[Guest Author : Zikr]

I am the shimmering skyline. I am the largest slum. I am the mosque you shred into pieces. I am the temple bell you beat. I am that grand colonial relic. I am the overwhelming seaside. I am the beach you walk on. I am the gigantic billboard.

I am the infamous underworld mafia. I am the filmi masala. I am the horrible ringtone on your cell phone. I am the ultrachic club you go to. I am that fine-dine restaurant. I am the street-hawker who stands all day. I am the narrow lane that stinks. I am a financial powerhouse. I am the labourer who earns 10 bucks a day. I am the teenager who spends 500 on lunch.

I am a religious fanatic. I am the corrupt politician. I am bigoted. I am tolerant. I am spiritually elevated. I am the colossal temple. I am the beautiful church. I am your hell. I am the open gutter. I am the annoying pothole.

I am the charity you make. I am the art hub you visit and also the whore house you frequent. I am the glistening skyscraper. I am the grinding poverty. I am the reckless rickshaw. I am the flashy Porsche. I am the Harley you dream of. I am the scooter you ride. I am the extravagant mall. I am the noisy bazaar. I am that mean-looking hovel. I am the sea-facing chalet. I am that steep cup of cappuccino. I am the cutting chai. I am the world’s richest business mogul. I am the bar-girl you put out of business. I am the murderer who kills for fun. I am the Bollywood starlet you lust after. I am the divorcee you judge.

I am the beggar on the street you gave a penny to. I am the expensive resort you holiday in. I am the child who sleeps on pavements. I am the smoker who died at 20 in a road accident. I am the train you blasted. I am the taxi driver you beat up. I am the woman you claim is yours. I am the slut you abuse. I am the wife you cheat on. I am the mistress you’d die for. I am the face you spit phlegm on. I am the wall you piss on. I am the railway track you shit on.

I am the loud-mouthed bitch you curse. I am the goddess you pray to. I am the movie you watch every Friday. I am the old woman you detest. I am the one you left behind for the fairer one abroad. I am the lover you can’t forget. I am as mystifying as I’m charming. I am the piece of land you kill for. I am the water that never comes. I am the name you keep changing. I am the tree you chopped down.

I am the lesbian you can’t accept.

I am a thousand bright colours. I am the darkest shade of gray. I am a bastard child. I am the eunuch you make faces at. I am the salesman you bang the door on. I am the black water that flows in your veins. I am the marijuana you swore you’d never touch. I am the girl you just gang-raped.

I am the rain you long for. I am the deluge you curse. I am the girlfriend you want to show off. I am the chawl you’re ashamed of.

I am the hotel you just burned. I am the people you shot. I am resilient. I’m pissed off. I’m attractive. I’m repulsive. I am the smell of the sea that reminds you of your childhood. I am the stench of raw sewage that brings vomit to your throat. I am your scariest nightmare. I am your constant daydream.

I am everyone because I don’t know who I am. I am everything because you don’t know what I am.