Nakulan's Colleague Prof.Carey

[SivaVelliangiri]

The verandah of Nakulan’s house had a parapet with an easy chair;
of the two rooms, one was his and on the other his mother lay.
Outside the verandah, on the muttam, a single tree
could be seen; In the room inside gurgling noises could be heard
where an old woman who had spent her life with a schizophrenic man
swallowed spittle.

We went to Nakulan’s house in pairs, I was the only girl;
it was boys and young adult men to whom his maid Purdah served tea.
We talked poetry, played automatic lines of original poetry;
in between Nakulan would chuckle
pass jokes or just prompt us to speculate on Professor Carey and quote Cavafy,

‘a secret room above
the dubious tavern. From the window could be seen
dark shadows moving in a squalid narrow lane . . .’

My thoughts boomeranged to Prof.Carey and his students,
how the lurch of shadows puppetted on the staff room walls.
I made mental images of the snake pill tablet,
how it would rise its ugly coil of ash.
I asked, ‘Why the staff room?’ and pat would come the reply
'When a man does not know where the next meal is, he would take it then
and there.
I prided myself that I understood just like the boys.

Nakulan never smoked but he chewed pan and spat out the juice
red fountain that stained the earth with the look of the sick vomit.

Even now I remember how his mother blessed me with a twenty rupee note;
I bought a packet of Dunhill with those extremely long filters
shared it with the boys.

I carried Nakulan’s nuggets,

my memories die fade ...
i must walkaway from myself.
Because he spoke about Non-Being.

..in the distance of time
some days become pyramids.

Was he thinking about his Sushila?

'..a little snuff-colored puppy
with its roundish head;
see how he wags his tail.'

These are lines he stole from Purdah’s grand-daughter.
Purdah’s grand-daughter said casually once

‘The tail of the dog wagged the dog.’

[Bernie01]

Siva---


much improved, smooth narrative flow that remains creative and original.



one question,

'..a little snuff-colored puppy
with its roundish head;
see how he wags his tail.'

These are lines he stole from Purdah’s grand-daughter.
Purdah’s grand-daughter said casually once
‘The tail of the dog wagged the dog.’

i thought this was a humorous poem from N. not Purdah.

or, is there a break between the short porm and the final line:

‘The tail of the dog wagged the dog."

bernie

[SivaVelliangiri]

B
Thanks for reading.And pointing out the 'space' which was missing.

S