The virago Poem by Yashodhara Ray Chaudhuri

She had slept on her mat. The untouchable mat.
No I shall not sleep on it, on this black mat
On this untouchable mat.
this torn, longlasting, loneliness-born
Heat emitting and weak mat.

My mat ought to be white white white
Satisfying

There you go! Your mat, bone-white
There you go! Your mat, chalk-white
There you go! Your mat, spotless, squarish, straight.

Are you happy now? Imagination? Or would you wake up in the dead of night
And shouting , shake up the sleeping night… "Where is the white mat?"

The virago will sleep with so much pleasure on her ever-dark mat!

Translation: Yashodhara Ray Chaudhari