The curvy sink slopes in invitation to scurry
A pale porcelain country

At first surreptitiously, then the cockroach skids
Whisking between the faucet and the strainer
Secure in the silky-smooth darkness of the room

Just when contemplating to wedge itself between
the steel and the smooth place,
the fluorescent light goes on

…

Carol Blaizy D’Souza is a poet, translator and researcher living in Chennai. A collation of her work can be found at linktr.ee/cblaizd.