-translation by Prayash Nepali
original words by Bhairab Aryal


A clean white sheet

Reference site

on a hospital bed
first makes a new patient giddy
As she feels the fabric
as if her fingers will stain it,
Oh so soft, so delicate
Like a home bed made ready

But as she tosses and turns
the sheet slips here and there,
the patient takes notice
beneath the covering layer.

Inside those dry clean cover
under that clean white sheet
lie blankets, mattress, numerous rags,
piling on from centuries
Eew! one could almost see the stench
Stains of pus and blood
The more you take notice,
the grosser it becomes
Only after seeing the side
rotting with faecal matter
Will she realize the inner secret
the bed's shine and grandeur is only a cover
She grits her teeth and screams
tearing apart the covering layer
Oh you, how long will you value life
based on cover and only cover.

The doctor holds the wrist
and declares insanity
Then the half smiling nurse brings out
the colorful liquid of remedy