Aruni

burying friends

(i kept my lioness
under the bed)
had made my own family out
of my imaginary friends
Mr. Pika with a crush
the half peacock, the half man
in love with a peahen
who wouldn't love him back
he always told me
one day she will love him
Muzo, the mango
scared of oils as
she didn’t want to
become a pickle
she used to call Pika
a fool in love
Whito, the wheat with a beard
filled with quiet pain at the loss
of his wheat family
in the war against weeds
the weeds had won
Lo, with the heart of a queen
she fought crime as a police
and there was a lioness of mine
with a penchant for battling
demons outside and inside
my place
all of them sat with me
drinking tea and milk
and coffee
when my dad went out
and came home late
when my mom slept
hiding herself in her room
and they rarely let me go out
so i played with all
my friends inside
Whito liked coffee
but Muzo and I liked milk
while others drank tea
with elaichi
had made my family out
of my imaginary friends
because my family didn't
feel like one
but one day when my dad
was gone and mom was nowhere
i fished the pennies from
the lota mom kept hidden away
and went out to get Kurkure
because Whito liked them
but on the way back home
i found a Jamun tree
i climbed it up and plucked
jamun and ate some
and gave rest to the parrot
sitting on another tree
then i broke from underbrush
towards Whito's friends
and ran through the field
pathing a road to the
sun’s embrace
i raced with the wind
and my shoes got muddy
but with leaf i cleaned them
sitting atop a stone slab
it was the best day of my life
out in open
but i came back home
to my mother bleeding
to my father red with fury
and Whito died
and i remembered leaving
my carefree day behind
with Kurkure
in the field of Whito's friend
and then at night
i buried alive all my friends
with dead Whito under
the Jamun tree
and the parrot weeped
with jamun in his beak
(i forgot my lioness
under the bed).