ONE DAY THEY FOUND
ME TALKING TO MYSELF
arun jeetoo
in the cubicle, I have Maths next period,
They couldn't catch my phrasing it was too foreign for them
But they hear the crack in my voice like the scrunch of metallised film.
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And kick the door open to find my
Head shut in behind my grey knees,
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Throwing piss-damp tissue snowballs
At my head absorbing their baleful laughs.
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The bell rings and they walk out satisfied.
I drop my knees and unclasp my hands.
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Inert. Except my lips that cling onto
The religion my parents sold me,
I have Maths right now my collar doesn't cover
the inkblot bruises my burning back
the frozen desk on my cheek.
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I have Maths right now and god does nothing.
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Arun Jeetoo is a poet and educator from Enfield, North London. He is a wanderer and a compassionate soul, known for his dirty realism style, provocative imagery, and dark humour. His work appears in The London Reader and LUMIN Journal amongst numerous print and online magazines across the world. His poetry received second place in the John Hopkins Prize (2016) and was shortlisted for the Erbacce Prize (2020). His debut pamphlet I Want to Be the One You Think About at Night published from Waterloo Press is on sale right now. He tweets @G2poetry and Instagrams @g2poetry.
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