Ghosts in Me | Ira Roy

A ghost in me – there resides a ghost in me
It comes out when I swim in lakes at evenfalls
So when a man sees my spine with evil eyes –
and bites his tongue with his cowardly teeth –
and lives in his head a dream of me in a bed –
It sucks his sinister blood like a moral demon

Another ghost in me – it lives inside me as well
It leaves to sit in a corner if a nice man is seen
So when he touches my spine with tenderness –
and bites his tongue with his mesmerized teeth –
and lives in his head a dream of me with him –
It stays far away to watch me have a real man

One more slithers down my long unruly hair
It tears my robes in half if we see a new man
So when he holds my spine to lend me a hand –
and bites his tongue with his lecherous teeth –
and lives in his head a dream of me lying bare –
It pulls out a blade and rams it into his bosom

Oh! What a grace! There is another ghost in me
It follows men who walk behind my shadows
So when they put a teasing finger on my spine –
and bite their tongues with sins on their teeth –
and live in their heads dreams of mastering me –
It peels their spoilt skins and laughs with me –
screams as their guts hang from its harpoons –
ululates for their wives and sisters and mothers –
takes me home and sings me songs to sleep –
borrows my nightmares as I drowse – and –
screams as ghosts are not enough to punish men

Ira is an aspiring poet, wishing to reach a wider audience through her transparent and authentic poetry. Having been a writer since thirteen years of age, she now aims to publish her own work to help people relate with the emotions she bares through her raw words.
Ira was born in New Delhi, India. She has completed her under-graduation in English literature from Ambedkar University, Delhi, and is now pursuing admission in the postgraduate program for English literature. Her hobbies include reading, writing, singing, watching TV shows, and sleeping.