perfection

<<<<<<<(((((((perfection)))))))>>>>>>>

standing

on the fringe of infinity,

looked into the abyss.

the bottomless chasm

stared at me.

i gazed into her velvet eyes.

they began to ripple,

as a passion cherished in her depth.

she knew

she was with an enormous void.

12092009

the tide and time

<<<<<<<(((((((the tide and time)))))))>>>>>>>

__________________________________

the tides asked the time:

'why are you busy running?'

the time said: i've to run fast,

to ask the sun to come as he likes,

and bid farewell at night

as the people here need darkness

to awake into a bright dawn,

though they felt it a chore,

but do not think,

you are immortal,

a few more crores of years are there

ahead to finish your cliche.

so be quick always

to let the moon also

do her lovely chore.

and so we can hear her singing

to the twinkling sky,

and sleep in peace

and wake up refreshed."

the tides yet went on

with their tedious chore

10092009

translation of poem by sasthrusarman

<<<<<<<(((((((two sculptures)))))))>>>>>>>

in the iron cage

in the courtyard

the idol felt alive

when it barked

in canine delinquency!

in the patio

the aged sculpture,

bent and leaned,

plunged into a plump seat,

seemed alive

when coughed sometimes!

translation of poem by sasthrusarman

<<<<<<<(((((((the woods)))))))>>>>>>>

this woods-

a continuous scream

of a green being

who prayed and prayed and died.

compassion

(((((((tears of the ants))))))))

today
as i launched
the paper-boats,
a folk of ants on board
left their huts
to reach the bank yonder
and dine and drink and stay on
till the monsoon gone
in their home land.

their tears ran in rills,
at the sight of my boat
drowning and drowning
and as sadly knew
the greatest
shipwreck in their lives.

rainsong again

<<<<<<<(((((((rainsong)))))))>>>>>>>

a cool breeze
whispered through my trees.
a floating flock of clouds
whispered in my ear,
'let us downpour.'

one drop,two drops
seeped and seeped out
from my hands
in boundless zeal.
i simply gave a pat
on back of clouds.
soon i heard a thunder shattering
in winning streaks a lightning too.
then i shouted into clouds:
o,monsoon,
come soon!
come soon !
02062009

hearty wishes to those who sleep well

(((((((to those who dream)))))))
***************************

when i spend my sleepless nights

thinking of my lazy dreamers,

comes a sky of their own.

and stars are twinkling

in that shallow blues.

let me sing and sing for

the dreaming creatures:

flinging far off a puzzling day,

night has come to the dreamers.

tracing came a tramping breeze,

laden with a dizzy spell,

creeping into the hearts of them.

before flapping up their wings

into an orbit of their lovely dreams,

let me strewn my joy,

aways on them,always on them.

**************************************

this is to the orthodox,who hates to be progressive

16052009

mothers of the world

<<<<<<<((((((((my mother)))))))>>>>>>>

on my way home,
the dark sky
darted drops
and drenched me.

'an umbrella should've served you,'
stormed at me was my own brother.

'you should've waited till it drained,'
chirped my lovely sister.

'get a cold and you will see,'
gales of scolds father flung,
silenced all the thunders so far roared.

amidst the curses and abuses,
i found my mother drying my hair,
drenching me with cursing words:
"stupid rain"

*************************************************************************
2009 may tenth international mothers' day
10052009

achu's poem

<<<<<<<)))))))drops(((((((>>>>>>>

in all mansoon
she comes and kisses her mom
and she's all in a trance.
like a pearl out of its shell,
some time she laughs
and on other,she weeps;
but always comes with a smile
and goes and goes down
to come again
like a pearl out of love.
***************************************************************************************
this poem is composed by one of my students,mr aswin,whom we call achu.i like to publish it in this blog,because he wrote it while he was a tenth standard student.
achuthan.v.r
06052009

rain song

<<<<<<<(((((((hopes)))))))>>>>>>>

the void roared in full-throated ease.
the vibrant blues flinged a lightning or two.
wandering clouds
splashed sprinkles on the earth.
a crispy chill crept on to her
and she shivered in ecstasy.
fragrance of the refreshed soil
softly spread in the air.
tomorrow at the moth-hour,
the winged termites will come
for the next dawn's crows and sparrows,
when a lonely squirrel call his mate
to beat the rhythm to the chirps of birdies.
04052009

to clouds

<<<<<<<(((((((to clouds)))))))>>>>>>>

the birds fly away,

the passersby part away,

we are in dreams!

o!monsoon clouds,

downpour

into our anxious chasms.

the ways of the cruel be beaten down

<<<<<<<(((((((the insolent might)))))))>>>>>>>
do not weep.
let there not be flood.
the cruel insolent might
should not cross the ferry.
boats of the downtrodden
and the humiliated
always voyaged and anchored
the other banks
bearing the burden of them*
......................................................................
*the insolent might

translation of a poem-mohanakrishnan kalati

                                                               summer-river

                                              <<<<<<<((((((()))))))>>>>>>>

she takes a fright

of one-eyed day,

and slyly peeping night,

and the breeze

that comes in silence.

she fears lorries running,

breaking reins and roaring,

and the midnight train,

flaming with a drowsy brain.

she fears scarecrow

in the cucumber basin.

and the ball that making disputes

always passing lines,

and even the aged bridge.

it is in her dome of glass

sitting hidden a cowherdess lass

waiting for a blue cloud

who has stolen sarees from her.

translation of the poem of sasthrasarman

the foresaken home

<<<<<<<((((((()))))))>>>>>>>

'do not squeek,'

the doors whispered.

they had the same murmurs.

they were the embodyment of

the same silence.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

the unmanned house

like a child,

after an oiled bath,

sleeps on the spread of dreams,

silent

like an island

hearing the lullabies of the earth

and the whispers of the stars

from the waves.

like a boat on the bank

greedy to sink

in the hues of dawn.

in the witching hour,

the window panes

shudder into a rise

with their open eyes

beckon

the infinities

the sleepless sounds

of the panting woods

the unmanned house,

mulched in the moonlight,

orphaned in the cool,

calm,

tranquil.

translation of the poem-schoolilay aana-by mohanakrishanan kalati

school elephant
<<<<<<<((((((()))))))>>>>>>>

school closed for the day.
while walking through the classrooms,
pinching the ears of
disobediant windows,
knocking on the heads of
idiot doors,
sankarettan,the peon,
got the umbrella of sureshkumar,
the tiffin carrier of savithri,
(the specs of muhammedkutty,
but didn't take.)
the snuff of maravimash
and by chance
there,on the blackboard of 3 A,
mwt an elephant,
tha has been forgotten to rub off.

'what to do with the elephant!'
sankarettan,in a dilemma,
sat on the front bench.
the elephant said:
"i am from the forest.
drifting in the rain water
along the river
i've come to school,
when i saw one.
the drawing teacher
chained me up."
the tusker went on:
i can get on well at school
and school can be watched always
i can drink the mid-day gruel
i can take the giddi kiddies
to their parents there at home,
while they fall in dizzy spells."

now or then,
i don't know when
sankarettan was fallen asleep.

next day,
during rounds of inspection,
what our A E O found was that
a trampled garden of school benches.

trnslation of the poem-thorcha-by mohanakrishnan kalati

draining

<<<<<<<((((((()))))))>>>>>>>

it was not the day

when the rain stopped.

as the windows opened,

no moonlight!

but a soft light

seeped after the rain.

as the doors opened,

it was a drenched breeze

that ran off the porch.

it was a paper boat

that flapped up

even before the feet cooled

in the eaves water.

on the fringe of porch,

one has left

his scent of bath,

taken under the trickling trough.

in an oblivion,

not knowing what's pouring down,

and forgetting

to do the hair,

to wear the attire,

and the sleep

there's a tree.

an ally turned to be a void,

draining all the memories.

and the halh-lost drops of tunes

on the fencing thickets

where the serpants take a slumber.

dripping moments,

on a sudden,

fell silent.

listened in the quiet:

no.

neither did i hum a poem

not a man did walk in my bosom.

grandpa moght have brathed a sigh

having slaked the burning thirst.

ther's a bud to bloom for morn!

o! it is not yet wet a little.

poor bud!

let it fall asleep

under the leaf that

caught and tangled in a web

poem-translation of ardhanagnam-by mohanakrishnan kaladi

half nakedness

<<<<<<<((((((()))))))>>>>>>>

(daddy,who's this gandhi?
he's a fellow
shot dead by our godse.)

gandhi,
don't be at your freakish whims
that you can please us
with the half nakedness.
we know.
fasting of a single man
won't bring freedom to nation.
and
however long one spins a loom
he can't knit the flag of a state.
a pinch of salt can't satisfy hunger.
easwar and allah never belong
to a single party.
even before you could
we had known that
if one shows the other cheek,
the bullet will be piercing the bossom.

no-
not your notes of silence
can be put in the ballot box.
hand over the bamboo stick
to the guards on sentry
or else,
you won't be let in the house*

whatever may be
your statues are to conserve
for,we called you
"father" once.
_________________________________
*parliament
2007

poem

when the whole world puzzled at the millenium dawn

<<<<<<<((((((()))))))>>>>>>>

recite the overwhelming sobriety of the sun,
that gives in the void,
on the eve of a millenium,
that hails a strange moment,
radiant with tranquilizing comeliness.


when we know it is for another wake-up,
to give radiance full of go,
as progress seems frivolous,
to give a twilight of belief,
with every fibre in our mind,
to live,to hope,to never give in,
when the shadows flee away
into a bright dawn.


01012000

poem

ties of bondage

<<<<<<<((((((()))))))>>>>>>>

o!mother,
where are you now?


i am alone!


when i lay on your laps
and fed on your breasts
how easily and quickly,
like a bird,
after its chirps and coos
and feeding,
i slept!


now it is frozen a night.


without your warmth
and solacing sighs,
something heavy loads upon my chest.
do you see it?


come and sing
all your lullabies,
on my back
and entice
a nice sleep into me,
with soft dreams.
moro,
they would turn
to realities.


i am faltering
in your absence.
let all your throbs
pervade into
my frail being.


20012009

virtue

<<<<<<<((((((()))))))>>>>>>>

dear friend

i am coming there.

be prepared.

i shall put

the timepiece,

i took last time

in place,

without being noticed.

i got a better one

from somewhere else.

i can't afford

the breach of punctuality.

translation of the poem:palice-by mohanakrishnan kalati

                                       milk ice

                                         <<<<<<<((((((()))))))>>>>>>>

o! my slate and o! my pencil

count you all these sums for me,

by the break of morrow dawn,

i’ll buy a milkice for you.

it is not a single one,

each of you’ll get a one.

 

o! the slate,

if you cheat me counting wrong

i’ll break you flinging down.

o! the pencil,

i’ll break you hitting hard.

'am not lacking counting sums!

'amn’t feeling sleepy now!

if i don’t clean all these plates,

don’t i brim these water drums,

o! my slate and o! my pencil!

won’t they grind me into flour? 

translation of poem by sarman

you

<<<<<<<((((((()))))))>>>>>>

yours was

but a one man army

 

yours was

an old horse,

wanting golden wings

and dreamy swifts.

 

yours were the forsaken paths

of the mountains

trailed by nobody.

 

you hadn’t

armour nor sword.

 

neither clarions nor bugles

blew behind,

but a wailing wind!

 

you had no hide-outs

but your shadows.

 

you never met an adversary.

 

the answer call of your war-cry

was a desert.

 

you never looked behind

the paths you scrambled.

 

your horse

got into his strides

like darkness.

 

in the valleys abandoned

hunger and dreams

were your companions.

 

you defeated yourself

like a lonely tree

on the mountain tops.

+++++++++++++++++++

don quixote and the sketches

drawn by picasso for the same gave me inspiration

to compose this poem

)()()()()()()()()()()(

sasthrusarman

translation of poem by sarman

peacock

<<<<<<<<((((((()))))))>>>>>>>

 peacocks i painted

in my childhood,

neither elegant nor lovely,

strolled lively

in my yards and orchards.

in my lofty years

saw a sales-boy

on the sideway

trading in peacock oil.

 

scrapped  and stuffed peacocks

stood in raw

with sublime elegance.

they remembered

charcoal  lines

on the ancient walls;

the feather-kids,

born in books and

flown to hillocks.

 

now my children drawn

in indiscriminate hues,

the peacocks on the roadside,

the indiscoverable woods

in their mortal eyes