I experience the misery of that rose plant
Her weaponry forged in Cyclops’ coven
Yet
Her thorns
Shed
The intricate botanical quartet
Replaced by ribbons
And the sole flower
For her to be more desirable
A dainty bouquet
I feel my forestry
Collapse
Into a small mound thus
Pretty and easy on the eye
A little less ambitious
A little more contrite
A little less busy
A little more of a dove
A little less loud
A little more clad
Because only a little less me
Is a little more loved
A tortoise retreating into her shell
To fit in just right with the shiny rocks of that enigmatic collector’s den
Or like a touch-me-not closing in
Fruitioning into what they yearn to touch
Male gaze lens- change
Or alone
Choose the lesser evil
Forced to drink poison to quell my thirst.
Time, a traitor
Ageing, a train to doom
Lips not for singing songs but an artefact for a museum
Mind, a risky room
Enter,
Surprise!
It’s beauty’s tomb
ENOUGH.
Not anymore.
My lark song; pitchy hertz
A song nonetheless mine
My body; scar adorned
Earthen sculpture divine
My being; biryani for breakfast
Difficult to digest
But true
My forestry, a fraction of desire
Albeit nest to the Rose’s bloom
And I will live with that
Fully I will.
Krutika Zambre is a second-year student of physical sciences who aspires to explore layers of awe through her scientific and poetic endeavours. She writes poems that are unabashedly feminine (beyond the confines of gender) around the themes of mythology, cosmos, love, and rebirth on www.faedess.in . She is the winner of Gold Poem of the Year 2021, India Film Project. You can follow her on Instagram @faedess or reach out to her on krutikazambre@gmail.com