Nupur Chaturvedi

I want to hurl.
Abuses
Vomit
Homilies
Angst, pure angst.

I want to unsee.
Unhear
Unread
Unthink
Unlearn
Undo, just undo.

Okay, let’s try this
Break the rhythm
Distract, think of something else.

Kittens!
Sweet, mewly kittens
Funny, internet-breaking kittens
Ninja kittens, purry, furry kittens
Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens
Sound of Music
Austria, edelweiss, Hitler, Auswitzch…NO!

Then…movies
Oscars – no, Black Lives Matter, Charleston
Ha ha! Let’s stick to comedy
Can’t think of any.
Oh, I know, I’ll be the ostrich.
Or, I’ll close my eyes and
Put fingers in my ears
La, la, la, la, la, la, la,
I can’t hear you!

But the surround sound
It’s deafening and so
Debilitating.
I am scared
I am moved
I am alive
To the pain around me
And the alternative
Is to not be alive.

So, good morning.
I live another day
To die another night.
And the world continues to spin.