World Poetry Day 2019: Read Arundhathi Subramaniam's Song For Catabolic Women

We’re not trying to make our peace, not itching for a fight, we don’t need your shade and we don’t need your light. We know charisma isn’t contagious and most rules are egregious. We’re catabolic women.

WE’RE bound for the oceanand a largesse of sky,we’re not looking for the truthor living a lie. We’re coming apart,we’re going downhill,the fury’s almost done,we’ve had our fill. We’re passionate, ironic,angelic, demonic,clairvoyant, rational,wildly Indian, anti-national. We’re not trying to make our peace,not itching for a fight,we don’t need your shadeand we don’t need your light. We know charisma isn’t contagiousand most rules are egregious. We’re catabolic women. We’ve known the refuge of human arms,the comfort of bathroom floors,we’ve stormed out of rooms,thrown open the doors. We’ve figured the tricks to turn rageinto celebration,we know why the oldest god dancesat every cremation. We’ve kissed in the rose garden,been the belles of the ball,hidden under bedcovers,and we’ve stood tall. We’re not interested in camouflageor self-revelation,not looking for a bargainor an invitation.[imgcenter][/imgcenter]We’re capable of stillnesseven as we gallivant,capable of wisdomeven as we rant. Look into our eyes,you’ll see we’re almost through.We can be kind but we’re not reallythinking of you. We don’t remember namesand we don’t do Sudoku.We’re losing EQ and IQ,forgetting to say please and thank you. We’re catabolic women. We’ve never ticked the right boxes,never filled out the form,our dharma is tepid,our politics lukewarm. We’ve had enough of earnestnessand indignationbut still keep the faithin conversation. We’re wily Easterners enoughto argue nirvana and bhakti,talk yin and yang,Shiva and Shakti. When we’re denied a visawe fall back on astral traveland when samsara gets intensewe simply unravel. We’re unbuilding now,unperpetuating,unfortifying,disintegrating. We’re caterwauling,catastrophic,shambolic,cataclysmic,catabolic women.— Illustration © Namaah K for Firstpost— Excerpted with permission from Love Without a Story by Arundhathi Subramaniam, to be published by Context, April 2019Also read:Kala Krishnan Ramesh's What the Peacock said to Ganesha about his Brother’s LovesicknessSampurna Chattarji's Ghatkopar to Versova and BackKarthika Naïr's Line 1