Meditation on the Word Need by Linda Rodriguez
The problem with words of emotion
is how easily meaning drains
from their fiddle-sweet sounds
and they become empty instruments.
I can say love
and mean desire to give—
open-handed, open-hearted—
or I am drawn to the light
shining from your soul—
or my life is empty without you—
or I want to run my hands
and mouth down the length of you—
or all of these at once.
Need, now, is a plain word.
I need a nail to hang this picture.
I need money to pay my bills.
I need air and light,
water and food,
shelter from storm and sun and cold.
To be healthy,
to be sane,
to survive,
I need you.
Art by Amrita Sher-Gil
Recommended listening: Crystalised - The XX (cover by Martina Topley-Bird featuring Mark Lanegan)
Everyday I Love You Less & Less - Kaiser Chiefs
Links of the Day: New Year Verse (I curated a poetry+art marathon for Scroll to kickstart 2017. 24 poems published every hour about a new India along with an artwork that complements the words.)
Blank Books and Letting the Ink Dry The Future of Cities The inside Story of the Bakassi Boys Vigilante Group of South-Eastern Nigeria Lief | Smart patch that fights stress + Rohan Dixit: Our brains on meditation