Introduction of the Poem:
In The Looking - Glass, Kamala Das offers a few suggestions to woman on how to maximize their pleasure during the sex act with their lovers and admirers. When he leaves her and she does not find an equally existing and stimulating partner, she despairs and life loses its charm.
Critical Summary:
When having sex with her lover, a woman should make no secret of what she requires from him. She should not, for instance, shy about admiring a man's body. She should stand before a mirror by his side and seek their reflections in the mirror when both of them are fully undressed, and let the man enjoy his feeling of physical superiority its over her because her own body is softer and lovelier than his. She should note the perfection of the man's limbs, and his eyes becoming red when the water enters his eyes while he is having a bath. She should observe the shy manner in which he walks on the bathroom floor, dropping his towel because it has been loosely tied round his waist. She should also note the jerky manner in which he urinates.
A woman should not only admire a man's strong and symmetrical limbs which, along with other details of his anatomy and his mannerisms should please her. It should make her think that he is the only one who can fully satisfy her in every way when they indulge in the sex act.
A woman should give to her lover everything that she is capable of giving him in bed. He should be able to smell her hair and the sweat between her breasts; she should let him feel the shock of coming into contact with her warm menstrual blood if she has her monthly period at that time; and she should be conscious of all her sexual cravings that she wants him to satisfy. According to the poet, this is not at all difficult once the woman sheds her shyness and timidity, and behaves boldly when she is in bed with her lover. Once she has achieved this, the sex act can be extremely satisfied and fulfilling.
The real problem arises when such a lover forsakes the woman, never to come back, and she finds it impossible to find a substitute for him. Life then becomes meaningless and her eyes keep looking for a substitute but she cannot find any. The absence of the departed lover leads her to a state of despair and her once irresistibly - alluring body specified loses its charm and becomes unexciting.
