When you can't paint with colours,
Paint with words;
When you can paint with words,
Do you really need the colours?
Achievements:
#11 in Poetry (23/9/26)
#13 in Poetry (22/9/16)
#14 in Poetry (28/7/16)
The off-white Kasavu silk, soft under my fingers, Its border gilded with dancing peacocks, Fills my head with the scents Of frankincense and marigold From when grandmother used to wear it To the temple at six o'clock.
The red Gharchola silk, zari shimmering under the soft sun, Its tie-dyed yellow dots perfume the room With the fragrance of henna and rose petal From when mother wore it on her wedding day On a November afternoon.
The powder blue muslin, with clever chikan embroidery, White vines flowing across the coloured cotton, A gift from father, his eyes watering with pride Seeing me walk out into the world, on my first day of work.
Now after all these years, Grandmother has passed away And mother and father live away. But their memories, So intricately printed and brocaded Into the warp and the weft Of these hand-woven fabrics, Into this embroidery of myriad colours, These block prints, this ikat, this mirror work, Reflect the strength of our bonds That could never be broken by Distance.
Our relationships are like these threads - Heirlooms - Our love carefully tended and guarded And passed on By each generation.
Until now.
Now, Our clothes are no longer woven By the love and care of hands But mass-produced in heartless factories. And our children who grew up wearing them And we, equally guilty, Have become as emotionless, loveless, lifeless. We have no time To look up from our smartphones And our laptops And our paraphernalia, Ordering online love like online fashion. We have no time To make memories. We have no memories To fill into our costumes, Costumes which we wear and tear And throw away like soiled, moribund rags.
Machines have killed our looms And machines have killed our homes.
We are dyed In cheap chemical dye, Toxic, poisoned, Like our dying, decaying relationships.
~*~
Glossary:
- Kasavu: a traditional white and gold sari from South India
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- Gharchola: a sari that a Gujarati bride wears on her wedding day
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- Zari: a type of gold thread used decoratively on Indian clothing.
- Chikan: a type of white embroidery on coloured cotton cloth.
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