Black

When you were lost, O krishna,
I looked for you everywhere
In the Tamil kavitheys of Bombay Jayashree
And the coconut oil milled fresh and fragrant.

When you were lost, O krishna,
I looked for you everywhere
In the curly hair of young boys
And the proud stance of tall men.

I looked for you everywhere
In the black jaggery that tasted slightly salty
And in herbal green teas at Cafe Coffee Days
When you were lost, O krishna.

I looked in the salads served cold and light
And in salmons tinged slightly pink
When you were lost, O krishna,
I looked for you everywhere.

O krishna, O krishna, I sang mindlessly
to angry beats on forgotten streets in Koramangala
Burnt cigarettes and combed Instagram for your friends
I looked for you everywhere when you were lost.

When you were lost, O krishna,
I looked for you everywhere
In memories, in books, in work
In snores and in alarm clocks.

But especially in your favourite songs and in colours
Green of the paddy fields, red of the earth, and the black-grey of the sea
O krishna, O krishna, I looked for you everywhere
And found you buried deep inside me.