Marc Nair (b. 1981)
SELECTED POEMS
The Hero’s Journey
It is the Indian man’s swagger that keeps him in the
centre of the poster, despite the too-tight shirt that
can never hide late-night meals of rice and dahl, broad
shoulders compromised by the swell of hips as big brother
approaches his final form, striding through the carnage
of another city on fire, the overturned Marutis and blood
stained dhotis evidence of his unrelenting march towards
justice. His moustache curves downward in disapproval
as he clenches the sacred stick of violence by which he
will spank the evil out of his nemesis. Big brother will
not forget to dance in between the fight scenes, because
dancing takes him away from the truth that this is the
only street he knows, that this town is too small and the
demons he fights keep his passport locked away and never
pay on time. They hide in mountains of sand, between
faceless shipping containers that hold all manner of things
too heavy to lift, even for a hero.
by Marc Nair
from The Earth in our Bones (2023)
