outside my window
a dog howls and howls
i want to shush it
with sticks and stones
(for my father’s taught me
it means death is close)
sticks and stones
might break its bones
but it's howls
still spell doom
outside my window
a dog howls and howls
i try to shush it
with a mighty frown
it pauses to look and continues
as i leave my room
outside my window
a dog howls and howls
i don't shush it anymore
as i climb the stairs
closer to the moon
outside my window
a dog howls and howls
as i fall to my doom
sticks and stones
might break its bones
but it stops
with my blood on the stones.
Siva Wright is a student of English literature from Puducherry. His poems focus on the themes of love, loneliness and illness and have been published by Gulmohur Quarterly, Poems India, Live Wire and The Monograph Magazine.