Sukriti Patny

A THOUSAND EYES

stare
peer
peck
shadow
observe
my every move
growing with greed
multiplying with anticipation
compound and thus
covering all directions

morbid curiosity
spilling from their ducts
pupils dilating
searching for a sign
wishing away their lashes
in desperate hope

and I pretend
I cannot see
the burden on my shoulders
the piercing gaze
the weight of expectation
the demands made of my womb