Shamshad Khan Poems

She spun the argument

with a thread he could not follow

perfecting
the delicate construction

until he
unsuspecting

fell
entangled

to
his

gentle destruction.
...

so big — they said you shouldn't really be moved

so fragile you might break

you could be from anywhere pot

styles have travelled just like terracotta
you could almost be an english pot

but I know you're not.

I know half of the story pot
of where you come from
of how you got here

but I need you to tell me the rest pot

tell me

did they say you were bought pot
a looters' deal done
the whole lot
sold to the gentleman in the grey hat

or
did they say you were lost pot
finders are keepers you know pot

or
did they say they didn't notice you pot
must have slipped onto the white sailing yacht

bound for england.

someone
somewhere

will have missed you pot
gone out looking for you pot
because
someone
somewhere
made you
finger nails
pressed
snake patterned you pot
washed you pot
used you pot
loved you pot

if I could shatter this glass
I would take you back myself pot.

you think they wouldn't recognise you pot

say diaspora
you left now
you're not really one of us.

pot I've been back to where my family's from
they were happy
to see me
laughed a lot
said I was more asian than the asian's pot
I was pot

imagine.
the hot sun on your back

feel flies settle on your skin
warm grain poured inside

empty pot
growl if you hear me

pot?


pot?
...

you listen to music in the same way you eat food
with reverent ecstasy

tasting each cadence in sound
separating layers of rhythm
savouring slithers of melting melody whilst
hearing salt grind
in the unexpected sweet refrain
held at the back of your throat
the deepest base
touches the tip of your tongue
so sourness sings
its sharp twist
to curdle drums

you peel a piano concentrating on keeping the spiral
flavour spins the radio dial
blur of colliding in your headphones

in the wet street a woman and a man argue about
who should have rung who

on rainy days I'm told
everything tastes like music.
...