A Poetry Event Gets Cancelled

[SivaRamanathan]

Like as if I was born to tag along with poets
this year I am ashamed of Chennai
the roads have lost all their concrete
there are burrows and cavities
water has clogged all the bye-lanes,
why would people come to listen to poets?
Five or six, the camera boy, two volunteers
maybe.
Rain has ravaged the city, flats
have come up in water beds, so
where will all that water go?
Chennai has become an ugly Venice
boats without oars, water logged
mosquitoes multiply. Residency Towers
has locked its gates Charles Stein
put up at the Hyatt has left the city,
seeing only the temple at Mylapore.
Even I stayed at home today
collecting relief supplies;a single crow
swallows food without calling out to
other crows.