Sanjeev Sethi


Continua

Need is nourishment: economic, 
ecologic, or emotional.
The vitamin of victory
is constitutive to humankind.

Without a rap or reason 
allies jink to other journeys.
They find it stressful 
or wish to frisk new fronts.

Perchance they whoop it up 
with offbeat no-no’s,
while we strut
other props or patsies.



Métier
 
Unevenness is one marker of tides, 
the other is contumacy of their craft. 
The ocean slithers from side to side. 
Whenever it badgers me, it frames 
another stich on the shore of my burn. 
Attitudinizing is an offshoot of fear. 
Ferocity with which your flashback returns 
makes me mull: why do we thrive in thought? 

One can’t be emotional about fiscal interests: 
mislaid concerns incite cricks and confusion.
Inditing is an art form. 
Talking about it tapers its impact. 
Let the reader inhale its intensity. 
Chinfests suit cinema. 
They need the numbers.



Kermis
 
Blessings and breakdowns arrive unannounced. 
Erose markings radiate their own refinement. 
Appreciation is a demanding territory. Politicos 
and performers are familiar with Kentish fire. 
Some of us are not as fortuitous. 

To be an actor in films and unknown is rare, for
poets this is the rule. There is no duct tape for a
cleaved cordis. Rift with an email associate or a
social media collaborator doesn’t sting as much 
as the collapse of a meatspace connection.



Stop-Gap

Scramble for subsistence has an anagrammatic quality
to it. To be a fluffer is as determined a course as any. 
To mass-produce emotions is unjust to all concerned. 
Most of all to yourself. 

A compromised mind requires no compensation. It is
more threatening than an overwrought tellurian. If  a
misstep can raze a ratio, it isn’t one. Justifications are
just that: band-aids for a bother.

Sanjeev Sethi has published in over thirty countries. His poems have found a home in more than 350 journals, anthologies, or online literary venues. Recent credits: Berfrois, Eremos Magazine, Thin Air Magazine, Kairos Literary Magazine, WINK, Spectra Poets, and elsewhere. He lives in Mumbai, India.

 
 

previous page     contents     next page