Henna in Time

Anna G. Raman

 

Henna in a foil cone:
two dollars, at the local Patel store

A Henna party:
to meet my sisters in-law to be

Henna, in a hurry:
for my jet-lagged hands and feet,
at the beauty salon,
a day before my wedding

Henna, in my Aunt’s fancy blender:
at speed setting three

It was a Henna celebration:
to grind henna at home,
by hand, with giant grinding stones.
Girls took turns to make paste,
the leaves picked from the plant
right by Grandma’s verandah,
the lush green paste then turned into
circles on our palms and feet,
caps for our fingers, color for our toe-nails,
all so carefully wrapped in plastic
through deep sleep,
even colors from dreams couldn’t escape.
In the morning, as coconut oil revealed magic
on our cold wrinkled hands and feet,
I saw Henna
redder than blood,
brighter than the vermilion
that adorns a married woman’s forehead.

It was Henna I saw, brighter than the vermilion
that adorns a married woman’s forehead,
redder than blood,
on our cold wrinkled hands and feet,
in the morning, as coconut oil revealed magic.
Through deep sleep,
even colors from dreams couldn’t escape.
So carefully the plastic wrapped
the lush green paste, turned into
circles on our palms and feet,
caps for our fingers, color for our toe-nails.
With leaves picked from the plant
right by Grandma’s verandah,
girls took turns,
to grind henna at home,
by hand, with giant grinding stones,
it was a Henna celebration.

At speed setting three:
Henna, in my Aunt’s fancy blender

A day before my wedding:
at the beauty salon,
Henna, in a hurry
for my jet-lagged hands and feet

To meet my sisters in-law to be:
a Henna party

Two dollars, at the local Patel store:
Henna, in a foil cone.

 

Anna G. Raman's work has appeared in The Stillwater Review, Whirlwind Magazine, Kalyani Magazine, River Poets Journal, The DuPage Valley Review, Sparkbright, and other places online and in print. Her poems have also appeared as part of anthologies such as River Poems published by Lilly Press, and Poems on Ivy Leaves published by the NJ Poetry Society.