The holidays, rolling one 

after another like a snow-

ball downhill, bring

us together. Winter

myth. We are alone

in the cold, leaves turned

inward – dormant

until the sun melts

the sheets of ice draped over

us. Then we unfurl, reaching

                              out again.

– Kalpita Pathak

Published in Musing Publications Winter 2022

It’s Getting Dark 

Winter is coming, cold

as a spider creeping

its glittering white web across

the land. You underground

in the uncaring, comforting

dark – satiated, safe,

bare. Breathing and beating.

Dreaming until the earth turns

back toward the savage

sun and you rise

to fight again. You fight to feed

and fuck. You fight live.

– Kalpita Pathak

Published in Musing Publications Winter 2022

Vectored 

It feels like fire

on your skin. Under

it. Inside. Round

and red and hot as the tip

of a cigarette. You know you

shouldn’t. It’s a bad

idea. Feels so damn satisfying

in the moment

but lousy in the long

run. The question isn’t, Is it good

for me? The question is,

Is it worth it? You ask yourself

that as your fingers slide

                                        down, nails

freshly cut and unfiled

so they are sharp and ready

to scratch that itch. Is it worth it?

They find the mosquito bite and oh yes,

it is. It really is.

– Kalpita Pathak

Go Ahead, It’s Yours 

This time, I took the last

cookie. It was a little

stale. I bit into it and

it snapped in two with a sound

like a brittle heart

breaking. I ate both

halves and left the crumbs

for you to clean up.

– Kalpita Pathak 

Spring Cleaning: The Photograph of Better Days

I find it, wedged in the corner

between my bed and the wall,

fingerprints and powdery ash

smeared over it. A yellow crescent

of scotch or maybe coffee. My niece

is laughing as I swing her

in the air, her bootied pajamas

terry-soft, like a towel in my palms.

I’m in a swimsuit, having just

done the laps that strengthen

my heart for these rough times. 

– Kalpita Pathak