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Anushka Sen
Autumn 2017 * Graffiti Girl “I’ll never forget how you grinned When you first curled your little fist Around that crayon. Spring Green. Not that you could read. You felt the fine point, the waxy sheen, Crawled to the wall and left a big scrawl On the nice white paint. That’s when it started, All that reckless art. We should have known...” I would have forgotten what they looked like But they surface in my mother’s storehouse-- Girls, a galaxy of girls with bold stares And ballooning hair; And monsters with marvellous tails That waved on the whims of my wobbling grip And fast-wandering fantasies. But they danced together only for a while. In middle school when I learnt the perks Of stitching a smile on to my face I let my room get a makeover, And the crayon crew dove under coats Of cream and mauve. It was a useful time upon the whole. I picked up tricks I never even dreamt of-- I learnt to walk light, silk my sides, Glide in and out of every groove, Fold up my corners like a paper plane, Twist my joints into tight little loops, I learnt to liquefy. Now that I paint on bigger walls I bless those lessons every day. Thanks to them I can ride the night air, Melt through barb wire. Since those rules have wrung me out, Headlight and helmet glare Pass through my pores. Few things satisfy more Than learning the laws so well That you can play by them to give hell. The monsters I used to make don’t compare To the ones I draw now. These come straight from your world-- Stained with the grease and crust of burnt flesh Steered by the awkward thrust of bent bones Lit by the sullen flare of old fear Bred by the bated breath of borderlands. Occasionally I throw some humour in-- A sassy smile shining through wild curls, One of my old-time girls. But it’s never easy. By the time I smoothen out the last smear, I’m a sweaty mess. My heart dances out of step. I turn with a swish of my skirt Fingers twitching, hairtips hissing Sure I shouldn’t look back. I don’t. Instead I count to three. Breathe. Then with a click of my heels I rise to join the night. |
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