There’ll never be enough naming
or remembering too many broken
too many unknown but they mob
your mother again this summer
because the same old thing
has knifed this country and
they need her to say again
no lesson’s been learnt after you.
From soundbite to soundbite
the crime grows to abstraction
no matter the million utterances
against it. And a marrow-song
tightens the knot in my throat
each time I hear you called nirbhaya
fearless because you were jyoti
light before you became a symbol.
After Asifa religion fights religion
loose cannons and words batter
words. But what is Hindu
what is Muslim between two
gone birds? Somewhere
this year’s gone child is held
by your sun. This too
is abstraction in unrest a balm.
–
Note: In December 2012, a young woman was brutally gang raped in northern India (Delhi Gang Rape case). The victim later died and was referred to widely as Nirbhaya (meaning ‘fearless’) to keep her real identity under wraps. After her death, in time, her parents began to openly use her real name in a move to erase the shame that shrouds rape victims. In January 2018, an 8-year-old girl, Asifa Bano, was kidnapped, gang raped and murdered in Kashmir, India. By the summer of 2018, the case had sparked outrage across India, and the news hit international press publications. This time, the victim’s real name was used in the press with communal enmity cited as a possible reason for the assault. Asifa’s mother reportedly described her as ‘a chirping bird.’
–
Jess Thayil is working to complete a first collection of poems. Her poetry has appeared in Magma Poetry, The Stinging Fly, Potomac Review, and elsewhere. On breaks from writing poetry, she enjoys painting abstract works in oil, acrylic, and watercolor. She’s currently based in Bangalore, India.