by Rita Mookerjee
In the Mahabharata, the naga are a race of demigods, half-human and
half-serpent. They aid Vishnu in creating the universe. Female nagas are
known as nagini; they are eerily beautiful and guard treasure.
Inside of my bun lives a dark beast
boneless daughter of Scylla and Cthulhu
when my scalp gets hot, it’s time to feed.
In her tentacular vise, it may seem
like the only way out is down or through,
but inside of my bun lives a dark beast
so you’ll want to think twice about dropping eaves
because she listens and remembers you
& when my scalp gets hot, it’s time to feed.
Beneath her coils are spiny yellow teeth
& her tongue bores holes like a corkscrew.
Look inside my bun where there lives a dark beast.
When a blue suit rambles, she exhales steam.
He could try to run, but it’s no use.
She tongues his head like a scoop of ice cream
because when my scalp gets hot, it’s time to feed.
Rita Mookerjee is an assistant professor within the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Worcester State University. She is the winner of the 2023 Steel Toe Books Poetry Award for Banana Heart and the author of False Offering (JackLeg Press). As a co-founder of Honey Literary, she serves as the vice president of the board of directors at Sundress Publications. Her research has been funded by the Fulbright Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Her poems can be found in CALYX, Copper Nickel, Poet Lore, New Orleans Review, and the Offing.