Kintsukuroi they call it
The art of mending with gold
It works on people too-
too fragile to be recycled
and too human to be sewed
An aranjanam and a radiant nettichutti
to offset the paleness that unslept nights
had bestowed
Bangles to hush up the name
she whispered sometimes
to the breeze
Zari edges of her sari to cover up the
unsteady trip of her feet
The gilt to light up her husband’s house
to thaw the strangeness
and make her feel at ease
She entered, right foot first
and was swallowed by obscurity
Her golden padasarams kept beat
to the fading music of her subdued ankles
though an image of a broken silver one
on a bare chest
caused cracks in the mirror
when she looked
Author’s note:
aranjanam = waist chain
nettichutti = a head jewel
padasaram = anklets
Beautiful . I love the local colour and flavour of the Malayalam / Sanskrit names of the various forms of jewellery. The theme of the vibrance of a woman somehow repressed , suppressed, oppressed or broken , or at least limited , with the help of traditional patriarchal socio- cultural traditions is a recurring one .
Thank you very much for seeing past the gilt and glitter. The beauty of a life diminishes the moment it is caged.
An excellent poem embedded with interconnected images and reflections.
Thank you Vijay Sir! It is always a pleasure when you appreciate a poem.
Thank you. It is an image that never leaves me either.Loved your comment a lot
Swallowed by obscurity, though the cage be gild, the soul flutters
Yes indeed no cage can keep a spirit unless it is of its own making. Thank you for an insightful comment.