"Of Hypocrisy and Cheekbones" is an Indian poem by the Indian English writer and translator
Shahnaz Habib
Shahnaz Habib is an Indian essayist, fiction writer, travel writer, and translator based in the United States of America. She teaches writing at Bay Path University and The New School, and works as a consultant for the United Nations. In 2018, s ...
. The poem won First Prize in the Ninth All India Poetry Competition conducted by
The Poetry Society (India)
The Poetry Society (India) was formed in July 1984 at New Delhi as a voluntary association to promote Indian poetry and to look after the interests of Indian Poets. The founding members included the Indian poets Keshav Malik, J P Das, H K Kaul ...
in 2000.
Excerpts from the poem
:Sometimes you see a man
:With such irresistible cheekbones
:You feel an urge to raise your hand
:And touch them
:Simply to know how they feel
:To your skin.
:And then he looks full in your face
:And dazzles you with a reckless, innocent smile,
:Not of invitation, merely inviting.
:And then,
:All those years of prudent upbringing,
:Your religion, your values,
:The stern concern of your father
:The hushed chiding of your mother,
:The sour wisdom of generations
:The hardened core of civilisations
:Rise in indignation within you
:And quash the cave-woman
:Mercilessly
:So that you give him
:A grim, ladylike glare
:And turn your face away in disgust.
::: *****
:And then,
:The next day you take care
:Without really thinking why,
:Not to get into the same bus.
Comments and criticism
The poem has received critical acclaim since its first publication in 2000 in the book ''Emerging Voices'' and has since been widely anthologised. The poem has been frequently quoted in scholarly analysis of contemporary
Indian English poetry
Indian English poetry is the oldest form of Indian English literature. Indian poets writing in English have succeeded to nativize or indianize English in order to reveal typical Indian situations. Henry Louis Vivian Derozio is considered the first ...
.
See also
*
The Poetry Society (India)
The Poetry Society (India) was formed in July 1984 at New Delhi as a voluntary association to promote Indian poetry and to look after the interests of Indian Poets. The founding members included the Indian poets Keshav Malik, J P Das, H K Kaul ...
Notes
{{reflist
External links
Ninth National Poetry Competition 2000 – Award Winners Shahnaz Habib – ''Inside Outside''"Popular Indian Poems"
Indian English poems
2000 poems
Works originally published in Indian magazines
Works originally published in literary magazines