He pushed his foot through
loose sand of the dirt road, low,
the tar-road a bit high and where potholes
grow;
the pack of cigarette he forgot at the timber
mill
pushed and pulled his thoughts until,
a party announcement rickshaw
pulled along the road, danced through
gutters,
muted the crows and dogs for a while;
“darling your sister is a menace, she gossips,”
images of his wife floated loud
as the rickshaw danced along the road.
He kicked the cat slightly,
it brushed along his leg swiftly,
the fish-curry mixed left overs,
the food he puts before it daily,
that probably stays fresh in its mind,
it brushed and he kicked.
At times he remembered his mother,
the scent of paddy fields and cow sheds.
Rows of small houses, local shops, and
timber mills,
they stand high and low,
they stand over yesteryears' paddy fields;
local
party’s committee offices fly flags over the fertile soil.
He walked
through the dirt road.
The cat ran away as the dogs barked,
they
ran after the rickshaw
raising dust and tempo,
he headed for his tea at home,
tea along with his wife’s gossips,
probably her nth time blabbering.
At night
when he comes back from toddy shop,
he is a man estranged,
estranged from his own clan,
glued to his nuclear family, he kicks at
tumblers,
he kicks at his frustrations,
his wife screams, she screams out her empty
thoughts.
The night sky, neither smiles nor shines,
stars and moon shies away to clouds;
the kacha and pakka roads,
they wind along the outskirts with not much
to think;
it’s the way the wind blows here,
with hollow fury and dusty scent
and nowhere to climb,
it settles down with dust.
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'hollow fury' and 'nowhere to climb' speaks volumes of life you've painted so vividly...sigh...
ReplyDeleteA beautiful piece! It is the way the wind blows here.
ReplyDeleteThe anger and frustrations are palpable ~ Enjoyed your story Sreeja ~
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite part:
he is a man estranged,
estranged from his own clan,
glued to his nuclear family, he kicks at tumblers,
he kicks at his frustrations,
I like the personification of what is usually perceived as objects in these lines: "The night sky, neither smiles nor shines,
ReplyDeletestars and moon shies away to clouds;
the kacha and pakka roads,
they wind along the outskirts with not much to think;"
First of all I like how you bring us a suburb from another part of the world. To me he scents and the sights are exotic, yet the man going to the bar instead of going home seems universal.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you set up the scenery and juxtaposed it with emotions.
ReplyDeleteYou brought the scene to life. As real to us as it was for him.
ReplyDeleteI can just picture this!
ReplyDeleteThank you all ♡
ReplyDelete