An Ode to the Unfinished

Photo: Saswat Pattanayak

like the unfinished manuscripts
unsung songs
leaderless movements
incomplete news
abridged classics
discarded mixtapes
dimmed lights
celebrity kids
burnt-out prodigies
demonetized masses
abandoned refugees
rsvp’ed maybe
postponed suicides
depressed doctors
temp on sick leave
upper east side homeless
professor with student loans
yet another president
palestinian dreams
pretend plays
criterion collections
hawaiian sovereignty
discovering god
forgiving abortions
cultural purities
national boundaries
racial features
gendered restrooms
leaked emails
exiled pirates
50c raise in hourly wage

a year of promises
half empty
or, half full

a broken calendar
that rarely matters
anymore…

or shall it –
this coming year?

– Saswat Pattanayak, Peoples’ Poet
New York, January 1, 2017