“Purrsonifying”

By Arshi Mortuza

I’m a rough tongued kitty.
Many blades, many languages.
I’ve licked the globe like it’s my very own
Catnip filled toy --
Yet forever remained an alien, exotic breed.
“You speak meow so well,”
Say the domestics.
“It doesn’t fit.”
I’m a sharp-clawed kitty.
Declawed, I’m defenceless. 
Where beauty remains the ultimate weapon -- do I fit? 
Do I fit -- among these manicured personas 
Moulded into the shapes of patriarchal desire? 
My feral femininity, 
My felinity
Trying to go hand in paw --
But it doesn’t fit.  

Arshi Mortuza was made in Bangladesh but moulded in the U.K, U.S.A, Sweden, China, Thailand and Canada. Many of her poems explore the theme of alienation, drawn from her experiences of being raised in multiple countries. You can find her on instagram as @poetessarshi

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