Keep pretending not to count the inches
Between us
Your somber eyes linger on my mouth like
The scent of my skin after I left
Do not dare to say my name,
Do not dare to drive to my street,
Do not dare to sing the song
It will burn your throat like a burnt fume
WHAT IF WHAT IF WHAT IF
My laugh crackles through the radio
As you keep driving
Every road ahead will always bring you back to my door.
Shuchi Binte Shahjalal is a writer who writes gently, honestly, and just a little dangerously about love and home.