When You Return
by Sulakshana Guha
You’ll notice the quiet
Once you’re finally back home;
The clouds have stilled to pray.
The green light bottles paving the floors
Pursed lips wetting the chill air,
You’ll notice the quiet.
And there won’t be another day,
For you see, the town has fallen in disarray,
The clouds have stilled to pray.
You’d fall on your knees, I think,
Wondering if you had never left--
You’ll notice the quiet.
The goddamn quiet--
You will rinse out your ears so that all you’ll hear is the sea, while
The clouds have stilled to pray.
Once you’re finally back home;
The clouds have stilled to pray.
The green light bottles paving the floors
Pursed lips wetting the chill air,
You’ll notice the quiet.
And there won’t be another day,
For you see, the town has fallen in disarray,
The clouds have stilled to pray.
You’d fall on your knees, I think,
Wondering if you had never left--
You’ll notice the quiet.
The goddamn quiet--
You will rinse out your ears so that all you’ll hear is the sea, while
The clouds have stilled to pray.
Sulakshana Guha is a high school student in India. Her usual activities include reading, writing, and buckling under academic pressure. Her work has been published in the Kyoto Journal and Topical Poetry.