HEAVEN

Heaven's just

a few blocks away

from where i live—

fenced in barbed wire,

its fruits are

too far away

to taste.

Inside, there's music,

the bricks that

build up the wall

of my dreams—

but for us here,

the sound of laughter

comes at the price

of our souls.

Here, in our

neighbourhood,

light means only

the harsh stare

of sixty watt bulbs—

evenings,lifetimes,

spent under its

blinding glare.

Bleak walls speak

through generations

of grime and dust—

their voices gone

hoarse from praying.

Down here—where i live,

Life means the place

everybody wants to leave.

East of us, where sunlight is—

music, friends, laughter—

heaven—the place

that never is.

Anirban Kapil Baishya(27/3/2012)