mid october post midnight walk

it's 3:20 am and i want to go out for a walk
i live in a safe area of town and walking at this
hour is not dangerous, suspicious perhaps if mrs. schmidtt
is up and reports a dark shadow leaving our front door but
i could be discreet and leave through the back door not visible
to the schmidtt's, on the other side kiran had fasted, feasted
and now was fast asleep as yesterday was karva-chauth
hindu men are lucky, even their women have it not so bad
they get to do this only once a year unlike our
thirty fasts each year and sati is not practiced anymore
so i ran a mental list - i will don a t-shirt and change
into joggers, grab a wind breaker and put on sneakers
reminding myself not to forget the house keys this time
what else would i need? shall i take the lighter? if I do so
then i'll have to take the pouch and the pipe - ah, the pleasures
of smoking at this undisturbed hour under the clear skies

***

immersed in such peaceful thoughts cheered me up more and i
told myself to take the baseball cap, it could be windy but
first i had to ease my way out of her embrace without
disturbing her — easier written than done - oh the travails
buoyed by the idea of polluting the fresh air
i must have made some noises probing my way in the dark
'why are you so restless and talking in sleep,' said the fair one
and as the embrace tightened, 'go to sleep, you've work to do
in the morning' - as all shackled men have learned it is not
advisable to argue with the tigers in their cages
no sir, not at 3.20 a.m. so i said meekly
'go to sleep dear, am just attending a call of nature'
and dreamt of other cherished dreams folded and ensconced