
Middle House Review
Mandira Pattnaik "Across the Wall"
My longing in exile is
my mother and sisters’ scarves swinging,
swaying, on a string
upon a distant rooftop.
Thrill of the plunge, the rise,
as though cascading laughter,
celebrating harvest.
The tension of the clothesline,
stiffness of pegs, anchoring their
mirth, lest they hope to float
away to their unbridled freedoms.
My longing in exile is
becoming the wind, joining them,
up and down, fluttering all day.
My yearning in exile thrives
on patterns and prints of their
wraps — chiffony windows to my
home across the border.
Bio: Mandira Pattnaik's (she/ her) recent poems have appeared in Prime Number Magazine, The Fourth River, The Shore, West Trestle Review, Opia Mag, Thimble, Variant Lit, Feral Poetry and Eclectica Magazine. Her work has received commendations and multiple nominations including for the Pushcart Prize 2021. More of her work can be found at mandirapattnaik.wordpress.com