Thursday, May 2, 2013

may be he is thirty-five years old
he is dressed in crumpled boyish shorts
and a loosely hanging crease-less shirt
with the upper chest carelessly open
and his unkempt tress foolishly cut
bulging unclean eyes and pouting lips
with ungainly steps of his knotted knees
protruding teeth and a swelling belly --
with a small vessel in one hand
emitting a loud fitful laughter
all his way to the tea-shop --
he harms none ,talks with none
but who ignites his laughter sparks ?
seems immensely blissful
as he heartily laughs , caring not
this earth and our minds he treads on !
he cannot speak but a few words
that too with a pathetic stammer--
he sits at the gate of my apartment
cross-legged like a hapless school boy
witnessing the world as it hurries past him -
time does not perturb or disturb him
from morn to midday , scorching the sun !
a sympathetic call of a passer-by
meets with the never-changing complaint
'he beats me ..he throws stone at me !'
and he is satisfied with
' worry not ,I will punish him !'
and he wears the day and everyday --
even a kid smells his unsoundness of mind
and jeer at him as they pass by --
I see him for the past twelve years in my street
I am told that he was married to a girl
who ran away once for all leaving him on the roads - 
o god , why this defective creation ?
why this half-hearted attempt ?
he has a younger sister who is still worse
and another sister suffering from polio
I pity their hapless mother
who takes her daughter along the streets
twice a day shrinking her soul in utter shame -
could there be anyone suffering more fate ?
the world rolls on its circular brim
casting never a look on this pitiable mother !
--
S.CHANDRA KALAADHAR
02.05.2013 / Thursday / chiththirai-21 / 9 p.m.