How Do You Do ?
K. Radhakumar *
'How are you?'
'I'm fine, thank you. And you?'
My colleague raises his hand in greeting
And I my hand -
We exchange greetings
At the office gates
Before we part at the ground floor.
There he goes to the accounts section
And I to the establishment.
We make automatic movements
And speak without feeling.
I work as a junior clerk
And feel imprisoned at our own home
And at the workplace during office hours.
Maybe this is the tragedy of being a bachelor -
There is an aching emptiness in my heart
And life is not compartmentalized
Into home and office
Into day and night.
During the one-hour lunch break
We go to the canteen for tea.
'Two teas, please.'
After giving his order to the waiter
He asks me,
'With or without sugar?'
His is with milk and sugar
And mine is with lime and sugar.
'I'm going to the cinema the next Sunday -
There's a good film on this week.'
'I'm not going into politics
But I'm a political animal.
We have to think about the future
About our children
We have to think seriously about
The political economy of our great nation
Vis-à-vis the western nations.
The ruling party and the opposition
They have to engage with modern ideas.'
Another colleague joins us and announces
The death of the boxing legend of the century.
Times have changed
Since we talked the same language.
* Poem written by K. Radhakumar which was published at The Sangai Express
This poem was webcasted on December 05, 2018.
* Comments posted by users in this discussion thread and other parts of this site are opinions of the individuals posting them (whose user ID is displayed alongside) and not the views of e-pao.net. We strongly recommend that users exercise responsibility, sensitivity and caution over language while writing your opinions which will be seen and read by other users. Please read a complete Guideline on using comments on this website.