Strings

He is white
purple-necked, black-tailed
I think of painted peace

The nylon string
has taken his fancy

He cannot stay away from it

He tugs at the loose end,
fixes his beak to it
and flies away

He is surprised
to find himself alone in flight
The string has ditched him again

He repeats the abduction tirelessly
I think of the chances
love gets to reciprocate

The string is nailed to the wall
the pigeon
to his obsession

The fifteen inch strong nylon
might strangle him some day
Love is a much surer string

More poems in New Year 2016 Literature Special

Oh Calcutta! – By Sufia Khatoon

Horizons – By Ipsita Ganguli

Poetry – By Gauri Dixit

Kadambari – By Dr Ampat Koshy

To Chiyo – By Joanna Sarah Koshy

Silverfish – By Dr Amit Shankar Saha

The Screen – By Daipayan Nair

Unearthing Life – By Anand Sehgal

Reminiscences – By Mallika Bhaumik

Talk of Shades – By Ananya Chatterjee

Musings in New Year 2016 Literature Special

I Want You to Have a Good Time – By Santosh Bakaya

Short Stories in New Year 2016 Literature Special

Noelle – By Ronald Tuhin D’Rozario

The Price of the Fumes: A Short Story – By Fatima Afshan