
This selection, chosen by Guest Curator Sally Rosen Kindred, is from Atlas of Lost Places by Yamini Pathak, released by Milk and Cake Press in 2020.
Ghazal for the Children Born Far from Home
To my sons
Gather rotis for stray cows, scatter rice for the ragged crow
I’ve severed you from old ways, this is my sorrow
It takes practice to scoop dal with your fingers, taste spice on the honey
of your hot skin before you swallow, this is my sorrow
Rama scaled the ocean/Bheeshma died pillowed on a bed of arrows
Their ghosts in your marrow unstirring, this is my sorrow
In the bazaar you petted unblemished baby goats, you didn’t know
they were meant for slaughter, this is my sorrow
Exiled from a language where yesterday also means tomorrow
You wander thirsty with no tongues, this is my sorrow


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What an achingly beautiful Ghazal. Thank you for sharing it.