?
***
For Charles Bukowski
A lot of people
Are busy performing
Average love.
One can’t even call it fake –
They make it seem real.
Average love drains your soul
It expects from you
What you are actually not.
It makes you feel good at times
Which is very bad.
Love is never meant to be good.
For that there are romantic movies.
Love has to kill you
One way or the other.
If it doesn’t,
It is not love at all.
***
For Greta Gerwig
One day
If I meet her
I’ll tell her
“Greta
Live life a little
Don’t always act.
It disturbs
The equilibrium of my heart.”
In return
She would say
“Mubashir
Live life a little
Don’t always watch stuff.”
Together we’ll giggle
As the California sun goes down.
***
Balcony
Our balcony
Is nothing like any other balcony
It’s not posh
It has no expensive railings.
No fresh flowers bloom in its corners.
No swings either.
No chairs, no centre table.
None at all.
Actually
It lacks everything a balcony should have.
It is, however, full of pigeon shit and love.
Bio:
Mubashir Karim is from Srinagar, Kashmir. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD in English from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
***
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