Wednesday, 25 October 2023

Poetry 2023 Shortlist, Preetha Vasan

“CAA , 2020”


Tomorrow being Holi 

let’s play with blood,

since

 we died 

our colours pale ,

after bleeding 

everything we had:

Mixed up purple,

some women's day 

pink,

Not to mention

that turquoise blue 

we got on a 

palate 

when we mixed 

your yellow and my blue

hoping to paint 

skies we rainbow across

 on a canvas

old and fresh.


That was another Holi

of colours 

mixed up 

on  terraces ,

when I danced

intoxicated 

with something sweet,

swimming 

between colours , milk

and water

we never had enough

to wash out 

all our mixed colours.


This Holi 

waterless

has no mixed colours

just blood 

crusting between 

my fingers 

I will wipe 

 away 

in a headiness

of another kind

then claim my 

purity milk white.

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