Poetry

Dirt

I met you for the first time at your son’s party

I stood in a corner with my arms folded,

While I watched you slurring in your alcohol-induced stupor

I cringed as you used derogatory words for your wife’s ethnicity as she walked by

And everyone in your clique bellowed

They laughed at your vulgar jokes,

They laughed at you smirking at others

Everyone found you amusing -You were their cool uncle

They continued laughing while an inebriated man – your friend- smothered a young girl with a hug on a table nearby

I watched this scene with a straight face, while I disintegrated with fury inside- still with my arms folded

Until-

You caught my eye

And summoned me from across the room

I hesitated wearily toward you, all the while my heart sinking

You laughed at how thin I was while scrutinizing me

You made assertions about my body as if you had the right to

As I stood almost like an inanimate object next to you

You kept laughing an evil laugh

I felt my face growing hot while I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists

Then without warning, you ran your filthy fingers along my arm

While my body repulsed

I winced on the inside as well as on the outside

But nobody noticed

Time and I both froze

Again, you ran your hand all around my shoulders and kept going down

Everyone kept laughing

I stood there with my arms still folded

As if my arms were a moat between my body and your filthy hands

I stood there with my arms still folded

With your dirt on me

While I heard you say, to no one in particular, “All of you are like children to me”

 

                                                                              ~ Nupur Hukmani

                                                                              Pune, India

2 Comments

  1. Hard facts…wonderful articulation.