Vandana Tete, "I'll Be the Most Beautiful Woman" (Poem translated from Hindi)
Original here
Axe,
Sickle,
Weeder (दाब),
Scythe—
These are the cosmetics (प्रसाधन)
of our beauty.
The moment I hold them in my hand,
I become
the most beautiful woman (स्त्री) in the world.
Then, somewhere far away on the ramp,
all your so-called world beauty dolls
with their stumbling legs
collapse in defeat.
Sponsors flee,
the TV disconnects,
mobile towers
shut down—
when I pick up
an axe, sickle, weeder, scythe,
or anything like them.
Translation assisted by ChatGPT