KD
  • Home
  • About
    • Contributors List
    • KD's Blog
    • Award Nominations
    • Support
    • Contact
  • Press
  • Issues
    • Issue 49
    • Issue 48
    • Issue 47
    • Issue 46
    • Issue 45
    • Issue 44
    • Issue 43
    • Issue 42
    • Issue 41
    • Issue 40
    • Issue 39
    • Issue 38
    • Issue 37
    • Issue 36
    • Issue 35
    • Issue 34
    • Issue 33
    • Issue 32
    • Issue 31
    • Issue 30
    • Issue 29
    • Issue 28
    • Issue 27
    • Issue 26
    • Issue 25
    • Issue 24
    • Issue 23
    • Issue 22
    • Issue 21
    • Issue 20
    • Issue 19
    • Issue 18
    • Serenity
    • Issue 17
    • The Audio Room
    • Issue 16
    • Issue 15
    • Issue 14
    • Play It Again
    • Issue 13
    • Issue 12
    • Issue 11
    • Issue 10
    • Issue 9
    • Issue 8
    • Issue 7
    • Issue 6
    • Hand to Mouth
    • Issue 5
    • Issue 4
    • Issue 3
    • Issue 2
    • Issue 1
  • Submissions

Laleh Gupta

my family and i learn how to communicate

            when we lose control of our   tongues,
                        we learn how to          bang    on the table as
            communication.          when the caustic of our words
     has serrated our      mouths, we don’t forget how to
speak per se,               but my father likes versatility so
this is               how we train: a           diorama of don’ts,
 tracing the                  hollows on the countertop as a
            mark of corrugated anger.      this is how we
            craft     our very own language:         one tap says,
look at me       look at me      hear me out.
                        two taps say,   please listen! three taps say
PAY ATTENTION.               we speak         in the way of
neanderthals.               feet banging                on the floor:
            could you pass me the salt, dad?        fingers
tugging at t-shirts:                   now is not the right time.
fingertips         touching         fingertips:       maybe one day,
            when our language will          fall back into our
                        mouths. a half-hearted tug of the lip: what
language, sister?         a line traced from the eye to
            the chin: sarcasm.       shall i do that for you?
                        well, if you insist!       yes yes i am free.
hand crossed over the heart is                         confrontation.
i don’t do that well,     except when:   a jump in the step is
honesty.           we’ve never really been         taught it.
 see, there?                  honesty.           here are all the gestures
            i do not know,            stuck on a loop, & here we stay,
                        a paused vinyl, until    our puppet strings are
tugged upon once again.

Biography

Picture
​Laleh Gupta (she/her) is a student from Maharashtra, India. Pretty buildings make her heart beat fast, and she likes puns, double-sided blankets, sentences that trail off, and... She is published or forthcoming in Claw & Blossom, The Meadow, [sub]liminal, and more. Her Twitter handle is @pparallell, and she turns 16 tomorrow! 

            Instagram: theresahoney
            Twitter: pparallell
back to issue
​Next Poem →
Picture
ISSN 2639-426X
© COPYRIGHT 2018-2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About
    • Contributors List
    • KD's Blog
    • Award Nominations
    • Support
    • Contact
  • Press
  • Issues
    • Issue 49
    • Issue 48
    • Issue 47
    • Issue 46
    • Issue 45
    • Issue 44
    • Issue 43
    • Issue 42
    • Issue 41
    • Issue 40
    • Issue 39
    • Issue 38
    • Issue 37
    • Issue 36
    • Issue 35
    • Issue 34
    • Issue 33
    • Issue 32
    • Issue 31
    • Issue 30
    • Issue 29
    • Issue 28
    • Issue 27
    • Issue 26
    • Issue 25
    • Issue 24
    • Issue 23
    • Issue 22
    • Issue 21
    • Issue 20
    • Issue 19
    • Issue 18
    • Serenity
    • Issue 17
    • The Audio Room
    • Issue 16
    • Issue 15
    • Issue 14
    • Play It Again
    • Issue 13
    • Issue 12
    • Issue 11
    • Issue 10
    • Issue 9
    • Issue 8
    • Issue 7
    • Issue 6
    • Hand to Mouth
    • Issue 5
    • Issue 4
    • Issue 3
    • Issue 2
    • Issue 1
  • Submissions