February 2026 – elancharan gunasekaran

i fear: the kind of dragon i am becoming one who takes pride in sleeping amongst the cinders of a once peaceful village now razed to the ground

forest’s edge: trees step slightly out of the frame and the cold path dims

in between: taking stock of perishable feelings

winter’s end: just take a look at the darkness we have domesticated

not merely a matter of freeing the body but the liberation of cosmic forces that have been caged within this malleable shell

motionless in a state of near death the very air consumed is fed to the pranic engine

stand before the winter sun and proclaim that this frail bag of flesh has won over the elements: for now

watch in silence as a thin ray of light frays into morsels of the collective thought

winter’s soul takes center stage and the verdant rain rehearses its lines

creatures of night tread lightly as space becomes hallowed and ceremonial