Differently Armed (In Hyderabad)
Differently Armed (In Hyderabad)
A cart of bangles glistens like fish scales (if fish schooled scorched
above splintered blood-red wood).
Spindly fingers, knuckles barely bumps, lift the lattice of burqa to better see the flicker of plastic gold against a day so hot it curves and shimmers too; the comparative fullness of forearms rimmed by green, maroon, and gold (gold gold), black sleeves, as full as acolyte’s, accordion at elbows.
Escaping blaze, I tuck my own much-too-bare arms into the torso of loose dress—if I’m going to get burned, let it be through armholes only–so that now, a person trapped in rectangle, I stand face above sandwich-board, unfiligreed, unlimbed-
while opposite, armed as richly as mummified goddess, they hover (so solidly black) spangled by glint, hand mirror, each of us pretending
not to stare.
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I’m posting the above (slightly edited since first posted) for dVerse Poets Pub “Meet the Bar” challenge to write about an alien world/landscape, hosted by Charles Miller a/k/a Chazinator.
Explore posts in the same categories: poetry, UncategorizedTags: "Differently Armed (In Hyderabad), alien world poem, manicddaily, poem about Hyderabad, under the veil poem, women in Burqa shopping for bangles
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ManicDDaily 
June 7, 2012 at 8:07 pm
You capture this mOment of mutual alienness beautifully. I know these times only fleetingly since I haven’t been to a culture so vastly from the western. Though in New Mexico I once reached a state of alienation that made me very much an outsider. But to be defined as different as different based on physical dress and appearance are different I think. The psychological is self-imposed while this physical difference cannot be overcome so easily. Thus we find the animosities that divide people from each other, resulting in so much misunderstanding and hatred. Your poem reminds us of this, as well as suggests a hope that these differences cAn be overcome.
June 7, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Thanks so much. I tried to keep it simple, but I hope all that is there! k.
June 7, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Loved that whole last section:
“person trapped in rectangle, I stand sandwich-boarded, unfiligreed, unlimbed–
“while opposite, armed as richly as mummified goddess, they hover (so solidly black) spangled by glint, smile, hand mirror, each of us pretending
not to stare”
June 8, 2012 at 7:34 am
Thanks, Shawna – you got sent to spam and I hadn’t checked it in a while. Thanks much. k.
June 7, 2012 at 8:47 pm
I thought of trying to write about this culture, k–to me it’s supremely alien, now very glad I didn’t as this would wipe the floor with me–there’s a feeling of awkwardness, almost fear in the tension of the language, and something more dangerous in that ending, both sets of eyes watching something so inconceivable that all the commonality is just –perhaps not gone, but deeply deeply buried, — frankly chilling. Excellent response to this prompt, and excellent in its own right.
June 7, 2012 at 9:20 pm
Thanks so much, Joy. And Ha! You are very kind (and a tad silly!) But thanks for the kindness. Hyderabad a very strange place — I was there a long time ago, but I imagine that it’s still probably pretty difficult. The women raised the burqas only when out of their own neighborhoods. Odd too because it’s in the middle of South India which has a largely Hindu population and lots of Hindu pilgrimage places. k.
June 7, 2012 at 9:32 pm
nicely done k….other cultures can def seem to be rather alien and easy to stare and ponder at what they think or feel as they are much in the same tension as us….really great use of descriptives to build them and then contrast with yourself….great piece…
June 7, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Thanks, Brian.
June 7, 2012 at 11:09 pm
Nicely done symbolic “aliens” of discussing a vastly different culture. Also like your use of the prose poem.
June 7, 2012 at 11:31 pm
wow…the feeling of alienation is palpable…other cultures can feel like an alien world indeed..very nicely done k.
June 8, 2012 at 4:07 am
I briefly toyed with something along the lines of multi-cultural alienation, but decided the issues would be too great for me to handle. So I step back in amazement at your post, full of admiration, you have carried it off with aplomb. Fine, fine work.
June 8, 2012 at 8:47 am
Nice contrast of bare arms with the mummified goddness ~ We don’t need to go into outer space to feel alien ~ Other cultures and countries make us different ~
June 8, 2012 at 11:28 am
Wow, Karin. Powerful and chilling and a bit-too-real. Your imagery is so distinctive.
June 8, 2012 at 11:43 am
Thanks so much, Victoria. Hope all is well. k.
June 8, 2012 at 3:13 pm
This is beautifully pictured – incredibly visual. I loved “each of us pretending not to stare.” – that happens so often to us inhibited well-mannered Europeans!
June 8, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Thanks – and you know you raise a very good point-you know one writes these things so quickly for a blog–but most of the time I’ve been in India, people are not in the least bit reticent to stare! So maybe this is something I should fix! Thanks.
June 10, 2012 at 1:30 pm
you have a great imagination and “painted” quite an alien landscape
Astrophotographer Seeks Stellar Bodies
June 10, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Thanks so much. k.