Gait

Love of Walking: A Poem

On the steps of Mount Mary Cathedral, Mumbai. Photo provided by author, Suma Narayan

Left leg
Right leg,
Sway…
Repeat

Don’t,
they said,
sway so much,
it’s indecent,
people are watching you,
they said,
it behooves not a teacher
to move thus,
they are turning back
to watch you,
they said,
Suma,
cease,
desist…
But I knew,
who better,
that it was purely unconscious,
Did I not?

Left leg,
Right leg,
Sway…
Repeat.

Who needs stilettos
or nine -inch heels to lend
sensuousness to gait?
When I meander by,
river like,
snake-like,
how many fertile mangroves
Do I slip into,
sip into,
slide into,
pry into.
And when I slide out,
flow out,
grow out,
Doesn’t water,
Don’t hearts,
coast lines,
dams,
beaver houses,
barrages,
glow,
burn,
flame,
from a bite, gentle
Yet exquisitely agonising?

Left leg,
Right leg,
Sway…
Repeat.

ⓒ 2023 Suma Narayan. All Rights Reserved.

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