Our Initials Were U.S.A.: Indian-American Sentences (1970-1994)
by
Archana Sridhar
Archana Sridhar is an Indian-American poet and university administrator living in Toronto, Canada. Archana focuses on themes of meditation, race, motherhood, and diaspora in her poetry and flash writing. Her work has been featured in The Puritan, The Hellebore, Barren Magazine, and elsewhere. Her chapbook “Renderings” is available through 845 Press, and her writing can be found at www.archanasridhar.com.
from Our Initials Were U.S.A.
Early Orlando (excerpt)
1982-1988
Found a house – new construction with a pool, big yard, sunken living room.
Huddled in a Days Inn; cinder block subdivisions rose up from sand.
Rattlesnakes, lizards, gators – the wildlife made it feel like homesteading.
At sunset, the three of them strolled to the cul-de-sac’s end and back.
She shook bright white powder into the pool filter and fished out their hair.
The grass grew so fast, he sweat through his tank top mowing it twice a week.
Shades drawn so neighbors couldn’t see, they ate rice and rasam with their hands.
