Neither Comments
I saw you at the signal
Where my car had stopped
In the dress of a woman;
You walked swinging your hips
...
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i see that i've read and commented already. i'll move on, and not reread, though i DID read Rini's comment. :) bri
Hi Bri, Do read again. The situation of Neithers in India is pathetic, which you are not familiar with. Called Hilda's. Live as a separate community. They are given off to the community, as new-born, , because it is considered ominous to have a Neither baby at home.
Really I feel sad for such people..After all they are God's creation whom should be considered as another on this earth..Thanks for the new laws recently around the country accepting and giving them theirs rights..Good one
Thank you Rini, for reading this poem. It is a really heart-felt one. Your comments touch the core of the iss.
I rolled back my shutters And shook my head..................i assume shutters are car windows. hmm? I guess you will never know for sure how the person thinks about him/herself. even if she/he told you, you could not be sure! the same can be said about a lot of people who appear normal, not sexually 'different' or outcasts. it is easy for people to know others without really KNOWING them. i'm glad i was not given the 'extra handicap' of being so different from the majority. a nicely done account of your experience and thoughts. of course, plenty of people, regardless of their sexual identity, look for handouts. some are more 'obvious' than others. i sometimes think that beggars/panhandlers ARE WORKING for a living. i tried to find definitions, online, for Bhagmati and khuda, but i was not satisfied with my search. to MyPoemList. bri :)
Hi Bri, Bhagmati is one of the prominent characters in novelDelhi by Indian writer, Khushwant Singh. Very famous for his writes. Bhagmati is pictured as the consort of the protagonist in the novel, but 'she' is a NEITHER. KHUDA means God Almighty in Urdu/Hindi. And thank you for reading this poem, Bri. For, this one is one my favorite poems. Provoked by an incident occurred right before my eyes. I am pretty sure that the family who were travelling in the BMW were 'her family. And everybody recgnized each other, But nobody was able to speak out. The very sad weeping face of the mother who had to give away her baby, just because she was third gender, haunted me for months. I remember, everybody was putting up a brave face. But the extreme turbulations in the ocean of emotions touched me. Thank you Bri, once again. In India and most part of Asia, the third gender is severely discriminated against. They are given away immediately after birth and live as a community of outcasts. Mostly, they end up as prostitutes or thugs.
Extremely poignant and thought provoking but the attitude of a common man toward this sexual minority remains one of indifference or disdain. We just want to ignore their existence. There is at least someone among the poets who has penned their plight. Thanks. I quote: And you? .... Neither! Not man or woman! Not even a human being.
I can't find your poem A Feast Of Vultures...... in your list of 32 poems available here at PH. Please advise.
Sorry, I read my message once again and found that I omitted to mention that it is a book Mr Josy Joseph.
A very touching poem indeed on an unfortunate section of humanity that cries out for our understanding. I am happy things are changing, though slowly, and they are being accepted by society. But there is a danger of their being commercially exploited by greedy persons. I read somewhere they were made to walk a fashion ramp. Well, I have no doubt they can excel over our fashion girls. But, one has to ask the question if the real purpose of the show was to help them or were there hidden business axes. BTW, Unni-ji, I have a fan among them for my poetry. I feel blessed. (10)
Sir, Quite true. There are people who look for business in everyone, everything & everywhere. And when a side-lined community is desperate for recognition, the unscrupulous elements may try to exploit them. But they will come out successful. I invite you to read A FEAST OF VULTURES- THE HIDDEN BUSINESS OF DEMOCRACY IN INDIA on corruption, illegal business, politrics...
You were neither! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.
Well depicted the plight of transgender, though it's a common sight in our society me are least bothered about their, insecurity, emotional turmoil, so pathetic, well brought in thought provoking ideas, super flow, spontaneous, awesome perfect 10
Hi Saraswathy, Thank you for the time you have devoted to read this poem and pen down the words of appreciation. As I have written earlier, this is based on a real-life experience; a drama scene played right before my eyes, in Delhi. It was heart rending! The parents, who recognized their child wanted to speak to her. But the brother, who was in the driver's seat shouted them down and drove-off as soon as the signal turned green. It breaks the heart of every parent to cast away his/her child. They do it only due to social compulsions- pseudo egos etc. But the parents live on. A child who is retained by the parents, who lived in the comfort of their love and care, is unable to relate to the plight of the cast-away.
In the game of survival called life Some to work, some to beg in pain When the signal changes to green Hit the gas pedal with a look of disdain...... Great poem sir......I invite you to my page too...
Hi krishna, How true! Life is like that! Everybody has his/her foot on the gas pedal, and wait for the change of signal. Nobody has time for his NIEGHBOUR, 'love thy neighbour'.
This poem gives a very strong social statement. The way you have highlighted the plight of sexual minority group is praiseworthy. kudos on writing this brilliant piece. Written with great empathy n understanding. Its the same situation in my country too.
Thank you. The situation has not changed much even now. That is why we are able to relate to the situation of the gender minorities. A person other than from the Indian subcontinent may not be able. My immense gratitude, Nosheen
The poem about the sexual minority group whom the society treat as outcast, whom parents disown from birth is really very touching.They have no place to go, they are left out from the main stream of society and as such left out of all benifits that accrue to common man.They have no home, no family, no education and no means to earn their livelihood.They always go through the agony of being unwanted by the society and family.Under such cruel circumstances they turn to begging for their living.It is high time Governments and civil societies should do some thing so that they can live respectfully as part of us.Thank you for sharing this wonderful poem .
Bharati, Thanks. My real-life experience in the North, to be specific, Delhi. I hope you could relate to the name Bhagmati- she is central character in Khushwant Singh's novel Delhi.
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7/21/2025 2:52:41 AM # 1.0.0
A very painful story E.S...I remember watch something similar on TV, but it was about the gypsy people, how they use to treat them. Thanks for sharing! ! !
Thank you, Kyvin, for reading the poem and marking your observations. Ever so grateful