She is bones stretched
across a sheet of humanity.
Jagged and arching, eyebrows
that raise up and pierce
the roof, elbows that stab
with deliberate intent.
Knees that dig into the earth
and fingers that reach
to bottom then keep
going through.
The first greets those who promenade
through the foyer to a sunken
living room; its steps—wide with
carpeted tread—ease beneath gilded panels
lined with portraits of staid patriarchs
long dead. Bright red lips brush fair cheeks,
besitos de cultura alta,
as these elegant guests parade
through the living room past a massive
dining table and walls affixed
with innocuous ceramic buttons,
doorbell fixtures to summon the help
from the kitchen hiding a second staircase:
steep, jagged, and above all concrete.
Servants—rough hands wrapped in skin darker
than the mahogany furniture
they rub to a high shine—trudge between floors
carrying the weight of meals, loads of laundry,
flutes of lemon water, and whispered curses,
triggered by constant buzzing commands.
Meanwhile, quiet worms of hate burrow, deep
yet imperceptible, into their hearts.
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I get more than a little tired of
Hearing erroneous “facts” promulgated
By fake news outlets, the very
Same ones that label real news fake.
I don’t understand how people can
Be so consumed by fear and anger
That they believe anything that
Reinforces their baser instincts,
No matter how much those false beliefs
Hurt others, completely forgetting
The most basic humanity.
It will be a great day when our society
Begins to value truth over money and
The shadowy figures that get rich
From misinformation are called out
For their falsehoods and rendered
Irrelevant because truth and
Rationality have prevailed.
She comes undone,
the world shatters,
the shout and the cry,
apart, apart
But when she comes
back together, stronger
than ever, they will know
her name.
come join the tide
and buy, buy, buy
get some new music
you need new
don’t bother to sit
and consider
the quiet, just move
with me now
across the surface
of culture,
point
click
ship
watch
eat
and be what you
were born to be
Kingdoms Gone, Rulers Gone
Generations Rolled, People Changed
Properties Lost, Living Styles Changed
Old Culture Out, New Culture In
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One corporeal
The other abstract
All surnames carry two senses
We read the surname after the name
Forget the name
Recall just the title
Father
You picked in vain
The name after so many deliberations
No one calls by the name
Everyone addresses by the surname
Life has gone so far
(Translated by Bibekananda Choudhury)