OFFERING Poem by Sudeep Sen

the kindness of libation, lyric and blood

her endless notes left for me -
little secrets, graces -
trills recorded on blue and purple parchment
to be lipped, tasted, devoured -

only essence remains -
its stickiness, its juice, its memory

seamless juxtaposition -
the brute and the passion,
dry of the bone and wet of the sea,
coarseness of the page and smooth of the nib's iridium

I try and trace a line, a very long line -

the ink blots
as this line's linear edges
dissolve and fray -

the capillary threads
gone mad
twirling in the deep heat of the tropics -

threads unravelling,
each sinew tense with the want of moisture
and the other's flesh

there are no endings here -
only beginnings -
precious incipience -

translucent drops of sweat
perched precariously on her collar-bone
waiting to slide,
roll unannounced into the gulleys
that yearn to soak in the rain -

heart-beat shift
the shape of globules
as they alter their balance and colour,
changing their very point of gravity -

constantly deceiving the other

I stand, wanting -
wanting more of the bone's dry edge,
the infinite blur of desire,
the dream,
the wet, the salt, the ink,
and the underside of her skin.