Poetry at Sangam
Poetry at Sangam showcases poetry in English and translations as well as essays on poetics and news of new releases.
for Amudha
i.
The spirits come flooding near the temple ground.
Drumbeats heighten. Deities
from far and near, some visiting Punjai for the first time,
some frequent guests.
Spirits of dead people come to commune with dear ones,
huddle twenty meters above the ground,
look for a suitable medium.
Mariamman from Kanchi stays aloof,
floats in the bleeding sky.
ii.
She ladles lamb curry to the plate:
leftovers of an elaborate meal cooked through the morning.
Drum beats.
Drowsed in a trance she sways: limbs stiff, voice
soars, demanding attention.
The wind rushes to her face, the fall
slow when he pushes her, spasms
through frames of film as she swipes
shut her boy’s hollow eyes
his mouth set in a scream.
iii.
The priest slaps ash on her face: Yar nee?
She drones: Mariamman.
She chews neem leaves, wrenches
clumps of hair, shreds the sari, bares – scars, burn marks, the limp
from the fall, craziness in the blood.
The spirit and the woman fuse.
Why have you come from his town seeking me out – to take me to him?
A blob of spit hard as a bullet splatters on the priest’s face.