The First Lesson in the Art of Tracing a Human Body

remember a naked body
is a different person.

an absence of almost nothing,
a presence of so much more
than the clothes tend to hide.

shoulders like a dome
of a sandcastle –
soar with every kiss
slump with every clasp.

lips like a parched well
hiding a spring,
pouring wine up to the brim,
into the ears…

bareness does to a body
what poetry does to a mind,
lay open all that one doesn’t know…
and never dries out.

there runs a slender trail of loneliness
in each body, leave it be.

a cross over crease
to a naked world.

a secret galaxy…

Rachit Sharma works in the social sector, he designs and facilitates leadership programs for young people. His poetry has appeared in a number of Indian and international literary platforms.

Featured image: Mitchell Griest / Unsplash