Iteration (October 2022)

Instructions from Hakara, Issue 17: repetition, guest edited by Purvi Rajpuria.

Note by Ashutosh Potdar, Editor, हाकारा । hākārā

***

$7.86

six cents for each word

weighed and measured

to fit this poem

six cents for each word

crafted and considered

— held under your skin

six cents for each word

swirled across your tongue

— set     between your teeth

no cents for the words

you spat out

in distaste or disgust

no cents for those words

you are afraid to write

or the ones you cannot speak

six cents for each word

carefully lifted

from the dictionary

and placed

here

on this page

a cent for learning to speak

another for learning to read

and a third for learning to write

add in your two cents worth

which leaves you just one cent

to say

what you never wanted to say

what you never meant to say

what you always hoped to hear

***