In the Swim of Things
- Deep from the Soul -
K. Radhakumar *
The river is wild,
But at the same time wonderful.
They say
Somewhere it flows down into the sea,
A mass of curls
Deep and mysterious
I can feel it
Though it is not visible to the naked eye.
I like to think I am a poet
But I do not know
If I am one.
Never have I intended to be in the civil service –
I have just drifted into it.
This I know for sure
I am not an administrator
But people know me as one.
Birth, education, marriage
Money making, old age...
One day I will drift into the sea
A vast stretch of deep water
With an unfathomable expression.
I do not know
If I am a man made by God
In His own image
To withstand the severe turbulence of the river.
It is easy to swim along the river
The easier the better for me
And therefore, I swim along the river
I do not swim across the river
Nor against the strong current
For it is hard to do so
For I fear death by water.
Job security, sex, promotion
Life insurance...
There is no memorable moment.
All the time leading a pretty mundane existence,
Is this what life is?
Is this all it can offer?
Don’t I need a break from routine
Where one lives long in a risk-averse culture
Where one is never innovative?
* Poem written by K. Radhakumar which was published at Hueiyen Lanpao (English Edition)
This poem was posted on November 14, 2014.
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