"Of Hypocrisy and Cheekbones" is a very popular award winning Indian poem by the Indian English poet, writer and film maker Shahnaz Habib. The poem won First Prize in the Ninth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 2000. This was the first major literary award for Shahnaz, who subsequently switched over to film making.
Contents
Excerpts from the poem
Sometimes you see a manWith such irresistible cheekbonesYou feel an urge to raise your handAnd touch themSimply to know how they feelTo your skin.And then he looks full in your faceAnd dazzles you with a reckless, innocent smile,Not of invitation, merely inviting.And then,All those years of prudent upbringing,Your religion, your values,The stern concern of your fatherThe hushed chiding of your mother,The sour wisdom of generationsThe hardened core of civilisationsRise in indignation within youAnd quash the cave-womanMercilesslySo that you give himA grim, ladylike glareAnd turn your face away in disgust.And then,The next day you take careWithout really thinking why,Not to get into the same bus.Comments and criticism
The poem has received rave reviews since its first publication in 2000 in the book Emerging Voices and has since been widely anthologised. The poem has been frequently quoted in scholarly analysis of contemporary Indian English Poetry.
References
Of Hypocrisy and Cheekbones Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA