"spectrum", Jonathan Chan
Translated from 'தலைப்பு: கருப்பு வெள்ளை சாயல்களில்' (Title: “Karuppu Vellai Saayalgalil”) by Harini V
between flesh and fingernail i once
began to dig, burying the images of
love i had seen. my home has grown
murky, forgotten by the many who
had known it. alone, i begin to heave,
shoulders trembling beneath such
weight. desperate for healing, i searched
the skin beneath my nails, the rooms,
echoing, in my mind. even with
windows bolted, doors jammed
with cloth, this heat grows cool with
every second. with each call, i lose
feeling in my sides. yet, realising
it had always been within me, fumbling,
with a splatter of colours, caught in their
web of dark and light, i seek myself in
shades once more. from flesh, from pale,
i learn again to weave these tales.