It was the winter penance of the blue frozen men—to hand-pump pure, warm waters from the gritty darkness, while the common supply lines froze and clogged.

Portrait of Georgy Chulkov by Zinaida Serebryakova. Pre-Loved [only serious buyers contact] For Sale: Human companion (pre-loved) Acquired a lifetime ago, moderately used In good condition, slight bruising on the heart Bill, accessories not included Orignal box baggage & regret Coping mechanism replaced 2023 Recently serviced, new skin applied No warranty Can meet at common spot / shipping charges if out of effort coverage Price: 1000 nights' sleep /- (negotiable) Reason for

Forever blue Sometimes I wonder: who owns the metaphor? who has an absolute right over how I see what I see under star-lit skies? —a kitten’s shiny plaything around shrines that sleep at night I can’t write a story when I’m not writing a story but when am I not writing about you? it’s funny how you shape-shift how you’re spelled after a vowel in urdu, after a pause you break into a subtext I break into laughter in what Stacy would call mashriqi english mine is bad — I am neit