Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Tigers -poem by m k harikumar


Those tigers go to the river
In groups, and drink water
and raise their heads in unison.

When they fall upon some prey
They eat it the same way, together.
But before this rare fiat
They would look at each other
As if they were up for a race.
They defecate together too.

However, they do not know how to eat.
But their master must keep them spoon-fed.
Thus roaring, mating, begetting, together,
and voicing lofty ideals in between
They kept on indulging themselves there.

The global committee constituted to study--
How man and woman could take a stance,
To claim for maternity allowances
and try vasectomy at the same time,
all the while stay cohabiting,
And thus bring in a closed world of theirs--
Has come in search of these tigers straight.

And these tigers stood
taking great pride, and laughed:
Describing their rare sterility
and the asexually obsequious humility
As an honour of some rare order.

The stink that laughter emitted
Left the whole ambience rejuvenated.

Then they thought ‘it makes sense’, somehow,
To manipulate their way into some textbooks.
They needn’t be afraid of anyone, in that case.


The best way to tide over
Chengaras* of any order
Is to be silent and sleeping deeply,
By reading every trash of news:
They took a firm resolve.

Chengara*

A state-citizen land dispute in Kerala which took proportions beyond civilized human endurance and comprehension. The State, instead of protecting the life and property of the citizens, took an inhuman stance wrecking untold misery to the affected poor.

m k harikumar interview

 m k harikumar interview