BENEATH THE BALCONY Poem by Mandakranta Sen

Standing beneath the balcony
I'll flirt with the boys at the bus-stop
Look intimately at some other man
Standing next to you
Take his hand, giggle, say
'I'll see you at the Academy,
You'll go, won't you?'
With a small wave at you
I'll cross the road quickly
Alone, or with someone else
In no hurry at all, in no pain
You've been smoking an indifferent cigarette
For the longest time
The bus-stop has emptied out
The young men have left for the Academy
Whose production tonight, by the way?
Standing beneath the empty balcony
I'm flirting with the posters