Just Looking

By Mani (Rao)

JUST LOOKING

There’s no love in my right pocket
There’s no love in my left pocket
There’s no love in my cleavage
There’s no love in my back pocket
There’s no love in my handbag
There’s no love in my wallet
There’s no love in the shoebox
There’s no love in the closet
There’s no love in the inbox
There’s no love in the spam
There’s no love in the shopping cart
There’s no love in the trash
There’s no love behind curtains
There’s no love under the carpet
There’s no love in the refrigerator
There’s no love in the freezer
There’s no love on the cutting board
There’s no love in the pan
There’s no love in the elevator
There’s no love at the doorbell
There’s no love when the gate opens
There’s no love when the gate closes
There’s no love if I look right
There’s no love if I look left
There’s no love across the street
There’s no love in the parking lot
There’s no love in the security cameras
There’s no love if I roll up the window
There’s no love if I roll down the window
There’s no love on my plate
There’s no love on the bill
There’s no love to-go
No love in skies, clouds
No love in grass always taller
In cattle fattening just because
In multiplication of insects
Over rotting tomatoes
In time-lapse flower shows
No love on a stormy night when banged by the wind the bees are having to walk
There’s no love to be continued
No love to stop

DIVORCE BLOOMS

Having drawn the knife
you flung it

The next morning
an algae bloom

swathed the island
Our island

How sea-creatures
must have rouged

their lips
upon our cuts 

A second look at The
New Zealand Herald

And—a spill of Bordeaux
from the wine festival

Your ferry slides
into the cake

of Half Moon Bay
to carve you

a sweet slice
Happy Birthday!

BOLERO

Advance one step
Retreat two

In seven days we are
Seven steps apart

In one month we are
Particles of dust

If you detect me
Reach out to pinch me

Between your thumb and
Forefinger

If I spot your sail on the horizon
I’ll check the weather

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Mani Rao’s forthcoming books are So That You Know (poems) and The Essential Kalidasa (translation), both from HarperCollins India in August 2025. She lives in Bangalore. More about her writing is on www.manirao.com

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