The buzzing deafening noise in the neighbourhood and media is about rape and it's aftermath, suicide. The violation of a woman's personal right on her body, brutal sexual assaults by her opposite sex is quickly turning into an epidemic.
THIRD UMPIRE
Libido gave him his usual nightcap
Libido opened up her yawning thighs.
Their hands spread out groping to reach something.
A cracker burst within their minds, unseen, unheard
But the flames leapt out of their windows.
Seeing the lava spreading, the neighbours awoke
Police came and went away with a FIR.
Civic committee members knocked at dawn.
They did not open.
The crowd banged
And crushed their door.
The duo was hanging
From the ceiling fan
In a compromising position.
The Civic Volunteers Committee sacked their informer
A cub reporter informed of rape
In the next morning newspaper
(Without a third umpire).
RAPE
my ribs cut
by shadows
ribs unfleshed
the water stained
by blood
the water red
as mortal lust
of a stud bull
fear
gnaws my depths
a burst
of pain
shoots up
i cup
my breasts
in agony
the nipples
droop
ripples
of fear
group
around them
i see
darkness pooled
in my milk
vampires
suckling
black
milk.
About The Author
Boudhayan Mukherjee is a bilingual poet and translator, having authored nine books of original poetry and translations.He taught Creative Writing in English at IGNOU and was a nominee of American Pushcart Prize for Poetry.
