Signs of burns on eyelids,
Marks from Jeedi* on eyebrows,
Traces of burns on temples,
A rupee coin sized brand on forehead,
A dot tika, pierced nose,
Welt on neck from being dragged;
A Jeedi line on throat,
Burn scars on stomach,
Namams** across the waist,
Circles lower down for jaundice;
Hardened calluses on sore palms,
Saraswati, moon ,
Names of loved ones,
Sisters' images on the hands;
Jeedi pits on the knees,
Toes broken on stony paths, loosened nails,
Legs pierced like sieves by thorns,
Corns on the feet,
Parched lips,
Lowered eyes,
A wrinkled face at thirty,
Tireless struggle for survival–
These are my marks of identification….
My translation of Ponnala Balaiah's Telugu poem 'AnavALLu' (from his collection of poetry 'egili vAranga').
* Jeedi: the fruit of the marking nut tree (used widely in Indian medicine).
** Namam: tilak. Here, it refers to linear branding marks again.
Tags: Ponnala Balaiah