consider the rooster—

black with a red neck with a bowtie of black feathers

cocking his head at the sound of temple bells

at the sound of approaching footsteps

protector & ravisher of his hen harem

warding off the younger roosters with an air-drill-peck

bombsquading through shrubs of mogra & jasmine

in search of grubs

right leg raised look here

left leg raised look there

carefully clucking through nature's minefield

strutting back to its coop-cage as it gets dark

consider the jackfruit—

prickly green sagging at the feet of the tree

curves sighing with gravity at the hips

naughty-fingered sweet smell pulling me closer

an invitation of ripening

of tearing open its mass of connected ovary-bulbs

of sticky sweetness only washed with oil

consider me

watching the rooster-cock

while eating the jackfruit-frock

consider me

for a moment

strutting at dark to my cages

ripening in invitation

~ajay

3/5/2021