Written by Bhaswati Ghosh
It is impossible to trap sunshine into a body so you emerged, as if by some mysterious evolutionary trick. In your world, you're the plucky teenager, deliciously sweet, mischievously tart, who refuses to give in to the scam called growing up, without yet letting go of just the right amount of bite and charm. The cartilaginous rind. The scintillating zest. Within the sun of your skin live a dozen moons, each carrying the waters and scents of a new land. Guangdong and Meghalaya, Andalusia and Sicily, São Paulo and Veracruz. Slowly, each crescent untangles from umbilical membranes to burst unexpected life into a mouth. An orb of fire, yet you hold within your folds air, water, seeds for Earth. A whole joy-manufacturing universe sans the baggage of your peer apple's first-sin guilt.
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Bhaswati Ghosh writes and translates fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her first book of fiction is Victory Colony, 1950. Her first work of translation from Bengali into English, My Days with Ramkinkar Baij. Bhaswati’s writing has appeared in several literary journals. She lives in Ontario, Canada and is currently working on a book on New Delhi, India’s capital. Outside the world of writing, Bhaswati enjoys travelling during the winter months, especially across Latin America. In the summer months, she likes taking in bird songs and rabbit hops in her Ontario backyard, where her husband lovingly grows an edible garden every year. Visit her at bhaswatighosh.com. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram @bhashwatighosh.