Dogs Bark at Night
K. Radhakumar *
My grandfather was a good storyteller
Folk tales, stories from the holy books,
Anecdotes about his brief life in the country
During the Second World War...
Many's the time we heard him tell stories
And when a story was told by him
It was a gem of a story.
The last of the Manipuri Vaishnavs!
He had no foul mouth on him.
My second child was just born
And for a few days
When my wife and our new born baby
Were not yet discharged from the hospital,
It was a great privilege
To act the role of a mother
To my five year old daughter.
I carried her in a sling at my back
And walking to and fro in the courtyard
I tried to lull her to sleep
By telling folk tales from memory.
When I had come to the conclusion of one
My daughter asked,
'Daddy, why do your animals talk?
'It's a story, darling.'
'Our German Shepherd puppies
And Rosy our lovely kitten
These do not talk.'
Yes, I must admit
These do not talk in real life
As if we had another life.
* Poem written by K. Radhakumar which was published at Hueiyen Lanpao
This poem was posted on December 20, 2015.
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