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26 November 2004, 18:00 PM

LITERATURE

Rumana Siddique

Artwork by Amina

Must be a male thing
This search for a universal idiom
Like the rolling of the universe
Into a ball kind
Well, if it's a ball game
I'm not playing
Accidental sharing
I don't much mind
But this contrived pairing
This subtle, gentle,
camouflaged coercion
to mould my voice
to an authoritative 'weÂ
not for me
Oh, and no apologies
To any
Who don't agree.

Rumana Siddique teaches English at Dhaka University.

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