I wake up early,
arrange the antique rugs from Beirut
change the flowers in the vase,
the window glass trembles
like the silent love,
everything remains in its place,
even the vanishing moon in her eyelashes.
I realise
everything is so beautiful,
I rearrange everything again,
nothing is now missing
except my name.
I see—
they stand in the corner,
quiet and unmoving,
as if they had always been there,
beside their loaded guns.

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.