you drop your pants
and sit royally,
now remove the phone
now remove the jet spray
use your hands,
you’ve never used your hands
but it is
okay
now remove the porcelain throne
which your maid laboured on with harpic yesterday
been a while you’ve squatted so low,
but it is still
okay
reduce your age a bit
a lot rather
you are twelve now
did I mention you are a girl too?
you are a girl now
you good?
okay
lower your caste
lower
lower
a lot lower
than what you are comfortable with
okay?
break down the walls,
you are on the street now
dogs are staring
people are staring
you look away, stay
still, still
okay?
in a few hours,
two men are going to be arrested for murder
and let go
you’re back on your throne now
as you were, with your phone
and your jet spray
and your walls
and you skip past the news
and switch to facebook
to rant about the maid
who didn’t show up today
**
This poem was first published in Gulmohur Quarterly: Issue 01
