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screechy parakeets crowd the
feeding boards.
the houseowner traps them,
gifts them at parties.
turn, loud, caged poets;
yet, fresh arrivals stalk the board.


......

stranded in a temple deep in
the rising waters of verur river,
the priest sat on the presiding god
holding his head,
till waters fell.


........

the house sparrow died in a nest
inside a bookshelf.
chiyu buried her under the parijat,
placed a parijat flower,
little palms clinged together.
the bird woke chiyu in the morning,
lugged her school bag,
water bottle,
to the tiled playschool under middle aged
jamuns, mangos and other trees;
waited on the mango tree
for chiyu to finish school; deposited her home,
prepared a hot dal-rice.
in the nest, left a note with two wings:
fly away.