Sagar Nair

Children Jumping into Deep Fryers

Raindrops gem our hair. We know how
to sparkle. Our mothers

slap coconut oil onto our scalps and squeeze us
into moth-bitten sweaters. There are ponds 

in the park, glossy lakes, rivers, beaches
foaming with waves. But we want 

to dive into deep fryers
and sizzle, learn the language of our blisters 

with our tongues, licking the salt and oil
that anoints us. We are holy. Yes, we are holy. 

Crows will peck away our skin, showing muscle,
showing bone. This naked serenity 

we desire. We throw sneakers at smoke alarms
and light cigarettes. Yes, we are trying 

to get addicted. We want something to crave,
we want to want.

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Sagar Nair is from Sydney, Australia. His work has appeared in The Suburban Review and elsewhere.