by Anupom Kumar Hazarika
Anupom’s poem is about two individuals who come from two different geographical locations and their friendship. The speaker of the poem makes an effort to understand the queerness of his friend. He makes her realize that he is her mirror image. His place of birth and the river Brahmaputra epitomise queerness.
On a hot March day in Delhi,
I crossed your path and
we soon became friends
unintentionally.
I don’t know how to comprehend
your non-verbal signs
your silence
which drew me to you
instantly.
Were you an undiscovered lyric
waiting for a budding poet who
would write it down?
Were you a bird that didn’t
favour fixity?
Were you a leftist who wrote
about things people discussed
behind closed doors?
I realised later—
You were an unconventional woman
who preferred to speak
metaphorically.
I am your reflection—
I have queerness too.
The queerness of the North-East.
The queerness of the Brahmaputra that
turns the norms upside down.
Born and raised in Golaghat, Anupom Kumar Hazarika is pursuing a PhD at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. His research interests include space, gender, and sexuality studies, science fiction, and Indian writing in English. His poems have appeared in The Assam Tribune, The Eastern Today, Nagaland Page, Terror House Magazine, and CC&D Magazine.
I just loved how you are taking a step against homophobic attitude through your poem… I would say, love is gender free. Shoutout to the GLBTQ people.