Closely Observed Trains

Would you believe it

that "Closely Observed Trains"

was a film's name

in Nineteen Sixty-eight?

It was critically acclaimed,

an Academy Award winner,

even before I was conceived

one early winter.

But four decades later

I am changing slowly.

There are white streaks

in my sideburns,

a morbid fear creeps up

when I meet loved ones

as if one of us will pop off

before next such loved moment.

I recently discovered

that my body speaks too.

I am distinct from it,

I am not what it is.

And now I sleep nursing dreams

of six-pack abs, youthful hair,

of rising early, jogging anywhere...

But strangely when I drive on the stretch

saddled between Nizamuddin and Yamuna's stench

I closely observe trains that I do not intend to catch.

© February 18, 2008 Dan Husain

First Light

It’s been going on all night
Make no mistake
Don’t be beguiled by the innocent look
Of those trees hanging about,
Hands in pockets, in the fields
Still pooled with darkness
Don’t be misled by the silver light,
The anarchic flight of sparrows
Or the crows practising tai chi

Don’t be fooled by the rising safety curtain
On the moon-clean stage
After the first act’s carnage has been cleared
Or the warming up of the orchestra
Now missing its woodwind section

This is not a fresh start
This is no new dawn

Choke

The tones rang out
18 month old choking
a blur to get to the ambulance
Emergency medical tunnel vision
can't find the street in the map book
can't think about anything
but how to fix a choking child
a kid that I may never get to
I can't find the fucking address!
Someone else knows where to go

The pt is the Lt's grandaughter.

I am the lead medic.

I about shit my pants.

She was fine.

But I failed.

Spring haikus (2)

1.
a lost pleasure is
tucked in the folds of darkness
birds sing at sunrise


2.
the apricot tree
long bare suddenly flowers
at which spring smiles back

Cosmonauts

I've been spending my time hunting down and interviewing cosmonauts. They've all been into outer space and they all own guns on Earth. That's as far as I've got so far.