By Mayank Kumar
Why do you stare?
Why do you sneer?
I fear I can already hear
It won’t be long before it’s made clear
that my sinful being just doesn’t belong here!
You indiscriminately identify:
It’s his sensuous style
or his pitch that’s an itch
it’s his pretty palms that put him in a stitch
It’s the glitter dusting his eyes
his sassy stride that’s beyond disguise
his heathen hips or perhaps his wits
that he should really try to hide
But when I peer into a mirror, what do I see?
some sugar, spice,
a masculine, feminine deity!
From the top of my head to the soles of my feet:
The lotus petal eyes
on my moon-shaped face
my conch-shaped ears that my strong arms trace
a bell-shaped nose and vermillion lips
from where spring forth my charismatic quips
there’s also the smooth sanctum of my chest
that I hold up with no rest
with my dainty feet that dance in delight
sacred footprints right in sight
In my queer body, anointed, I see
my ancestors, my history, my community
I am moulded from the clay of this land
and it’s here, in faith, that I stand
So jeer at me if you might
I shall feast in my delight