Poetry 2014 Featured Poet, Subramanian Shankar

Musky Daydream?

We met at karaoke.
I felt our eyes meet and
Our voices went
Voulez vous.

Your quicksilver eyes,
Restless as mischief,
Could roast
coffee beans
in my soul.

Our wits sparred
in fertile repartee,
Your muse sharpening
my wordsmith’s tools.

And you sing, you paint,
you train, you rhyme.
You mother progress
with every ounce
Of musk breath. 

Your pride
Evident
in all your hurt.

‘You are so interesting,’ you say..
Leaving me with a smile
That flattens,
Gasping
for new lease
of life.

You are special. But busy.
You have responsibilities,
I just have responses.

Our lights flash at each other,
And blink in sync.

But can they fuzz
into a lovebeam,
Spiralling
into ecstatic
abandon?

Maybe time won’t tell,
Maybe the falling mercury
Already has.

But who can forget
your sparkling presence,
Gushing scent?

Your bountiful face with
Its sumptuous curves,
Can spark a million fireflies
Into trailblazing destinies.

My spark I fight to keep alive.