Solo in a gondola, scrolling on my phone
Under the crown moulding curled upon the night-sky

Gambling the night away – dollar signs
Like the bubbles in ever-flowing champagne

Up all night roaming the streets of vanity
The halls of luxury and the lobbies of flowing chocolate

Late-night conversations struck up with strangers
Only to realize my life is my own, theirs is theirs

No more third shift or fourth, only the expanse of night
Stretching out with Michelin stars and freedom

Archana Sridhar is poet and university administrator who focuses on themes of meditation, race, motherhood, and diaspora in her poetry and flash writing. Her work has been featured in The Puritan, The Hellebore, and elsewhere. Her chapbook “Renderings” is forthcoming with 845 Press, and her work can be found at http://www.archanasridhar.com.