‘How dangerously rejuvenating it feels’ – Two poems by Nikhat Jonak
Photo: Karan Madhok
‘On the pedestal I saw her sit, in temple, / With raging eyes and divine comportment, / And I wondered if she too bleeds’
Dripping
On the pedestal I saw her sit, in temple,
With raging eyes and divine comportment,
And I wondered if she too bleeds,
Through the vagina like I did,
And if she’s too denied her throne,
On the days when blood reflects her womanhood.
*
Crop Tops
How dangerously rejuvenating it feels,
When I don’t stretch my crop top,
To conceal my naked belly button as they peek at it,
Like it’s something only a goddess can possess.
How unshackled it feels,
When I wear my off-shoulder dress,
And they devour the collar-bones
I was gifted by my mother.
As if the garments make any difference,
When they dare to violate us, women.
***
Nikhat Jonak is currently a student of Physics honours at Cotton University, Guwahati Assam. She tends to write about self-love, on societal expectations, loneliness and topics that resonates with her. She currently resides at her Guwahati flat with her family. You can find her on Instagram: @junaki_porua.
