Everywhere I go people keep saying
It’s no big deal
and shrugging away.

Like the time my chain fell off
and I had to carry my bike
up the Allenby Steps.

Or when I bit my tongue
trying to laugh
and chew and swallow.

Someone plays handmade flutes
on Manners Mall
while my students smoke cigarettes.

They call out to each other
across the paved space
and the pigeons.

People act rueful
in the face of devastation
but say Whatever though, eh?

The pink beret
does not warrant your poesy
and that’s not a real question.

A real question would be
Are you sure?
I mean sure sure?

© Saradha Koirala 2009