Published in The Asian Weekly in July 2016

A niche I carved for myself
Of desires and fantasy on the shelf
The niche was week unstable
I fell off its broken hooks so unreliable.

A niche I carved for my friends
Of entertainment and happening trends
The niche was pleasant to begin
It cracked under guise of jealousy and drinking.

A niche I carved for my family
Of orderliness, comfort that was tamely
The niche was demanding to the core
It bent my back with pressures that I myself bore.

A niche I carved for the society
Of falsehoods, bluffing without sobriety
The niche creaked up on  each step
It threatened disclosing revelations of my true self

A niche I carved for my taste buds
Of culinary cravings that filled the gut
The niche brought disease and heaviness
It brought forth discomfort, binging and ugliness.

A niche I carved for my happiness
Of gadgets and tools of luxury and laziness
The niche became a compulsive obsession
It made me inactive, unworthy like an addiction.

A niche I carved for my heart
Of spiritual treats of meditation darts
The niche satisfied my lonely soul
It fulfilled the missing link and brought self control.

Sikiladi