Two Moths
Some girls on the other side of this planet
will never know the loveliness
of walking in a crepe silk sari. Instead,
they will spend their days on their backs
for a parade of men who could be their uncles
in another life. These girls memorize
each slight wobble of fan blade as it cuts
through the stale tea air and auto-rickshaw
exhaust, thick as egg curry.
Men shove greasy rupees at the door
for one hour in a room
with a twelve-year-old. One hour — One hour —
One hour. And if she cries afterward,
her older sister will cover it up. Will rim
the waterline of her eyes with kohl pencil
until it looks like two silk moths
have stopped to rest on her exquisite face.
Source: Poetry (November 2013)