Endosulfan Rain

It wasn’t monsoon,
but toxic rain.
Diya drenched
in the doldrums.
Her head bloated,
brain turned barren.
Her body curved
as a cashew nut.
Her legs and arms
dried.

Aches and anxieties
grow up
in the cashew farm.
Sad sap oozes
out of her mouth.
Her doll lies dead.
Now she isn’t a girl
but a remnant
on an empty mat.

*Endosulfan is a deadly insecticide.

First published in issue #14 of The Literary Hatchet by Pear Tree Press, US,
and then reprinted in my book, 'Kanoli Kaleidoscope' by Punkswritepoemspress, US.