At the daybreak
Beneath the flowering sizzling tree
Two crows are gathering twigs
Testing the strength they collect
It one by one and take it on to the tree
Where it is fixed
This is the time for
The crows to mate and nest
Summer as intense as lust
And misty till the night fades
Beckon the hinterlands, bogs and bushes
Tiny creatures and little snails
How many crow-nests are here in this village!
Like a scratchy- sketchy pencil drawing
Counted some eight or ten
Do the calls of the Koel skirt those nests?
Do the snakes creep up the trees to swallow the eggs?
Some sprinkles on the naps of midnight
When all showers merge it becomes a big rain
When all summers fuse it becomes a crucible
Where the two meet the yam, elephant-yam and ginger
Sprout into tender buds
It is a weird time
A down to earth life has become obsolete
The earth has lost its human folks
Desolate and lonely
Burned out by love or lust
I follow the crows
I watched them drinking water and bathing
Remembered the skies from where they came back to the roost
Picked up the tiny black stones the crow-pots from the sandy riverbed
Gathered the crow-feathers together
Wandered in search of their roosts
Listened to a little kid singing:
“O my crow, O my crow, do you have a chick?”
I am returning
I have a hideout in the bamboo reeds
Everything is sheltered there
Some chill and a swing made of wild creepers
A bed of leaves spread out
The owl and the Koel and the serpent crested
Are there in
Mostly I would be amidst them
And occasionally comes out in human attire.
(Translated by Ajay Sekher from Malayalam)
S Joseph is a leading poet in Malayalam. He teaches Malayalam at Maharaja’s College Ernakulam. He has published many anthologies of poetry and is a prominent figure in dalit writing in Kerala. He may be reached at +919846687101; sjosephkavi@gmail.com