Unformed
By Karishma Shetty


Mouth to mouth
I breathe out
And fog up the reflection.
Soundless droplets of mist
Cling to mercurial glass
And sit there, holding on
To words that haven’t
Been conceived yet.

There’s a twinge
In the pit of my stomach
A seed of life
That has promised to sprout.
My innards have coiled down
With a patchwork of bulky nerves
Thatched together to create
That perfect nest.
As I collapse into the sink
And vomit yellow bile words
But no one hears a thing.

I walk into the closet
And lift up my tee shirt.
Cupping both palms
Around my navel
I look through
That kaleidoscope of life
Where the umbilical
Connects to the netherworld
As I resign to sleep.


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