Can A Mirror Lie? … Karlapalem Hanumantha Rao, Telugu, Indian
(A surrealist Poem)
Somebody
Offered me a quarter
In my dream
And said,”Boy! Buy whatever I want.”
After waking up
I went to the market cheerfully
and bought
dark clouds,
and soaps to wash them,
Trees
And the stairs to climb them,
long wide highways to leisurely lie down
and narrow easy flowing canals for a walk
and many more.
Gluing them all to my back
As I knocked at my door
Oh me!
A tall lean fellow
sleeping on the wall
greeted me with a smile and sitting up he said:
“Thank god! You have come.
I have been waiting for long.
Will you please return the quarter I gave you?”
“Which quarter?” I asked in surprise.
He pulled out a ledger
from his nether world-pocket
accounting crows for ducks.
Accepting the inevitable grudgingly
As I put my hand into my pocket
to repay the hand-loan
Tush! Where is the quarter?
“I don’t have your quarter with me now
Come morrow” I pleaded.
With a bizarre laugh he replied,
“I can’t make time to come once again
I have to attend many other works.
(Shouldn’t I turn all crows to ducks?)
Well, I give you a choice.
I will clip some of your clouds,
trees, roads and canals form your back.
Is it OK with you?
He caressed my back so saying
and left without trace.
Walking into the house with a grin
and keeping my pack of profits safe in a corner
I stood in front of the mirror
with all airs of gratification.
“Good God! Where is my face?” I shrieked.
Chuckling mischievously in turn the mirror said:
“What the hell you look for yourself.
You have long been bankrupt
for the quarter he gave you.”
Can a mirror lie?
.
Karlapalem Hanumantha Rao
Telugu
Indian

ధన్యవాదాలు మూర్తి సార్!
మెచ్చుకోండిమెచ్చుకోండి
Dear Rao garu,
I consider it a great opportunity to translate a lovely poem, admired by the likes of Puranam.
మెచ్చుకోండిమెచ్చుకోండి
తవ్విన వారికి తవ్వినంత …బాగుంది సార్
మెచ్చుకోండిమెచ్చుకోండి