Poetry

Cunny1988 photo

By

Sunil Sharma

Silence of the urban spaces

Silence is—

Sending an e-mail

Not getting any reply

From close friends.

Not getting even a plastic smile

From a stiff colleague,

Smiling at others

But temporarily lost-n-grim,

After seeing you

In the narrow office corridor.

In a family function,

Relatives bypassing you,

And serving the rich folks

You, part of rented furniture

in that gaudy hall.

When you expect a short visit

From an estranged brother or sister,

On your birthday,

And

Not getting a customary call.

When close neighbours,

Suddenly

Switch on their imported mobiles

In the elevators,

Discussing business

While you become an etched obscenity

on the moving wall.

When the date deserts you

For a better-looking person,

With a better-paying job.

Sunil Sharma

Mumbai-based, Sunil Sharma writes prose and poetry, apart from doing literary journalism and freelancing. A senior academic, he has been published in some of the leading international journals and anthologies. Sunil has got three collections of poetry, one collection of short fiction, one novel and co-edited five books of poetry, short fiction and literary criticism.  Recipient of the UK-based Destiny Poets’ inaugural Poet of the Year award—2012.  Another notable achievement is his select poems were published in the prestigious UN project: Happiness: The Delight-Tree-2015. He edits the  English section of the monthly Setu, a bilingual journal from Pittsburgh, USA.