Poetry by Sujatha Menon
“Cruel Sports”
By Sujatha Menon
‘Come on kids! Eat your sausages! —
first one wins
an ice-scream!’
Meanwhile in a house on Derby Street,
Harold is seeing how fast
he can chop a chicken thigh.
No prizes for guessing what bleeds.
Janice puts her woollens
in the tumble dryer,
watches them shrivel to a stitch,
kicked to a shrivel
on the round channel — pay per view.
Meanwhile the guests at a shotgun
wedding, belt beef balls around
their plates with forks that dribble
cheap meats.
An office worker
perched high on Canary Wharf
is racing down the stairs
to catch a sandwich
before the ham and cheese ones run
out at 11.30
and all down the Belgrave Road
ladies are stroking silk saris
and placing bets on whose daughter
will reel in a banker
or a trophy medalled with gold.
Sausages, ice-scream, chicken thighs, wool, beef, ham, cheese and silk —
all maimed from a game
that no one thinks we all play.
- Sujatha is a British Indian poet and musician and also holds a 1st class honours degree and MA in the visual arts. Her music with the band Satsangi has been broadcast by the BBC, MTV and featured in Rolling Stone magazine. Her first poetry collection The Glass Puddle has just been published in the U.K. For much more about Sujatha Menon, including music and videos, visit this SITE.
By Sujatha Menon
‘Come on kids! Eat your sausages! —
first one wins
an ice-scream!’
Meanwhile in a house on Derby Street,
Harold is seeing how fast
he can chop a chicken thigh.
No prizes for guessing what bleeds.
Janice puts her woollens
in the tumble dryer,
watches them shrivel to a stitch,
kicked to a shrivel
on the round channel — pay per view.
Meanwhile the guests at a shotgun
wedding, belt beef balls around
their plates with forks that dribble
cheap meats.
An office worker
perched high on Canary Wharf
is racing down the stairs
to catch a sandwich
before the ham and cheese ones run
out at 11.30
and all down the Belgrave Road
ladies are stroking silk saris
and placing bets on whose daughter
will reel in a banker
or a trophy medalled with gold.
Sausages, ice-scream, chicken thighs, wool, beef, ham, cheese and silk —
all maimed from a game
that no one thinks we all play.
- Sujatha is a British Indian poet and musician and also holds a 1st class honours degree and MA in the visual arts. Her music with the band Satsangi has been broadcast by the BBC, MTV and featured in Rolling Stone magazine. Her first poetry collection The Glass Puddle has just been published in the U.K. For much more about Sujatha Menon, including music and videos, visit this SITE.
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