Detour

(This poem is a tribute to Kamala Das. Born in Punnayurkulam (Kerala) , she is regarded as one of the best confessional writers along with Sylvia Plath and Annie Sexton. She is known for her explicit writings ,which described her feelings and female sexuality. Her poems have a tint of feminism which she declined when questioned. She is poet, short story writer and novelist. A bilingual author she wrote in Malayalam and English. ‘My Story ‘ is her autobiography . )

For once in my life I took

A detour , followed the map
That my heart drew ,I gave in
To the demons of lust ; a mere
Human , I failed to understand
The consequences .The hands that
Applauded came to rest, pointed
Fingers instead replaced ,lips before
Sang eulogies now spitted lewd remarks.
Eyes of scorn I felt behind my back
Every step I took, a blink of an eye
Was all it took ,a single crime which
Many committed , my sex was all
It took to push me down into
The abyss of condemnation
From which a return is never.

Plausible . A pang of guilt never
Occurred in my mind , but plain
Pity for the fickleness of the world.
And undeterred I walked forward
With a heart of stone.

© SV