March End Sonnet

It is possible they’re telling the truth.

You must be mad to want to live

With dammed-up rivers of eternal youth

And jobs that take all your give.

But live you must (somehow! somehow!)

Raisin desire clutched to your breast

Beaten heart throbbing in your paw

Mad yellow ribbons holding up the rest.

Hold that hot madness in your eyes

And never blink, never get too sane.

That’s the latest pop advice:

Keep your crumb of madness safe.

On moonless nights, wear a leash as you step out.

They whisper that you’ve lost it; dispel all doubt.

Annie Zaidi (born 1978) is a writer from India. Her collection of essays, Known Turf: Bantering with Bandits and Other True Tales, was short-listed for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award in 2010.

Be first to comment