Poem

SHE DRIVES AS I SCRIBBLE ON LONDON

The best view is from the Waterloo Bridge
Hope this isn’t a bloody one way street
I wear my French bodice and you don’t even notice
My bones rattled when I was anorexic
I jumped rope with the cook’s daughter in Mombasa
People are starving because the grain fattens cows for McDonald's
I cannot bear the thought of dead meat in my stomach
You’re so ungrateful
I have to buy my own wedding ring?
I understand the offside rule in football better than most men
I didn’t want to tell you but I will tell you
When I am premenstrual I smash glass
I don’t want a dowry— that’s so Asian
London is a city of roundabouts
This is not New York: We yield to other drivers
I never ever indulge in malicious gossip
Will you still hug me after we’re married?
We have our demons

For Tabish Din

Rafiq Kathwari, a Kashmiri-American poet, divides his time between New York and Kashmir where he empowers artisans.