Two Poems
Sibani Sen
Body Outside Body
Nevertheless, look outside the body. Take the body apart.
The borders of the body are exactly like the borders of night.
Inside, the walls will not hold the wind, the breath
more than its moment. Inside the body the light
crawls up from the center crawls out of the edges to hold the gaze
bring the gaze and ask who are you on your path? Listen with
the million ears scattered in the dirt, listen, bring the mouth open
to act without permission. Curse with a million mouths and look in the eye of the law and its offices. Know where to go to keep walking with everybody as everybody forgets somebody in the burning house who is still in there
crying, mouth wide open—though in truth they completely understand
the millions of grasping hands and what was held back…
the millions of grasping hands and what was held back…
crying mouth wide open—though in truth they completely understand.
the burning house who is still in its
offices. Know where to go to keep walking with everybody as everybody forgets somebody to act without permission. Curse with a million mouths and look in the eye of the law
the million ears scattered in the dirt, listen, bring the mouth open
bring the gaze and ask who are you on your path? Listen what
crawls up from the center crawls out of the edges to hold the gaze,
more than its moment. Inside the body the light.
Inside the walls will not hold the wind, the breath.
The borders of the body are exactly like the borders of night.
Take the body apart. Nevertheless, look outside the body.
Listen to Sibani read “Body Outside Body” in this video animation, created by Audeep Cartens.
Father At Sea
In the body of the daughter is the body of the father.
Shall we measure time’s consolation or betrayal?
You touch my face tracing tears.
Is this salt of the earth, sieve of our memory?
I pull you in and we are buffeted by the waves.
Can we hold each other fast in the shifting sands?
It was always a trade in even tension.
But was it the balance of dream or departures?
Did you have to leave in order to arrive in me?
Did you find me in what you had lost?
The weeds in the water tangle our bodies together.
Is this your heart where once was your stomach?
How you loved your devouring.
Who knows that ardent hunger now?
Where can the wilderness find
her immortal beauty except in your eye?
You see a dream in me
but when will I see you again?
Sibani Sen teaches creative writing and South Asian history. She has a PhD in Indology from Harvard University and an MFA from Boston University. Her poetry has appeared in a variety of publications including Off the Coast, Nixes Mate Review, Rogue Agent, and Main Street Rag. She has done collaborative projects with the History Design Studio at the Harvard Hutchins Center, the Concord Museum, the Beacon Street Arts Studios in Somerville, the former Green Street Studio in Cambridge, and the pop-up New Rasa Initiative group at the Public Theater in NYC. Her current projects based on migration and feminism include forthcoming poetry and a monograph on the Indian pre-modern poet Bharatchandra. Find more of her work at sibanisen.com.