Hand to mouth
We live
on the precipice of cuticles held up to sky-ed goddesses
pupils scan the horizon
map every detail
That’s when you see all:
the contours
the depressions
the scalded after-flesh
the vast universe of the fingerprint
dotted, with hills and valleys
cities seething from see-through promises
regime of anopheles politicians
THAT, is the precursor to nail-biting departures
to the entry port of bloated lips
as stranded tour guides make you a mince meat
a mouth-watering specimen, to data collectors
at NISER. Rib cage enthusiasts, like philatelists
have seen you at the mouth of atrophied rivers
but you return to the thumbnail
too tongue-tied to pay lip service to theoretical dinners
many live in denial,
some live in doubt
we live from hand to mouth.