1.
It is your thrust that shakes me; Your arrogant command
of our breath our flesh
our luscious hunger.
A rhythmic tearing apart of
rules
and reservations a
throbbing theatrical
tidal wave.
2. Parasite
You have given of yourself,
unwillingly.
Tomorrow, I will still thirst for
more.
3.
My fingers are numb now;
from holding tight to
my heart
and yours.
I did not feel them fall.
4. Beast
Wolf,
I no longer hear you howl gnarl pant tear growl
sniff
wild with hunger carnal
crude crass your breath
bloodied,
your flesh seeking flesh,
your teeth gripping
less
than will satiate you;
Beast,
on the prowl,
hungered hunter,
your lament
floats on the wind a
whimper
a low yowl
moaning
moaning
mourning.
5. Bucket list
To cut my tongue on
the blades
of your shoulders
again.
To bleed sin.
To drip pleasure. To
ooze red.
6.
Ask us,
what we build our days on-
what word-scraps we scavenge upon, malnourished and greedy at once
for what is accidentally
spilt,
crumbs
morsels
involuntary offerings,
hope-
in infinitesimal
portions.
7. Observing pain
I stand by the sink, the grease of
guilty pleasures
under my fingernails,
the water, like a nun, punishing and cold and
sneering, holier than I could ever be. I watch,
wetly,
how the pleasures clog up the pipes both
metal and muscular;
and choke and
sputter
and muddy up a perfectly
good
day.
8.
The Thing
stays knotted.
In the spaces between breaths,
in the cavities that birth words
in the hunger and thirst
and lament in these guts
and in the lack of them all.
The Thing
stays.
choking,
restricting,
knotted.
-Broken Thing
Excerpted with permission from Softly We Fall by Megan Dhakshini published by Sarasvi Publishers, 2024.
Megan Dhakshini is an advertising professional, poet, trilingual voiceover artist and amateur singer. Her second book of poetry “Softly We Fall”, was longlisted for the prestigious Gratiaen Prize in 2021. Her first collection, “Poison Apple (2018) was published by Unsolicited Press USA. She feels most comfortable in her writer skin and on stage, performing poetry and music while exchanging exhilarating energy with audiences.
Graduating with a BA in Advertising from RMIT Melbourne, she worked at multinational ad agencies in Colombo, before setting up her own niche creative boutique with partner Dillai Joseph- “The Next Big Think”.
She is a full-time mum and a part time dreamer, hoping to touch people with her words and verses. You can follow her creative pursuits @megan_dhakshinishatrughan
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