Waiting Through the Night

by Bibhu Padhi (December 2016)

Now, almost morning. It is difficult

to know how to steer through

the day’s long cleverness.

A vague pain from last night

is everywhere even now– 

over the earth, the sky, this body.

Even last evening’s whiskey

with friends, was too weak

to bring in sleep.

I asked my woman of Puri-on-Sea

to sit with me through the night,

listen to my invented tales.

Our intelligent, teenage son

will not listen to my

request for company.

___________________________

Bibhu Padhi’s eleventh book of poems, SEA DREAMS, is due out in in January-2017. He lives with his family in Bhubaneswar, India.

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