by Manahil Bandukwala
We pull away from the mountain and the path
meanders to form the letter s
signifying the beginning of breathing
together through the night. All the river creatures,
carp and beavers alike, exit their burrows to swim
or crawl to the first bed they happen upon. I whisper
to you in the humidity. How it takes
the shape of sceptres,
of jungle cats. So detailed we can make out
each strand of fur on its magnificent
pride. The ghosts inhabiting each minuscule hole
left by a nail once hammered into the wall
feel the first semblance of rest in centuries
and emerge.
Everything has a point of origin and the beginning
of calm starts the moment one of us falls asleep,
really sleeping, with little to no dreams
because the dream is to be within touching distance
and here we are, always finding
new ways to say goodbye to the night.
MANAHIL BANDUKWALA is a writer and visual artist. She is a member of Ottawa-based poetry collective VII, and works as coordinating editor for Arc Poetry Magazine. Her debut poetry collection is forthcoming in 2022. See her work at manahilbandukwala.com.
Every night is a good night can be found in Augur Magazine Issue 5.1.
