All The Other Things Poem by Salil Chaturvedi

There are some things in me
that you didn't recognize,
Tiny little details that seem to have
escaped your eyes, but still
I don't blame you. I want you
to know that in my northeast corner
there's a lime tree that I care a lot about,
and on the walls that I have set up
against the world, a clerodendrum creeper
bursts into red every winter.
All my thoughts
are composted in the southeast,
right next to the banana tree.
The tree that grows
in the centre of this all sheds its leaves
and lies bare for two months,
but when it comes back into bloom
there are tiny mauve flowers
that are sweetly fragrant at night.
And since you've gone
there's a pond to my west
with a rohu fish in it.
I can tell you that
things never really go wrong
they go upside-down right,
and if you un-touch the earth
dandelions will grow,
On round nasturtium leaves
water will form tiny spheres,
Three kites will make endless
triangles in the sky.
What's more, I have proof
that stars taste like sugar,
and while everyone knows
that there are countless beings
in every speck of dust
no one really knows why,
and if it doesn't really matter
it will never really spirit.
I can tell you this now
and all the other things
I can say only to strangers.