She has a teardrop voice
Sticky like August dusk
Leaving syrupy remnants,
It cleanses every layer
Invisible, her touch, it grasps me from afar
Delicate, a small child begging
Imploring ebon eyes
Requesting one last candy, please
After the song’s final measure,
Her vibrato breaks, the melody is over.
In the background, over the cicadas’ chirp
Molasses echoes linger in my ears.
Mukund Gnanadesikan’s poems and short fiction have been published in literary magazines spanning five continents. Most recently, his work appears in The Fib Review, POETiCA Review, The Hellebre Review, and Cordite Poetry Review’s “Brownface” issue. His debut novel, Errors of Omission, was released in November 2020 by Adelaide Books. When not writing, he practices psychiatry in Napa, California. twitter: @mukundgnanades1