Universal Contempt

by Ananya S. Guha / December 28th, 2025

They throw you out
Of places that exist
Only in unicorns of
Time. That’s how you
Become a refugee
And your backyard
Will smell of nostalgia
And remnants of a broken
Home. They ask for papers
Which you may or may not
Have, but they break your
Shack and dare you to call
It a home. You stay in trepidation
Waiting for them to come to
Your dilapidated bamboo
House, so that the process of
Enumeration is on.
But you can’t go scott free.
For they have pinned you
To a tag, which breathes
Universal contempt.

Ananya S Guha lives in Shillong in North East India, where he was born and brought up. He has been writing and publishing his poetry for the last forty years. His poetry has been published in both electronic and print formats such as: Indian Literature, Other Voices, Osprey Journal, Glasgow Review, The Literary Nest, Up The Staircase, Asia Writes, Art Arena, Praxis Online, Muse India, Your One Phone Call, In Between Hangovers, The Peeking Cat Magazine, Post Colonial Text among others. He has also written widely on educational and social matters. He has ten collections of poetry and his poetry has been anthologized in various collections of Indian poetry in English. He holds a doctoral on the novels of William Golding. Read other articles by Ananya S..

This article was posted on Sunday, December 28th, 2025 at 8:00am and is filed under Poetry.