2 Poems by Daya Bhat

River twin

She, the blue-born
grazes the contours of snow peaks for too long.
She, the adopted child, the alienated twin
drifts to her foster home. She bequeaths her girlhood
to the gorges. The reluctant bride
breaks, collects herself, courses ahead.
No looking back
like, the valley had never been her home
like, she never was a little girl by the gorges
like, she was born with the swollen breasts.
She, the unfinished script of her own cortege
writes the rest on the backs of dancing waves.
Her stories- blue veins on blue body.


Nectar

I am hollow and you are mystery
What’s our confluence like?
Together we make music
I drum, you hum.
We don’t quite fill our empty spaces.
I, hollow yet and you, mystery yet
follow the Buddha.
He looks as veiled as you
you understand him---you look like you do.
But I?
I thirst, I crave, and I spread my arms for alms.
Breaking free from the silver spoon
I hold the tin bowl to my lips.
My tongue tastes the nectar of Buddha.
All the music we had made comes back
and I know you are hearing it too.


Bionote

A Maiden of 29 is Daya Bhat’s first poetry collection published by Writers Workshop (India). Her new poems have featured in New Asian Writing and The Criterion: An International Journal in English. Her short stories are published by New Asian Writing, The Bangalore Review, eFiction India, Earthen Lamp Journal, Creativica and Indian Short fiction. She has translated a book from Kannada (a regional Indian language) into English which is forthcoming shortly.