By Selene Vina
She yearned the last night, the Swayamvar draped in magnolian candles and steam kissed by fear; she felt it up round her Nath till her gold-lipped anklets, the festival of Pongal
The stars twinkled at her plight, the salty air from the Yamuna River teased her thoughts, the sakura-pink flowers and jasmine lilies gleamed in the moonlight
Being free as a crucifix on a hill, she gazed around, dew-dropped eyes and kohl whose shadows enamored her in the moonlight; her lashes gave way to another
Dark hair, embalmed into the hidden side of a dagger, swiftly borrowing the raft, the swan marbled pedestal her foot stool, the ivory combed paddles, gleaming in their silver reflection against her hands, tips dark as the spoiled apple that fell from her hand, her eyes reflections of an albatross a moment before catharsis, as she drowned in her fated fantasy, her eyes steamed from the qahwa in her hand, as the dallah reflected the last face of the moon
The running wind alongside the strand of hair by her chin, the memories of her Persian villa and Baba and Umm were cast aside as she implored into the Samundar of the night
A hashashin of desire and passion, platooned by independence and freedom; for whoever decided to chain desire to just people, passion to love or freedom to romance
Her immaculate conception into the sky
A siren with eyes that curved like a leopard's smile
Legs like an Arabian Gazelle, whose eyes calmly assessed the lioness in between its spar
The world saw her now, a devil donning the rosary, as her breath, a perpetuation of winter, burned the city's lights.
Selene Vina is a writer and poet who publishes her works of poetry on her Instagram. Vina has completed seventeen years living on this planet. She lives in the Emirate of Dubai of the United Arab Emirates. She engages her time in reading; she specializes in gothic literature, fantasy, and fiction. She likes to thrift clothes to reduce her role in capitalism and adores writing poetry in the raven's hours of the night. She is an Indian who loves incorporating her culture into poetry and plans to establish representation for South-Indian WOC in the Literary World.