Then she moved on to the nouns,

because that is where

the meat was. Whole humans,

who she would chop so she could

hold their pieces by the bones and tear off

bit by bit with her teeth, telling me

with each portion whether

This one was rare or well done at the centre.

Khushi Bajaj (she/her) is a multilingual poet and writer from Lucknow, India. Her work has previously been published by Penguin Random House, The Bombay Literary Magazine, Feminism in India, and more. She has won the international Briefly Write Poetry Prize, and been highly commended for the Disabled Poets Prize and the erbacce-prize. She is passionate about intersectional feminist politics, supporting local communities, and radical kindness.