issue 2

Koukash Review

2023

before we go out to dinner, i braid my grandfather’s hair

Devi Sastry

the comb splits
his silver like a hand
dipped in water,
makes a hundred rivers run
skull to shoulder.
his sideburns arch,
unbridled branches
shadow his ears,
picket the pigtail,

clusters stubborn
as his left thumb.
he says, be gentle.
i gather three
tributaries, make
them meet again.
at dinner, crumbs
gather in the crease
of his shirt. his belly
globe and ocean, store
for sesame shrimp toast,
peking duck, every
unforgotten line
of Omar Khayyam, Brecht,
Tagore. all recalled
in measured tone
with wine stains
on his breast pocket,
sesame seeds
in his mustache.
he dips a broad finger
in the glass,
makes it sing.

Devi Sastry

Devi Sastry is a poet and editor from Bangalore, currently living in Brooklyn. Her work revolves around the themes of home, family, and multilingualism, often featuring food as an element that ties these themes together. Devi graduated with a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, where she was awarded the Stanley & Evelyn Lipkin Prize for Poetry. Her poems have appeared in the lickety~split, Bengaluru Review, Dhoop journal & Mag 20/20, among other publications. She is currently an MFA Poetry candidate at NYU, and serves as a poetry reader for the Adroit Journal.

Join our email list for updates, calls for submissions, contests, and news

Join our email list for updates, calls for submissions, contests, and news