The Gates of Ismat Towers
How unprepared I am for regret. The inferno,
giddy-headed in my rear-view mirror,
holds its magnifying glass.
I drive past the gates of Ismat Towers
and beep at everything that moves in the road,
on the periphery. Could this be?
I am half-expecting sonic booms.
The air feels thinner. I am an unmarked receipt.
I park the car near the post office and start walking.
The sun desecrates me, carving its geometric designs in my body.
I am trademarked.
The demise of a child.
I suppose
she and I
have become
inseparable.
To create "The Gates of Ismat Towers," I sourced words and phrases from two chapters of novelist Altaf Tyrewala's 2006 book, "No God in Sight." I then wrote the poem from the list of words by re-mixing, editing, and shaping them into a new work. I wrote this as part of a Found Poetry Frontiers "trip" to Mumbai, India. Poet Vinita Agrawal led us on this excursion.