Silences

My mother told me

not to give away

my body

to just anyone

The way she says it

makes me think they’ll

peel my skin off

T(he)y will peel my skin off

(All three layers)

gently

with deft hands

and find everything t(he)y

want(s) to devour

He will scrape

off some stubborn skin

Maybe shave it off in

fine strands which will

curl delicately

Afterwards

he will find voices

and echoes inside

Mumma thinks t(he)y will

finda all the onomatopoeias

tucked away in my corners

and steal them

Less does she know,

my distant lover and I

always stumble upon silences

too silent to even write about
…..

– Ananya Maheshwari