She watched the flame hiss up

and beat against the cheap old pot,

a wing of brightness

against its blackened cheek.

This was the house she had been sent to,

the man she had been bound to,

the future she had been born into

So when the kerosene was thrown

(just a moment of surprise,

A brilliant spark)

It was the only choice

that she had ever known.

Another torch, blazing in the dark.

Another woman.

We shield our faces from the heat.

methi (n) : fenugreek

white radish (n) : white and round or finger-shaped vegetable

extravagance (n) : spending more than necessary in an uncontrolled way

I. Answer the following questions.

1. The woman thought of buying a white radish but later on decided against it thinking it an extravagance. Do you think it is an extravagance? Support your answer.

2. What does the phrase 'mother-in-law's dark looks' suggest?

3. "The usual words came and beat…" (line 19). Where did the words come from? Why?