Poetry

How We Used to Be

You, who are
In denial:
Do you remember how
We used to be? 
Our skins were not a sallow gray.
There were no incisive cuts, 
No visible scabs
for the naked eye, no 
festering sores, no 
permanent scars, no 
cankers in my heart.

Our conscience, 
It was not brittle, 
And we did not beg 
To turn to ash.

Malleable

I have been peeled
And pinned, spun 
And rolled,
Round and round
Like jam rolls for
His evening tea.

Shredded and
Flattened,
Folded and hushed,
Tossed aside.

Neatly
Tucked away,
Ever so 
Quietly, cells dividing 
In perfect synchrony
Inside his sock drawer.

Rubaiyat Khan is a widely published creative writer. She also teaches at the Department of English and Humanities, ULAB.