April 18, 2008

She

I wish I could eat a peach. Or a strawberry. Or buy a prickly pear from a man who goes by the name, Empti.

I wish to wish, to have, to lust, to crave, to drink, to dream, to seduce, to play, to amuse. But alas, my graceful locks swaddle me in my own darkness, and my mother teaches me to plait them everyday.

And as I grow, they grow viciously around me, until one day, they offer me a fruit. Now, I'm not Pope's Belinda, so why can't I eat a slice? Nibble on it a bit perhaps, and wear the dress of a Maenad? Why can't I make you ashamed of your nakedness, your own truth?

I wish I could eat an apple. Or a strawberry. Hmmm.... I wonder if raspberries are in season.
*
Prickly pear: From Eliot's The Hollow Men. 'Empti' (Empty) is an allusion to the hollowness of man; spiritual sterility.
Pope's Belinda: Reference to Alexander Pope's Rape of the Lock. Lock/hair symbolized a woman's chastity in the early 18th century English society.
Maenad: Devotees of Greek god, Bacchus. These were wild women with unkempt hair who celebrated sexuality and self-intoxication.
*

34 comments:

Vipul Nanda said...

It was good until it was explained.

How go the exams?

Vipul Nanda said...

And you can think of fruits and nibbling after. Earn the treat, and in your inebriated state, you can search for fruits to nibble.

five_silver_rings said...

Ironically, my mom just cut me an apple, and I'm 'nibbling' on it right now :P

And I need to submit this post with annotations, as a lame man wouldn't understand it otherwise.
Should I cut down on the explanatory lines? Suggestions?

Unknown said...

Peach, peach. I'm thinking of it now. Well, a crab-apple may work out. Nice post.

Good to read from Delhi!

Unknown said...

Peach, peach. I'm thinking of it now. Well, a crab-apple may work out. Nice post.

Good to read from Delhi!

Vipul Nanda said...

Which lame man are you propositioning, that you need to put this out on a blog? If you want a man to nibble, just ask him if you can - I can think of no man who'd say no to a nibbling offer.

But this is meant to be writing, so let it be as such. Don't bespoil it with damn word meanings at the end of the passage. It's good.

Please remove the lines. And as I said, get drunk enough at the treat and find yourself a man to nibble on.

Mystique said...

wothout the explanations.....we have the freedom to interpret....

five_silver_rings said...

Onyeka: Crab-apple? (Bewildered expression).

Arawn: Erm... they funny thing is, almost everyone I know feels this post is a reflection of my 'repressed' desires. Ironically, it's not. It's just my take on how women in society are brought up to be meek and contained and how they are *taught* to supress thier sexual desires. The persona in my piece questions these conventions and wants to explore her sexuality. Need I say more?

Now, as far as *nibbling* on a man goes, hmm... interesting idea--might just go with it.. And yes, you're right, almost every man I know, will NEVER say no to that offer. As for getting drunk at the treat--honey, you'll be there treating me... so ahem, what are you suggesting?? :P

Mystique: Now dear girl, if I do remove most of the explantions, many won't get it. Tell me, would you know who Pope's Belinda was? Or what a prickly pear would be alluding to? Or who a Maenad was? Of course, one can aways search the net, but this way, I figured it would be less cumbersome :)

Anonymous said...

hahahaha oh god, i DID NOT just read this! hahaha

kyamaloom said...

I would have choked of my neck for not 'really' getting the beauty.

Praise the lord, you explained!

Mystique said...

wouldn't get your interpretation, no............but we'd make our own....
I do not know what the pear alludes to, but i do know of the Maenads.

five_silver_rings said...

Anon: TJ?

Sutta: Haha, glad someone seconds my act of giving explantions :D

Mystique: Well, I agree... Poetry should give one the liberty to derive their own meaning of it. However, certain words needed to be explained. Ah, well.

The Cat said...

hahahaha. every rude comment on your blog seems to be coming over from my boy, you think. hee. :P i;m sure it isn't TJ . mm. ill ask. :P

my two cents worth: phrases like "graceful locks swaddle me in my own darkness" and "they grow viciously around me" doesn't do it for me. :(

but there is a story there, and with all the English in your head, i guess a point had to be made. :)

The Cat said...

sheesh, i gave you the comment thirteenth. i'm commenting just now again, so that the number evens out. :)

Vipul Nanda said...

I understood that it wasn't meant to be a personal thing, of course. I would not ... ah, presume to think to know you well enough to say that it was something personal. Maybe its a product of those same societal pressures that you speak of, but I wouldn't think this was a post about your 'repressed' desires. It isn't a confessional post, obviously. What I said was more of a response to you saying that 'a lame wouldn't understand it otherwise'.

And I wasn't suggesting anything. Me? Of course not. Why would I do that?
----------------

On a more serious note, I agree with Mystique, which is why I asked - why did you feel the need to have this particular one specifically explained? It was just fine the way it was.

Vipul Nanda said...

Er. 'A lame man'. Which is what you said earlier. Forgot to write that in the last one.

five_silver_rings said...

To All: Haan, haan, theek hai! I got the point... sheesh!

P.S. Shall make the necessary, oh-so-desired changes.. soon.

Unknown said...

Yeah, Radzie. We have more crab-apples here I think. And peach is far away from my reach. But come to think of it, there is no censorship attached to Blogging. You are entitled to your opinion and you must protect it.

Or...is Arawn trying to place fatwa on you for giving out the way you understand the stuff? Neverthemore, I see this as a friendly discussion.

Yaar, did you have time to read through the Acknowledgements page of my novel? If you did, I would like to know if I got Ma's name correctly.

Shukriya,

Vipul Nanda said...

Ha, I wouldn't fatwa anyone. I just think it killed it, hence. And thank you! :-) How go the exams? Earning the incentive or not?

Unknown said...

Ok, ok. I don't know if the question is for me. But my exams are going fine. Thanks.

five_silver_rings said...

Onyeka: Ahem, the question relating to exams was addressed to me :P

Arawn: Exams over!! Bring on the booze!

Vipul Nanda said...

Wait for results - earn them. ;-)

kyamaloom said...

You had so much to say about the heartbroken depressed posts, but nothing about the profound ones. :P

*Sob sob*

Unknown said...

Ok, ok. It was for you. I thought as much, but it was too relative.

Please, still on this:

"Yaar, did you have time to read through the Acknowledgements page of my novel? If you did, I would like to know if I got Ma's name correctly"

Anonymous said...

Namaste!
That was pretty cool, but the article talks of nothing but fruits and all. Are u hungry, ma'am?

Keep nibbling, though!

Anonymous said...

Namaste!
That was pretty cool, but the article talks of nothing but fruits and all. Are u hungry, ma'am?

Keep nibbling, though!

Vipul Nanda said...

Seems like your blog is where African comments meet Indian writing. :-)

five_silver_rings said...

Sutta: Honey, your profound ones threw me back a bit... I couldn't really bring myself to articulate my thoughts properly :)

Onyeka: Yes, I went throuh the Acknowledgement's Page: Her name is Mrs. Kusum Arya.

Eromo: Thanks. The piece however, has a deeper meaning to it. Try to dwell upon it a bit, and then come back to me.

Arawn: My dear Arawn, tumhe kya? :P

Unknown said...

Thank you so much. I didn't want to make any mistake about that. Thanks a lot.

ARAWN: I do not see any problem in African comments meeting Indian writing. I do have comments from Indians on my blog as well. The world is now a global village, so communication is easy because of the Internet. No panick.

I just think that this blog is like Teju Cole and Jude Dibia's blogs that developed into award-winning novels like Everyday is for the Thief and Unbridled. Check these two novels. They actually started as blogs.

Thanks, Radzie, for being there.

The Cat said...

To Arawn, your comment sounded a bit racist. I know you most probably didn't mean it that way, but a better crafted sentence would definitely have helped thingees so. Lines like your comment don't help this world, mm. :)

To Radzo dahlink, I'm sorry I'm moral policing this place, but I couldn't help myself. And anyway, with you, I take my liberties. Wugso.

five_silver_rings said...

Onyeka: Thanks for the compliment, but I wonder if my blogs would eventually turn into a novel :)

Aaki: 'Dahlink'?? I can understand Dahling.. Dahlinh... but Dahlink?? Sigh.. Height of objectification I tell you! :P

Arawn: I agree with Aaki. I'm sure you didn't mean it, but it did sound a bit racist. Anyone and everyone is invited to comment on this blog. Just be a little careful next time :)

Vipul Nanda said...

... Right, no offense was intended, as you guys have graciously assumed on my part, but I suppose its best for me to confirm that.

I meant to say it like a positive thing, and I'm sorry it wasn't taken as such. Shall frame it otherwise. Something about where different cultures meet, or some such.

Unknown said...

Hey guys, I don't think there is anything racist in what Arawn said. I completely disagree. It's not in anyway racist.

Let's not take everything racist, when we know the meaning of racism. No race here is feeling superior to the other. I do not buy the idea, ANYMORE, that racism exists. We let our little small ignorant heads to move into racism.

I let something from a dear friend the other time. She said, 'Before you go to any country, try and learn the language'. And most of us fail in this sense, that we take everything to be racist when we don't understand.

Hugs

The Cat said...

you've been tagged. :)