An interconnected family of supernovas burning bright in the night sky: take a moment, reach out—join us.
cleopatra
Aadit Pahuja
**content warning: death, sexual themes**
​
cleopatra/
the alphabets roll off/ the top of my tongue/
and wander off/ to the heavens/
cleopatra/
royal floors rumble beneath us/
glorious skies creak above/
and here we are/
lying on blue satin sheets/ spread on imperial beds/
your hands in mine/
my heart in yours/
just me/ and you/
cleopatra/
a waft of egyptian perfumes/
burns our nostrils/
the ones/ sold in tiny glass bottles/
like forbidden dreams/
to be rubbed on translucent wrists/
one drop at a time/
under the high-ceilings/
i undress you/
swiftly/
slowly/
my fingers/ move gently over plastic buttons/
over woolen threads/
chemicals/ rush through my mind/
intoxicate it/
your love/ reaches my mouth/
and melts on my tongue/
in a blaze of glory/
beads of sweat/ trickle down my back/
like the diamonds/ in your ring/
and then/
we lie together/
on pink sheets of satin/
watercolor gods and goddesses/
watch us sin/ tarnish ourselves/
from their abodes/ in painted canvases/
on the wall opposite/
i look in your eyes/
you look in mine/
and time gets frozen/
in those glass bottles of perfume/
to be cherished/
one drop at a time/
//
i lie/ my head on your synthetic lap/
pain/ embedded in my chest/
the life seeping out of me/
swiftly/
slowly/
everything rushes past me/
in a blur/
you say my name/
antony/ antony
but i don’t hear/
no/
i don’t want to die/ so young/
i feel everything/
escaping/ from the clutches of my hand/
like sand/ leaving from the gap/
between my fingers/
outside/ the world erupts/
in flames/ and african dust/
uproars/ and among them/
is death/
death/ oh, old friend/
i shall meet you/ at twilight/
when my dreams are complete/
and i’ve seen my love/
one last time/
and i look/ once again/
into your eyes/
the warmth blinds me/
the blue engulfs me/
i open my mouth/
my lips creak open/
and/
and the alphabets roll off/
the top of my tongue/
and wander off/ to the heavens/
once again/
cleopatra
About the Author
Aadit is a teen poet living in Delhi, India. He has previously written for school magazines and some literary magazines. His poetry is related to topics which drift away from the normal and explores topics like human trafficking and religious beliefs. He spends most of his time thinking about writing, and when he starts writing, he ends up doing something else. Other hobbies include killing time on YouTube and Netflix. He is also a strong supporter of minority groups and the LGBTQ+ community.