Characters
Apu—boy of six
Durga—girl of eight
Auntie—“Father’s” mother, old bag of bones
Oaf
Mother—disillusioned
Father—impotent
same ol same ol
Neekamel—God
Fruit has no name on it
learning to love generously
Bamboo birds and girls in gardens
Oil, salt, chilies stolen from the kitchen
like a fork in the road
the orchard is private property
Auntie: Must I ask for chilies & guava at my age? And anyway, fruit has no name on it.
The candyman always wants
more than the sweets he offers
He promotes desire, discord
with his Halvah and fudge
Mother drags daughter
by her beautiful mane
beads and seeds fall from her
magic box—cowries
inadmissible
desires
dying’s
the easy part
like shutting off the projector and sitting in the dark
Afterwards brother finds her
precious booty. Neekamel keeps guard.
Mother: This home is like living in the forest!
No one to talk to.
We stop looking
At the other
Apu: There’s a ghost in the water.
This is about monsoons
towels
her seeds
buttons
his
sex
Sometimes it’s necessary to leave home.