A SWEEP

 

I sum of the current fifty-four years
nineteen thousand and seven hundred days
the near split
cuddled, fed and protected
grew to hundred and sixty-five centimetres.

Days and centimetres of life twisted as a herringbone
fogged truant brain relishing hide and seek
negativity varnishing inches of malice
mirror shrinking reflection a few centimetres
guilt strapping the stress.

Some days, scrubbed squeaky clean
monsters of misdeeds on a soporific break
lathery foam toting up in air
obsequiously touching some with kindness.
Image stretching the shrunk centimetres
beaming smile of towering happiness
as the bloom of the jacarandas.

The impish youth, the helmetless rides
the banned triples on scooter
foolish grins at traffic police
puncturing teacher's bikes
blind to repercussions


peeping grey streaks, henna at the roots
Camera fooled, poses galore, striving side angles
camouflaged bulges, coated wrinkles
the indiscreet youth smirking
Reel swipes fast forward

The supportive mother, the thoughtful daughter
the friendly sister, the reliable wife
the irritating mother, the sulking daughter
the mischievous sibling, the nagging wife
the uncensored acts of my script

Abseiling towards twenty thousand days
incapacitated to decipher number of
centimetres partitioned for light and darkness
Mathematics, the textbook donated after tenth grade

Juggling after half a century on the planet
still decoding, remonstrating, rising, sulking, smiling
some encounters with self surprise me
and some nag as buzz of cicadas.

Muscling to move on, competent to realise
subtraction or division incompletes me.
Addition and multiplication of goodness
forms a perfect whole of holes.