the settings are none too odd tonight
the night feels the same
the painting on the wall hasn’t moved
the doors haven’t creaked
the eagle’s babies asleep in their nest
the window hasn’t reflected a ghost
the walls are silent, the air is flaccid
there is a leper in my dream
brushing its body against mine
half his hand eaten by the white worm
all of tonight’s situation is peaceful
in my norm of disquiet serenity
only the sound of the cotton crushing
under my head,
as a weight takes over my arm
and wails sharply in my ear
Sheikha A. is from Pakistan and United Arab Emirates. Her work appears in a variety of literary venues, both print and online. She has work upcoming in/with Poetry Repairs, Dreams and Nightmares, Poetry Bay, Cruel Garters, and some others. More about her can be found on sheikha82.wordpress.com
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