I lie in
Lunuganga
Tracing on
My lover’s chest
A moonlit path
That ends at
Slivered water’s edge
Where
A prehistoric saurian
Tangled in
Lotus stalks
Seeks escape
From this
Unhinged wildness
Where
My ancestors monkey
From sacred banyan
And slide their toes
On sun-dappled moss
That shivers
Smoke and mist
Where
Vapor of sex
Exhumed from
Jackfruit and citrus
Curls into
Braided cygnet
Calls
Shoba Narayan is a bilingual Indian-American poet who identifies as a woman of color. Her poetry has been published or forthcoming from The Wild Umbrella, La Piccioletta Barca, Mukoli: the magazine of peace, The Stillwater Review, The Mantelpiece, Madras Courier, Indian Literature, The Seraphic Review, Rogue Agent, Humans of the World, Lucky Jefferson and others. She has published five memoirs. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Condenast Traveler, The Guardian, and Gourmet, winning her a James Beard award and Pulitzer Fellowship. She hosts the Bird Podcast.
