Yamantaka On The Tanka

Our tanka
suffers from mood swings
whenever
we switch on the ceiling fan.

From the kitchen crawls out
some fish's entrails.
I place Have you seen the cat
on the grass outside.

The night sweats.
And your hands blur
in chop-chop-chop.
The scent in my head dreams about the sea.
Outside the wind sniffs blood's every last drop.



A native of Kolkata, India, Kushal Poddar (1977- ) writes poetry and prose and is published worldwide. He authored All Our Fictional Dreams. His forthcoming book is Kafka.