Kashmiris residing in Delhi take out a silent protest against the revocation of Kashmir’s special Constitutional status in New Delhi in 2019. Kashmiris residing in Delhi take out a silent protest against the revocation of Kashmir’s special Constitutional status in New Delhi in 2019. 
“But Who Will Take Care of You in Your Old Age?” But Who Will Take Care of You in Your Old Age?is the only question my parents askthat actually stumps me.It’s the only oneI have stopped findingreasonable-sounding answers to.I lay down my arms with“I do not know.”Under my breath,I still refuse to treat loveas a retirement policy.But maybe it is just that.Why should I stud it with moons and stars.Why should I bejewel a simple need.Maybe all of life does come to“but who will take you to the hospitalwhen you will fall down.”I foreclose the thoughtunder a violet moon.
Akhil Katyal, Delhi
(Akhil Katyal’s fourth book of poems A Biography of After is forthcoming from HarperCollins India (2024). He is the author of Like Blood on the Bitten Tongue: Delhi Poems (Westland), the translator of Ravish Kumar’s A City Happens in Love (Speaking Tiger), and the co-editor of The World that Belongs to Us: An Anthology of Queer Poetry from South Asia (HarperCollins India). Katyal teaches Creative Writing at Ambedkar University, Delhi.)
Neither Boy nor GirlNeither a boyNor a girlYou are my precious honey dropSeeing my dashed hopeTime gifted you my treasure
Separate good from evil,Grow beyond the checkered boxesFill yourself as much with yourselfAnd be the reflection of truth
Not a sonNot a daughterYou are my dear rainbowHolding you close to my bosomLet me kiss your foreheadHundred kisses of gratification
Not to failBut to nourish all your dreamsLet others find solace in youWith the strength you symbolize
Not a curseNot a sinYou are my lucky starMy first star
Vijayarajamallika, Kerala
(Vijayarajamallika is a transgender poet who is deeply committed to exploring and representing the experiences of marginalised queer communities through her work. As an intersex writer, her poetry is heavily influenced by her identity and the heteronormative social system that shapes her experiences navigating the world. Her poetry has been recognised with several awards, published in various literary journals and anthologiesfortune edge gaming, and included in the undergraduate and postgraduate syllabuses. According to the author, the poem ‘Neither Boy Nor Girl’ is the first lullaby for intersex babies, the first of its kind in the world.)