C

"I can draw a C on your bum
when you stand sideways"
was when i started using
three limp layers
to drown a C of flesh

extending below waistline
slits on the sides
of a straight cut,
accommodate the C
aid locomotion, on land

to inspire flight,
one would need
to cut, rotate and hinge
these fluttering flaps
along a perpendicular axis

today
they instigate
agonizing, culture driven,
guilt ridden cover-ups
of what is already covered

anarkalis, with spacious insides,
expand auras, promise more fun;
they billow, cajole to spin,
to mirror infamous aunts
blown up by Harry Potter

An accessible grab
in the washroom
a swift pull ensuring
friction between cloth, skin, hair
To savour blissful dry hours

Fabric finds function
satiates by sucking moisture

I step out with wet patches
over time moved consciously
to improbable locations
hoping they dry off, unnoticed
for basic social acceptance

olfactory traces of rubbing my insides out
on the C covering garb marks my body
filtering heads that are invited into my lap

10.03.2020

Published in Cafe Dissensus Everyday blog in April 2020

https://cafedissensusblog.com/2020/04/07/three-poems-by-pooja-ugrani/