Nothing is Missing
Arranged beauty, a vanishing self. Silent guns in the corner reveal an…
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From Matchbox
Matchbox – February ’26
River of Missing Persons
The river swallowed father, memory, and country's hue, leaving only yellow mornings and sweet sorrow.
February 10, 2026
Early morning, my father went to the river
searching for shining stones in the water—
memories of my mother trapped beneath the folds of time.
The river glittered briefly and closed its palm.
He did not return.
Since then, morning arrives with a yellow face.
Tell me, my country—were you always this colour,
or is this how summer fades
when no one is left to remember?
The rebels rot in sugar mills,
their bodies learning the language of sweetness;
it is impossible to escape
the lingering smell of their prickly sorrows.
I see giant green clouds mating
like languishing sailors.
Everything slowly disappears—
islands, jellyfish, even my own shadows.
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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.