WISH ALL MY FRIENDS
WELL WISHERS
AND
BLOG VIEWERS
A VERY HAPPY
AND
PROSPEROUS
NEW YEAR
2019
***
Sitting under a leaf-less tree
On the footpath
And sweating profusely,
An old man was parching
The cobs of Maize on coals.
More than his face
His chafing-dish
Seemed cooler on scrutiny.
As he took each cob
Caressingly into his hands
And gently removed each sheath one after another
He seemed to unveil his long inventory of life’s experiences.
In the scorching sun
While everyone else
Tried to cool-off themselves with
Either newspaper
Or a handkerchief
Heaving out the heat,
He was fanning the coals
Continuously with a bamboo fan
Lest the fire of his life should cease.
As he upturned the live coals
Making tongs of his fingers
I was reminded of my uncle Sikhamani
Who, in my childhood,
Used to pull the hot curry bowl
Off the fire with bare hands.
Perhaps, fire can do them no harm
Who carry far greater heart-burns within.
As sedulously as a poet writing his poem
He was roasting each pod
Turning them on sides so that they are
Neither too charred like coal
Nor too green without losing their raw odour.
Like the jealous world
That cannot bear a poor man prospering
All of sudden the sky was overcast
And it started drizzling.
And then started his desperate trial
To keep the fire in the coals alive.
He moved the chafing-dish to a dry place
And the rain followed him.
He tried to cover it with too inadequate piece of sack
It was drenched in rain.
And in a final bid
He pulled the dish between his calves
Making an umbrella of his tummy
And hedged it with his hands.
And the threatening rain
Disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
Then I realized
That fire is needed not just to roast the cobs
But essential to life itself.
And also, that it is not easy keep it alive.
Pretending a bargain
I could somehow con him
To steal an ember from him.
Now
I must kindle the fire within
Like I did in my childhood
Borrowing coals from my neighbour
In the folds of a dry coconut leaf
Or, on a piece of dung cake.
.
Sikhamani
(Karri Sanjiva Rao)
Telugu, Indian Poet
http://www.sikhamani.com/about.html
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