‘Feed Them to the Kitchen Fires’

Violence, Cannibalism

I hacked my way through six forests
until the moon woke up inside me.
The sky’s breath sang through me,
dried up my body’s substance.
I roasted my heart in passion’s fire
and found Shankara!

(Lal Ded: Ranjit Hoskote)

I pestled my heart in love’s mortar,
roasted it and ate it up.
I kept my cool but you can bet I wasn’t sure
whether I’d live or die.

(Lal Ded: Ranjit Hoskote)

I melt. I fray. But he does not care
if I live or die.
If that stealthy thief, that duplicitous Govardhana
should even glance at me
I shall pluck these useless breasts of mine
from their roots
I will fling them at his chest
and staunch the fire scorching me.

(Andal: Archana Venkatesan)

I love the Handsome One:
he has no death
decay nor form
no place or side
no end nor birthmarks.
I love him O mother. Listen.

I love the Beautiful One
with no bond nor fear
no clan no land
no landmarks
for his beauty.

So my lord, white as jasmine, is my husband.

Take these husbands who die,
decay, and feed them
to your kitchen fires!

(Akka Mahadevi: A. K. Ramanujan)

Cripple me, father,
that I may not go here and there.
Blind me, father,
that I may not look at this and that.
Deafen me, father,
that I may not hear anything else.

Keep me
at your men’s feet
looking for nothing else,
O lord of the meeting rivers

(Basavanna: A. K. Ramanujan)

Chewing slowly,
Only after I’d eaten
My grandmother,
Mother,
Son-in-law,
Two brothers-in-law,
And father-in-law
(His big family included)
In that order,
And had for dessert
The town’s inhabitants,

Did I find, says Kabir,
The beloved that I’ve become
One with.

(Kabir: A. K. Mehrotra)

My Lord, My Cannibal

1

My dark one
stands there as if nothing’s
changed
after taking entire
into his maw
all three worlds
the gods
and the gods
who hold their lands
as a mother would
a child in her womb—

and I
by his leave
have taken him entire

and I have in my belly
for keeps.

3

While I was waiting eagerly for him
saying to myself,

“If I see you anywhere
I’ll gather you
and eat you up, “

he beat me to it
and devoured me entire,

my lord dark as raincloud,
my lord self-seeking and unfair.

(Nammalvar: A. K. Ramanujan)

The Takeover

1

Poets,
beware, your life is in danger:

the lord of gardens is a thief,
a cheat,
master of illusions;

he came to me,
a wizard with words,
sneaked into my body,
my breath,

with bystanders looking on
but seeing nothing,
he consumed me
life and limb,

and filled me,
made me over
into himself.

4

My lord
who lives in the city
of names
came here today

said he’d never leave
entered me
filled my heart

I’ve caught him
the big-bellied one
not content yet
with all that guzzling
on the sevenfold clouds
the seven seas
the seven mountains
and the world that holds them all

I’ve caught him
I contain him now

(Nammalvar: A. K. Ramanujan)