This poem is a painful convergence of language, identity, and tragedy. It explores the rich Hindi words for courage: Abhaya and Nirbhaya, both meaning “fearless”. This idea of courage is contrasted with the traditional American immigrant script: “Be a doctor. / Be safe inside the script”.
The tragedy is focused on a woman named Abhaya whose life became a horrific anti-script: she was gang-raped, murdered, and the evidence was destroyed. The author asks the ultimate question: if Abhaya means fearless, what is the word for one who is afraid: “Sa-bhaya?”. The poem ends with a wish that the author’s own “safe” name would ache in her memory.
- She was raped.
- No, she was gang-raped.
- She committed suicide.
- No, she was murdered.
- She was cremated.
- No, the evidence was destroyed.