My brother was scared of the charred nostrils
he said he saw another universe inside
we made him eat it, even though he cried

My grandfather said, how in his day
dragons were larger, meatier
he yelled that killing was an act of kindness

I ate the tongue, honey glazed flames
and hoped I would learn
the art of destroying worlds

My father said, he could have slayed it
more efficiently, my mother passed the potatoes
and said nothing

Sephora Symphony

when we were young
I always thought
beauty would appear
like music out of an old kitchen

something almost not there
moving through you
cleanly, like tight thread
through birthday cake

you liked cake for breakfast
the thick silence of frosting and hunger

but you chew so loudly Danny
and I can only fall asleep
to the sound of your angry heart

when we were young
I used to hold my breath
so I could listen to the moonlight at my door

the day I turned 26
I ate a little watermelon lip gloss
and screamed out a new face

it looks like everyone I have ever loved

Dreams After The Pill

There are two of them this time

one cannot speak
one doesn’t want to

we’ve been crying
our faces close together

I give them kisses
that’s all I can give

They don’t understand
why I have to go

they don’t understand
why they can’t be real

Kanupriya Rathore

Kanupriya is a Jaipur-based artist currently pursuing her Master in English Literature. She graduated with Honors from Lady Sri Ram College, Delhi University, in 2019. Her poetry is featured in ActiveMuse Literary Journal, the Wingword Poetry Anthology, Tilt Magazine by Queerabad, Usawa Literary Review, and the Madras Courier.