Birds Send Him in Shock by Kushal Poddar

Birds Send Him in Shock

by Kushal Poddar

Even during the ceasefire
a volery of birds tenses him,
tautens his muscles, gives him
goosebumps. Seventy seconds,
it takes to run downstairs
and some more down to lie down
inside the womb of a porcelain tub
and to draw a broken door on the top.
The parrots fly by; pigeons circle back.
One lone dove builds an abandoned house,
births a boy flying a translucent kite
in the electric blue sky. He remains drowned
in the dry tub. He remains the remains of him.

Kushal Poddar is the author of ‘A White Cane For The Blind Lane’ and ‘How To Burn Memories Using a Pocket Torch’ has ten books to his credit. He is a journalist, father of a four-year-old, illustrator, and an editor. His works have been translated into twelve languages and published across the globe.