A Washing Machine on the Moon

by Debasish Mishra

The immense prospects of being rich
often come with a pinch of stupidity
I bought seven acres and a half
in the moon, and a nearby star,
the brightest one, without bargaining
for discounts & my endeared wife,
who has grown sour with her neighbours—
for not noticing her immaculate
fashion sense in her choice of dress,
of footwear, of perfume—
has made up her mind for mobility.
We'll settle on the moon, she says
The moon was a nice subject
in the days of my wooing
but not beyond it.
We won't need a refrigerator
nor an AC— It's endless
winter there, she blushes, T
o hell with TV and internet too
I am fed up with the ways of the world
But I will need a washing machine
I smile and say with a twist on my brow,
Without all your bitter neighbours there,
we can do without clothes, as well.

Debasish Mishra is a Senior Research Fellow at National Institute of Science Education and Research, India. He is the recipient of the 2017 Reuel International Best Upcoming Poet Prize and the 2019 Bharat Award for Literature. He was also nominated for the 2022 Rhysling Award. His recent work in speculative writing has appeared in Star*Line, Space and Time Magazine, Penumbric, Par(AB)normal, Enchanted Conversation, Utopia Science Fiction, California Quarterly, Amsterdam Quarterly, The Big Windows Review, and elsewhere. His first book, Lost in Obscurity and Other Stories, was recently published by Book Street Publications, India.