30 August 2025

Saree

Stand stout. Don’t laugh.  
You’ve to believe me  
When I say I can dress  
You up in a saree.  

Extend your hands.
Let me put on the  
Blouse first.  
It might take an unusually  
Long time—  

Well, it does,  
To intimately button  
All of my promises  
Into your bosom.  

The pleating can be  
Tricky, but when I adorn  
Each fold with our  
Dreams and fantasies—  

Pulling you closer to  
Tuck the pleats into  
The skirt, like it’s my  
Compulsive fetish—

Don’t be surprised if  
I kiss your nabhi, or  
Inappropriately explore  
The mysteries  
That region could offer.
Wait patiently.  

And when I throw the  
Pallu over the other side,  
Pinning it on your right  
Shoulder like I’ve been  
Into this job for over 
Hundreds of years—  

I might take a couple  
Of steps back to  
Adore your beauty  
In its entirety.  
And that’s when you  
Should slip away,  
While there’s time.  

If I make an excuse,  
Saying there’s  
Something missing—  
It’s alright if I put  
A bindi, or just gently  
Kiss your forehead.  

But if I take my  
Intentions to your  
Sassy lips—  

Know that  
My edgy temptations  
Have kicked in,  
And thereafter,
You can’t escape the
Clutches of my 
Sweet sins.