My home, oasis in the middle of concrete desert.
'Still at the old house?', they ask me -
Little do they know I am so proud and smug
That I live in the hand- me-down decrepit
Where my grandmother and other ghosts linger.
I see them; there he is, my father, hopping down
From the coconut frond to nibble the leftover rice
There she is, my mother, the bossy Jungle Crow
Trying to edge out the squirrel.
Grandmother comes in the evening, hooting,
Espying from behind the tree leaves
Muttering to herself, uttering inaudible curses
At me, her grandson, that impractical dreamer.
They are all there, cousins and aunts
Maids and men, children and dogs.
They come as they wish,
Why do you, Toad, look at me
So impassive, so self-assured?
You sit - no, squat on all your fours
your warty skin, wrinkled and ridged
Your glands swollen with poison -
Think I didn't know?
Go forth, be not afraid of me!
Go forth and procreate!
For you and your kind, here -
A blade of grass, a dried leaf
A twig to play with -
The shade of the great trees -
And over there, Kunthi, for your children!
Like being hit by a speeding truck
And then, like a lover’s gentle caress
The winds of Nagercoil blow
From the east, the west and all around.
Among the grass, the dragonflies veer-
Swing up and away and then twist
To drop: pummelled by the winds, they
Grapple with the twigs as if on a joyride.
The ponds ripple; little waves rise
Like young girls shivering at their lovers’ kiss.
The crows and doves like drunkards
Stagger in the air; the tall palms sway
Their leaves chatter, huddled close like kids
The green paddy, as far as the eye can see-
Undulating waves of a vast sea.
Then – the winds would drop
When was the last time
My privates pricked, playfully
By the teasing raindrops
Splattered by the wind?
When was the last time
I stood in the rain, nude?
As a child? No, mother would have
Frisked me away and gave
A slap on my bottom too!
Once I stripped on a beach
Blushing at my lesser size
Than that of the tourist by my side.
Played, all dangling,
Jumping and rolling,
Bewildering unfamiliar freedom.
It wasn’t raining then, though.
It is spring; a tree flowers.
You may love it
You may hate it
You may fail to notice it.
Nothing matters to the tree;
To flower in spring
Is in the nature of the tree.
Blinding sun-
My shadow, pause awhile
As you pass my grave
And I will be content with thee.
One day, life will bloom
From my remains –
Then, in its shade-
Stay, forever.
A traveler never forgets
The trees that gave him shade.
A traveler never forgets
The streams that quenched his thirst.
The paths he trod
The winds he rode
The grass he slept
The rocks he leant.
To remember and to be grateful
Is the way of the traveler true.
And –
The trees and streams,
The paths and breeze
The grass and rocks-
They too, will remember him.
As he passes-
Somewhere among the treetops, a rustle.
Branches sway as if a little whirlwind hit.
Against the backlight of the sky, dark shadows
Jump; I look around, hold the bananas close to me.
Above, the sky was a bright blue
Clouds, white, swum lazily
Sun shone bright
Breeze blew gentle.
Atop the tree, on the highest branch
A new leaf, slender and green
Soaked in the sun and danced in the air.
Other leaves wished how they could be
At the top, at the very top.
Humming happily to itself, the leaf,
Humming happily to itself
Nothing above me
But the empty, vast sky!
Trembling in glee, the flower buds
Blushed,
Dreaming of the bees
they were filled to the brim
by the only good thing in their life
they then overflowed
creeping out windows in the dead
of the raging night
they breathed in the vapour relief
relapsing amongst the towering
trees
the corner of metal houses
were the closest thing to a hug
the sirens went around
posters crinkled in the wind
"have you seen this broken child?"
the screams still ring in their
pierced ears
now silenced by the peace
My love my love, my pain.
I stopped smiling since you're gone.
I sometimes pretend your arms are still around me. I sometimes pretend your hand is still in mine.
My love my love, my pain.
Do you ever pretend?
I wish we were back in your basement where nights never seemed to end.
I remember the feeling of your hand on my waist. I remember the sound of your heartbeat when we danced.
I remember softly placing my head on your chest.
My love my love, my pain.
Do you remember? When we kissed in silence surrounded by trees.
When we kissed underneath the starry skies. My love my love, my pain.
I miss your golden eyes
Oh how beautiful
The leaves a bright green
Branches like fingers reaching
To touch and scratch and claw
Their beauty astonishes me.
Oh how I wish I were one
So free
So free
To do
What I
Please
Free
Free
Free