I hear
pearls and rubies shake
and fall to the floor, dead as boiled eggs

I see
maroon silk fall upon my eyes and chafe
into this rash I breathe as curses

I feel
rage that tears itself from my breast
I claw at it, horribly attached to the heart

I smell
banana leaves curled around devotion
close to burning, but pulled out just in time

I taste
once, a woman set her city ablaze
I swallow pearls, because I am no Kannagi



(Cilappatikaram is a classic Tamil tragedy. Kannagi is married to the adulterous Kovalan, who is accused of and
executed for stealing from the Queen when he tries to sell one of Kannagi’s anklets. Kannagi appears in court
demanding justice and breaks open her remaining anklet, revealing that it was filled with rubies, while the
Queen’s was filled with pearls. Kannagi curses the city of Madurai, tears off her breast, and throws it at the city,
which causes a fire that burns it to the ground.)