Photo by Ishani Synghal
tangled web of two states eyes brown seen
black curve of my sloped nose
the himalayas
hairless on my face save the one chin hair
grows thick and strong I pull out again again again
my one dimple everyone’s pinched on the right side of my mouth
mouth I used to hold like ma
all the ancestors’ stories stuck on the birthmark under my right eye waste time
blending
blending
blending
blending
praying
praying
praying
praying
my face: a kleptomaniac
afraid of being alone
points
at itself in the mirror screeching: STRANGER! STRANGER! STRANGER!
I tremble with disgust-fear knowing that the next time I call ma my english will stick to everything, even my face.
you should pray ma tells me
but
prayer feels like dirt that drowns my throat
gag try to scream
even your body wants nothing to do with you, stranger, whispers fatimah asghar to me.
anjaan. un-life.
ajnabi
aparichit
the first two are urdu. but frequently used in hindi.
