Poem
Shazea Quraishi
PRIYANGUSENA SPEAKS OF THE KEEPER OF THE KING’S ZOO
PRIYANGUSENA SPEAKS OF THE KEEPER OF THE KING’S ZOO
PRIYANGUSENA SPEAKS OF THE KEEPER OF THE KING’S ZOO
He is not like other men.He prefers me unperfumed,
likes to watch me
remove hair flowers,
undo the rasana
around my waist.
In the morning I am porcupine,
at night, Dhole,
four-horned antelope.
He tells me secrets
of the Nilgai, its fondness
for almonds,
how the Chinkara leaps
the palace walls
and back again.
© 2012, Shazea Quraishi
Shazea Quraishi
(Pakistan, 1964)
Shazea Quraishi is one of a number of younger black and Asian women poets currently gaining ground in UK poetry. In sensual, clear, perfectly measured tones, her poems meet the male gaze with a female voice. Her long poem sequence The Courtesan’s Reply (“a wonderful study of gender and expectation” – Poetry Book Society) is based on the courtesans depicted in Manomohan Ghosh’s translation of Th...
Poems
Poems of Shazea Quraishi
Close
PRIYANGUSENA SPEAKS OF THE KEEPER OF THE KING’S ZOO
He is not like other men.He prefers me unperfumed,
likes to watch me
remove hair flowers,
undo the rasana
around my waist.
In the morning I am porcupine,
at night, Dhole,
four-horned antelope.
He tells me secrets
of the Nilgai, its fondness
for almonds,
how the Chinkara leaps
the palace walls
and back again.
PRIYANGUSENA SPEAKS OF THE KEEPER OF THE KING’S ZOO
Sponsors
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère