to be a poet by Phalguni Yumnam

Art by Nandita Ratan

to be a poet

is

to excuse oneself

to a life of leisure

to be a philosopher

is

to lust on thoughts

to remain ‘jobless’

to be an artist

is

to love aesthetics

to pleasure oneself

in discreet fashions

to be a politician

is

to fail at compassion

to self-idealizations

to be a teacher

is

to excuse oneself

to remain as a student

and

to write this

is

to fill a cup

to empty it

as soon as it’s done

to write this

is

to etch on a road

to look back

to reminisce

to write this

is

to leave bread crumbs

to return home

from the place of old