Waking Up
written by: Sinchan Chatterjee
I am alarmed out of my sleep
After a night of dreaming
Which seems like a few seconds in Paradise.
Like bird-shit, I find myself
Dropped on earth again
(Enacting a daily lapse) —
I collapse into a sanity that seems mad to me.
Afraid of being seen naked
And terrified of not being seen at all,
I wear my language like a robe:
Recall the sound of words and greetings and
Brush my smile and take on my body
I put my muscles to ignition and
Drive myself to the car
I console myself with photographs of my forefathers
Who found solace in this daily trade
And would be proud of me if they were here.
On my way to work
I mourn the freedom of those who sleep all day
In railway platforms and under road-bridges,
As I hawk my madness bit by bit:
I dig drains to guide its flow into a sanitary pit.
I bury my screams in jokes and dreams
To remember I am sane.