It Rained that Morning
Sleepwalking,
with water-feet following me
from bathroom to dining
to the study where finger
holds fire; and smokes
as soft as biscuits dipped in cup
passages its way to the window-
A look outside, to see
a face wink in the sky. A face
like the one trapped in traffic
who looks at you with relief to find
a smile familiar in the unfamiliarity.
And unfamiliarity distances us,
for time travels in drizzling streetlamps
through pavements of sudden springing umbrellas
in cries for autos and taxis
and buses to some nearby airport.
Perhaps, the wink stays
on the moisture that settles on your eyes and hand.
Sumallya Mukhopadhyay stays in Delhi where he is currently doing his PhD from IIT Delhi. He received the International Oral History Association Scholarship in 2020 to support his research. He celebrates spirit over being, silence over company, resilience over power. His poems have been published in Aainanagar, Cafe Dissensus, The Neesah Magazine, The Bangalore Review, The Firstwriter Magazine, Muse India, The Telegraph (Kolkata), Hibiscus: Poems that Heal and Empower among others.
