ManicDDaily

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.