Poetry at Sangam
Poetry at Sangam showcases poetry in English and translations as well as essays on poetics and news of new releases.
5’0 clock is met with
Pool water splashing
Toddler running
And swim coach shouting.
The changing room
Doors are old, wooden
And sunlight breaks
Upon walls in perfect
Gold geometry.
Outside, an audience
Of rapt family members
And empty plastic chairs.
We enter from
The shallow end.
Young boys amused
By their own tricks,
Older ones testing
And timing speed.
Parental instructions
Overhead.
Small children paddle for
the first time.
That one toddler whose
Father convinces her into
The water. Only her toes
touch the surface.
Black SUVs wait beyond
the complex. The buzzer strikes,
an hour passed. The sun
sets behind buildings.
By the cold water
dispenser, a signboard reads:
“Pets and servants are
not allowed in the pool.”
← Urooj