by Kamala Das
Getting a man to love you is easy
Only be honest about your wants as
Woman. Stand nude before the glass with him
So that he sees himself the stronger one
And believes it so, and you so much more
Softer, younger, lovelier. Admit your
Admiration. Notice the perfection
Of his limbs, his eyes reddening under
The shower, the shy walk across the bathroom floor,
Dropping towels, and the jerky way he
Urinates. All the fond details that make
Him male and your only man. Gift him all,
Gift him what makes you woman, the scent of
Long hair, the musk of sweat between the breasts,
The warm shock of menstrual blood, and all your
Endless female hungers. Oh yes, getting
A man to love is easy, but living
Without him afterwards may have to be
Faced. A living without life when you move
Around, meeting strangers, with your eyes that
Gave up their search, with ears that hear only
His last voice calling out your name and your
Body which once under his touch had gleamed
Like burnished brass, now drab and destitute.
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ABOUT THE POET ~
Kamala Das (1934-2009) is one of the foremost Indian writers writing in English. She was born at Punayurkulam in Keral. She writes both English and her mother tongue Malayallm. She received the poetry award of the Asian PEN Anthology in 1964 and the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award in 1969. The latter was awarded to her for a collection of short stories entitled cold. Her works include Summer in Calcutta (1965), The Descendants (1967), The Old Playhouse and other poems (1973), and her autobiography My Story (1974)., Many of Kamala's poems have been published in opinion, New writings in India (Penguin Books, (1974) and Common Wealth Poets .
Last updated January 05, 2012