Of Hypocrisy and Cheekbones

"Of Hypocrisy and Cheekbones" is an Indian poem by the Indian English writer and translator Shahnaz Habib. The poem won First Prize in the Ninth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 2000.^[1]

Sometimes you see a man

With such irresistible cheekbones

You feel an urge to raise your hand

And touch them

Simply to know how they feel

To your skin.

And then he looks full in your face

And 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 father

The hushed chiding of your mother,

The sour wisdom of generations

The hardened core of civilisations

Rise in indignation within you

And quash the cave-woman

Mercilessly

So that you give him

A grim, ladylike glare

And turn your face away in disgust.

*****

And then,

The next day you take care

Without really thinking why,

Not to get into the same bus.

The poem has received critical acclaim since its first publication in 2000 in the book Emerging Voices^[2] and has since been widely anthologised.^[3] The poem has been frequently quoted in scholarly analysis of contemporary Indian English poetry.^[4]

• The Poetry Society (India)

• Ninth National Poetry Competition 2000 – Award Winners
• Shahnaz Habib – Inside Outside
• India Writes – Contemporary Indian Poetry
• "Popular Indian Poems"