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The Color of the Year Is Chartreuse Shame

This article presents two poems by Hafsa Zulfiqar, titled "Dystopian Sestina: 6 June 2049" and "Obit for Balochi, circa 1970." The first poem, a sestina, explores a dystopian future where people can change their skin colors at will, reflecting emotional states like grief (red) and shame (orange). The central character wakes up green and observes a society where purple rice is consumed at both funerals and birthdays, symbolizing a blend of life and death. The narrative highlights the pervasive influence of an algorithm, rAIsin, which struggles to understand human nuances like 'slyness green' and 'useful lies,' despite its ability to manage resource hoarding. Shame is a recurring theme, present in both personal experience and societal structures. The poem also touches on the concept of 'friendly lies' as a means of earning currency and the societal acceptance of sun-scorched skin as a natural outcome, promoting more 'green' for aesthetic appeal. The mother in the poem prefers traditional colors, while the grandmother laments that changing colors serves to distort historical narratives, asserting that 'the oppressor writes the history.' The protagonist eventually adopts green as a color for grief, contemplating lies and shame while consuming 'funeral rice' served by the algorithm. The second poem, "Obit for Balochi, circa 1970," is a lament for the fading Balochi language, personified as a funeral the speaker is unwilling to attend. The poem juxtaposes the beauty and richness of Balochi with the practical realities of its decline. The speaker notes a new language blossoming to describe contemporary experiences such as dead children, murdered sisters, and the eyes of a beloved, indicating a shift away from Balochi. Efforts to transmit Balochi to children are met with rejection, as they 'spit you out like a bitter gourd,' highlighting the difficulty of cultural and linguistic preservation in a changing world. The speaker expresses a desire to place the language alongside valued commodities like jaggery jars, but acknowledges its lack of 'capital' or commercial value in the current environment. This leads to the painful decision to metaphorically 'bury' the language beside a stillborn child, symbolizing a lost potential and a forced abandonment. The speaker confesses to cowardice for performing a funeral prayer for something not yet entirely dead, feeling a 'rupture in the real' when speaking Balochi words. The poem concludes with a dream sequence where the speaker cradles the language, singing a lullaby, affirming its fundamental connection as 'my root, my root, my root,' despite the societal pressures to forget it and mark its final demise. The poem explores themes of linguistic loss, cultural identity, and the struggle to maintain heritage in the face of modern influences. Hafsa Zulfiqar, the author, is a poet from Pakistan whose work often explores brown identity, language, and the concept of home. #HafsaZulfiqar #Poetry #DystopianLiterature #LinguisticLoss #CulturalIdentity #Shame #Technology #FamilyDynamics #HafsaZulfiqar #Poetry #DystopianLiterature #LinguisticLoss #CulturalIdentity #Shame #Technology #FamilyDynamics

5 days ago

Tam metni oku