I am the poet, who travels in
and out of time; my songs are
here for you to sing –
From the farthest Himalayas,
my voice echoes and
re-bounds on your chalky cliffs and
slate filled seas…
I make you laugh, I make you
cry, I break your heart;
I am the woman in fairy tales –
the woman that knights captured,
the woman that dragons ravished;
I am the woman in history books –
the woman you threw in dungeons;
the woman you burned at stake;
the woman you raped and plundered…
Now, I am the poet –
You can hurt me no more –
My words are swords of
tempered steel, that tear you
into pieces and scatter you the winds;
my words are deluge that drown you in
whirlpools of thought; my
words are flames that burn
you with syllables…
Now, I am the poet,
You can hurt me no more –
I wear tinkling crystal
amulets on silver
verse chains –
I am the poet,
I paint the earth
with my dreams,
I charm the world
with my words…
DRAUPADI
What if I am the beloved
of the Pandavas?
I am dragged by my fragrant
locks to the court of kings –
This fiend undresses me;
This demon points to his
ill-fated thigh; another
unfortunate calls me a whore –
while my handsome lords,
sit with clenched fists and bowed heads ….
What if I have five husbands?
They are all turned to stone,
He is Dharmaraj – my liege,
the just one who lost me at dice;
That mighty warrior is Bhim –
my gentle giant, powerful
enough to swallow the seas;
That silver-clad gallant is my
own – Arjun – who won me
with archery and charm –
The twins – handsome Nakul
and dreamy Sahadev –
Cowards all! To parade
their wedded wife…
What if I am wedded
to the Kura clan?
The sires of Bharatha
are all dumb and deaf today,
as I in yellow robes and raw insides
go from pillar to post -pleading for my honour – an
honour wrought in fire…
I am your friend, Krishna,
your namesake –
There are no what ifs between
you and me;
Shorn of dignity, I helpless
Prakriti raise my hands and
heart to you – Purusha, jewel
among men;
Honour the piece of
my torn sari that once
adorned your hand –
Clothe me from eternity
and save womanhood
from ruin – for a tale
to be told till the end
of time –
Make me – a woman,
pawned at dice –
an immortal star;
Let me – a puppet in
the hands of these
unashamed beasts, who
call themselves men-
be queen of the skies…
Draupadi – Female protagonist of the Indian epic, Mahabharatha. Draupadi is married to the five Pandav brothers, who lose her at dice and she is ill-treated by the Kaurays at the court of Hastinapura, the legendary court of the Bharatha clan. Draupadi is disrobed by the Kaurav, Dushasan and she prays to Lord Krishna for divine intervention and thus her honour is saved. Draupadi, own for her chastity, is one of the Panch Kanyas or eternal stars in Hindu myth. Draupadi is also known as Krishna (the dark one).
Prakriti and Purusha – Hindu concepts of the natural and supernatural.
Contributor:
USHA KISHORE. Research scholar, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK and lecturer at the Isle of Man College. Usha has won prizes in UK poetry competitions and her short story “Dowry” was shortlisted for the 2005 Asham Award, UK.
