I Can Only Sleep On One Side Of The Bed by Anisha Narain

I Can Only Sleep On One Side Of The Bed by Anisha Narain

I'm back here / your smell in my / throat the bed we shared / two
days straight / the staircase / I never want to find / bodies

underneath this house I can't find / your hand / in all this dirt / I don't know
if you're still here / I still / let you / flatten me / wrack me squash me / walk me

to another continent and back / to your room the first and last time / I set foot
in there I was scared / to sit on your bed so I positioned my body half on

half off / the way gum sticks when it’s been / on the floor too long / half nuisance
half once-was / half urge to put it right back / in your mouth / half leave it

there / someone else will scrape off / that thing / clinging to the carpet

august 21st, 2020

Anisha Narain (she/they) is a Tamil-American poet and creator studying computer science and creative writing at the University of Illinois. In her spare time, she likes to sing, act, and add to her collection of quirky jewelry. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @anarain00