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14th Anniversary Edition, Live Encounters Poetry & Writing Volume Four Nov-Dec 2023.
Masala Chai, poem by Gopika Nath.
Masala Chai
The morning cup always tastes good
but as it diminishes, I see stains
In my porcelain-white teacup
Perfect circles marking the gravity
of stagnant moments; and a smudge of brown
where the froth had been roused
And, when it’s almost all been drunk,
tell-tale marks remind of paths crossed
Of embarrassment, guilt and blame
For views that imposed and I could not
stand up for myself. Irritated by reflections
that weren’t what I’d like to see,
I gulped the murky dregs, scoured the cup
with some Vim and a Scotchbrite
Lines above the brow remained
© Gopika Nath
Gopika Nath is a textile artist-craftsman who stitches and writes, threading her syllables into poetry, creative non-fiction and art reviews, where her art practice provides a mirror to the self. Her writings have been published in Bengalaru Review, Brown Critique, Lakeview International Journal of Literature, 100 subtexts, Garland Magazine, Varta, Verve and others. https://gopikanath.co.in/portfolio/articles/.A Fulbright Scholar, alumnus of Central St. Martins School of Art and Design [UK], Gopika lives and works in Goa, India.