Sourpuss
Step 1: Open Word document
Step 2: Type poem…still typing
I look at it with raised eyebrows,
quizzically, as though testing its merit.
Not quite satisfied,
I tweak a few words,
check the dictionary for the right usage
of decorative plumage,
chew on my mental pencil
while jotting down mental notes,
stare at it again,
then some more
and then some more,
till I finally press Ctrl + S.
A DEADLINES folder sits
on the desktop and I rummage
through it to find
that suitable journal for my
not-so-muse-inspired second-rate version of a first-class idea piece
and pack it away in haste.
Reading the guidelines,
I fuss over fonts and margins,
paste the poem in the body of the mail
and get back to twiddling my thumbs.
After months of waiting,
a gentle howler shatters my hopes.
So what went wrong?
I wallow in self-doubt for a bit,
playing the angst-ridden heroine
of a poor screenplay
and brush away my tears.
Opening a new document,
a germ for another persona is born.
By Shola Shankar