by Gayathri Kakarparthi
The Interference Factor
Listen, I want to tell you something.
I’ve wanted to for a long time, but,
startled by the concept of movie music,
I let it slip my mind. I was driving
and saw the bloodstain on the highway
where the god of love hit the rail,
and the music made me think of us,
and you know I never studied
science. Sorry I laughed like a girl.
Sorry I stood there naked except for
a pair of black socks and a wristwatch
and even then I didn’t tell you.
As an English major in middle age,
I’m a connoisseur of unobjectionable gestures,
sustained silent reading, and not being paid,
but the truth is a different matter.
When I kissed you, it took me
very much by surprise. Am I
remembering one or more of these
decades wrong? I want to tell you, but
interference can be a bitch.
It can win, the way the other kid wins
in high school. I’m trying.
Sometimes you have to leave
this musical vehicle of the mind,
cut out your tongue and just
say it. I’ll say it:
Robin’s egg blue is bluer than you think.
Jack Granath is a librarian in Kansas. His website is www.jackgranath.com.
Gayathri Kakarparthi is a fine artist and digital illustrator from Chennai, India. Her work is inspired by the beauty of the natural world and the magic in the ordinary. With the belief that art can act as a catalyst for personal growth, she invites viewers to explore their own feelings and emotions through her art. gayathrikakarparthi.com https://www.instagram.com/gayathri_kakarparthi/.