Straight lines

Poetry, Jun '14
By Shaleen Rakesh

I watch them quietly

they are everywhere

whichever way I turn

whenever I scan the rooms

to understand more

they live around corners

and turn with a parallel force

in the shoe box

on the floors, on roofs

along fingers and toes

down the railway tracks

in your most hidden alleys

sometimes they sit across me

looking strong, confident

elsewhere they are like anyone else

longing for dimension

waiting for their time to come

hoping to sleep

wanting to smile.

Shaleen Rakesh is an author and activist based in New Delhi and has been at the forefront of the gender and sexuality movement in India for the last 20 years. He was the primary petitioner to challenge Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in 2001. He currently works as Director at India HIV/AIDS Alliance in New Delhi, and is Editor with independent publishing house OpenWord in New Delhi.

Poem sourced from The Lion and the Antler, the first collection of poems by Shaleen Rakesh (World View Publications, 2013). Limited number of copies available with Varta Trust – please write to vartablog@gmail.com.