Sushant Kumar B.K.

Two exquisite flowers

Budding in a Dalit’s ^[1] garden,

Kali,^[2] a daughter, and a rose,

Playing,

Dancing,

In every raindrop with glee.

Out of the blue,

An educated handsome comes

And plucks both the flowers.

He takes rose safely to his house,

But Kali is left in a lurch alone

As she is told,

“An untouchable can’t get inside the house”

After

Touching,

Plucking,

And dilapidating

The delicate petaline body like rose.

Notes:

1 Dalit, a member of the lowest social group in the Hindu caste system who are considered ‘impure’ and therefore ‘untouchable’.

2 Kali, a female name