Ehsan Ahmed

winter’s kisses

I shaved my head, for life, friend, is boring.* 
On a December day
A king-shaped lunatic declared his authority over me
And I laughed, 
I hugged him, and he kissed my scalp 
Like the fresh light of mornings gone. 
A lunatic is a human because he feels. 
A lunatic is a lunatic because he is bald.
A lunatic is a king because none holds his position. 
Sun died for this year, the misty afterglow in clumps 
And the colorless mornings
Do not stink— is among the listed horrors. 
Some bird kept cooing, all night,
The lunatic writhed on concrete. Alnight. 
Right and left. Left and right. 
The rat was twice disturbed during dinner. 
The winter sat tight. Kisslessly tight. 

*Note: “Life, friend, is boring” is from John Berryman’s “Dream Song #14”

Ehsan Ahmed is an English graduate from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is interested in poetry, photography, and design, and currently involved in teaching. In his free time, he narrates audiobooks for Librivox. He can be found on Instagram at @ehsanesque