Being 4 Poem by Prathibha Nandakumar

Give me the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth.

You are sworn by whatever you believe in
and are not dismissed untill judged.

Condemned to design a cemetery
you turn towards the living.
How would you build a tomb for
the Pharaoh and his queen whe they are alive and kicking?
You look to the pet cat for signs and
the mouse is a dead give away.

A trap is no trap if it does not trap the tresspasser.
You wanted to dig a well and ended up digging a tunnel
which is no tunnel if it cannot get you out.

You knew it
and it let you here to me.

Swear by the hair with the scent of jasmine
and the pale lipstick mark on your collar.
Swear to acknowledge you have designs
on buildings and other things as well.