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A Peck on the Cheek

Short peoms to caress loved ones

Sripriya Sitaraman

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Family and Friends ................................................ 5

Family Trait ................................................................... 6

Potluck Friendship .......................................................... 7

Family Perspective .......................................................... 8

Extensive Family ............................................................ 9

From the Heart ............................................................ 10

If it goes wrong ............................................................ 11

New Flatmate ............................................................... 12

Life's Left Overs ........................................................... 13

Blinding Brother ........................................................... 14

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Love .................................................................... 17

You here? .................................................................... 18

You are my star ........................................................... 19

This is just to say ......................................................... 20

Puzzle Personality ......................................................... 21

Vicious Circle ............................................................... 22

Longing for Love........................................................... 23

Translations ................................................................. 24

A twosome .................................................................. 25

The Connoisseur ........................................................... 26

The Present ................................................................. 27

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5

Family and Friends

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Family Trait

Looking up into your blushed face

I remember how we met.

How you charmed me with your amazing sense of humour

And that smile that breaks out of your eyes.

While you brush my hair out of my eyes

I think of the time when I first met your dad,

The only person with whom I’ve heard you laugh.

Together we look at this bundle I’m holding

And I’m looking forward to the time

When your loving smile

Will turn into roaring laughter.

7

Potluck Friendship

The more you put in it

the more interesting it gets

The more there is in it

the bigger the mess when it breaks

8

Family Perspective

‚Family will always come first‘

my father used to say

And I smiled and pitied him

for not knowing true friendship

I love him now

for not smiling

when my friends say

‚Sorry, family-engagement‘

9

Extensive Family

Members entering

Members parting

Conflicts brewing

Gossip flowing

Problems drowning

10

From the Heart

Mother with two kids overtaking on your right

on your left an old biddy with a granny-mobile

In front of you a pyramid of pantetone

and to its right the Salvation Army.

So

put your left foot between the granny and her mobile

and keep the right foot up a second too long,

then, place it just behind the kids that have passed.

Then, without delay, lift your left foot

before the trolley hits you.

Now, walking past the panetone on the left,

take a deep breath

recall the faces of your friends

and go on Christmas shopping

with the smile only they can bring to your face

11

If it goes wrong

Will they say:

“Oops, that wasn’t your best.”

and give me a pat on my back.

Or will they say:

“Hey, it wasn’t that bad.”

turn around and go yakkity-yack

12

New Flatmate

Now when I come home

I don't trip over your shoes

When I want to have a drink

I don't have to hunt for a glass in our flat

and I don't have to fight my way through the fridge to find

the juice.

And when I want to read the newspaper

I don't have to look for International Affairs in your bedroom

Humour in the loo and what remains in the kitchen.

Now when I come home

I look at that shut bedroom door

and wonder if SHE's home.

13

Life's Left Overs

The toughest thing about

clearing out his belongings

is the knowledge

that once I'm done

all that will remain

is a shoebox

with papers and photos

to be stored on the rickety bookshelf

in the attic.

14

Blinding Brother

Do you know the feeling

when you prepared the welcome ceremony

and your parents kiss HIM first?

Do you know the feeling

when He and your mum share a joke

and they tell you that you won’t get it anyway.

Do you know the feeling

when He gets to choose the pudding

even though He doesn’t like sweets?

Do you know the feeling

when your story gets interrupted

just because He should be getting back from school now.

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Do you know the feeling

when your parents call from their holiday

to ask how He is doing?

Do you know

that one day you’ll wake up

and realise that they loved you all along.

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17

Love

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You here?

What are you doing

here? You should be up there with

all the other stars.

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You are my star

It’s not so much your knowledge

But the passion you display

When you look at the stars

Not so much that you have

But how you deal with the insights

That you get from the stars

But most of all

It’s looking you in your eyes

And seeing them sparkle.

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This is just to say

I have stolen

the heart

that was firmly set

in your bosom

and which

you were probably

guarding

from pain

Forgive me

it seemed to be calling me

so sweet

and so warm

21

Puzzle Personality

It must be the buzz I feel

every time I get a glimpse of your gentleness

peeping through the cracks of your armour

that makes me persevere.

22

Vicious Circle

All you want is

To go for a drink so that

He can tell you why

He can’t manage to find

The time to go out with you

23

Longing for Love

Longing for love means

Trying to please people who

Hate servility.

24

Translations

Good to see you too!

is what they say when they want

to be somewhere else.

What are your plans now?

is what they say when they want

to be on their own.

Yes, I love you too.

is what they say when they want

you to shut up.

25

A twosome

sipping coffee engaging in work permitting a break resuming work talking a nap resuming work socialising relaxing indulging in a hobby retiring falling asleep

getting up having lunch having tea having dinner belonging together

preparing tea having breakfast doing housework preparing lunch washing up taking a nap finishing work preparing dinner washing up relaxing going to bed

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The Connoisseur

I can feel your hand on my arm

Sliding down gently

Touching each of my fingers

Interlocking them with yours

Releasing them again and

Softly stroking my hand.

And when I open my eyes

I see

That yours are closed.

27

The Present

When the bus arrives

I take her left hand

her right tightly holding on to the box.

I make sure she gets into the bus safely

and direct her to a seat

her eyes- shining bright with excitement-

are glued to the box

and her mouth is smiling broadly

Once seated

she carefully places the box on her knees

her expression changing slightly

as she concentrates on the details

printed on the box

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When she looks at the picture

her smile broadens again

and her eyes seem to caress the box

I nudge her and say

You look like a little girl receiving her first present.

She looks at me, her smile changing yet again,

and gives me a very adult kiss.