When the pubs open their mouths
between two thighs of pestilence
I bid for a pint of both black and tan.
Saqi, let the thirst die along with the thirsty.
You have a red plague mask on. I raise mine
to sip from the heavy chested glassware.
Social distance makes the squeak and squeal of the rats heard.
Shadows of people populates this ghost town.
Pour a second. I raise my glass, empty.
You can still give those expressions even wearing masks.
An evening for the lady. I order. Wind blows outside.
Everything is heard.
Kushal Poddar
Illustration Nick Victor
Authored ‘The Circus Came To My Island’, ‘A Place For Your Ghost Animals, Understanding The Neighborhood’, ‘Scratches Within’, ‘Kleptomaniac’s Book of Unoriginal Poems’, ‘Eternity Restoration Project- Selected and New Poems’ and now ‘Herding My Thoughts To The Slaughterhouse-A Prequel’ (Alien Buddha Press)