Nothing is Missing
Arranged beauty, a vanishing self. Silent guns in the corner reveal an…
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From Matchbox
Matchbox – February ’26
Bombay Sandwich (for Ranvir Shah)
Buttered youth and mother's sky spark a longing tide for tomorrow's promised Bombay sandwich.
February 10, 2026
Snow-white, thick-sliced,
rimmed by a light crust of rainbow ripples—
the lilting bread melts in his mouth
like a small, edible city of joy.
Born in blue daylight,
he sees his mother’s reflection in the pomegranate sky;
his youth turns outrageously buttery,
seeping into everything—
over homework margins,
over afternoons of secret Lego worlds.
Raw carrot, cucumber,
Siberian lettuce—an unfamiliar lover—
layered with longing, a delayed taste,
luring his hunger to rise like the sleeping seashore.
The night shivers like soft violin tears—
she has returned from a moonlit ride;
he whispers into her eyes,
a tide waiting for him on the Marina beach.
Yes, tomorrow is not such a long time.
One day, I too will taste his Bombay sandwich
📖
PART OF A COLLECTIONOf Novels, Old and New & 3 Other Poems
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Ashwani Kumar
Ashwani Kumar is a poet, political scientist, and professor whose work has been widely published, anthologized, and translated into several languages. His poetry collections include My Grandfather’s Imaginary Typewriter, Banaras and Other Poems, and Map of Memories, and he is also the author of the acclaimed non-fiction work Community Warriors. He has edited major poetry anthologies, including Rivers Going Home, Scent of Rain, and River of Songs, co-founded the Indian Novels Collective, and edits the Hummingbirds Poetry Series in partnership with Red River. He was also a chief editor of Global Civil Society at the London School of Economics. He has held visiting appointments at leading international institutions, including Heidelberg University, the Korea Development Institute (KDI), and the German Development Institute (DIE). He also writes for publications such as The Indian Express, The Hindu, Financial Express, Outlook India, Scroll, and The Print. He lives in Mukteshwar and Mumbai.