The Parrot and I
- Deep from the Soul -
K. Radhakumar *
The parrot!
Our lovely parrot in a small cage!
Lovely is her name.
Nobody knows if she likes it or not.
She vaguely remembers
How she was trapped
But does not know
Why she is kept as a pet
And trained every day
To copy human speech.
Man and birds!
Well, man does not have wings to fly.
She flutters her wings
She cries
But to no avail.
The terrible predicament I am in
And the poor parrot's!
These are different
And are as different as difference can be.
The 'I' here –
I is not the poet
Singing of myself.
The universal human predicament
Sings through me
When I say
Who am I?
What is my name?
Why was I born here
Not in Xanadu or in Troy?
Is the meaning of life
In its meaninglessness –
A little dream
Dreamt at the end of the night
When the surreal world of the dawn
Knocks at the window of my bedroom
And is soon forgotten
The moment I open my eyes?
There is neither hope
Nor memory;
There is no difference
In everyday living.
Life marches into death
And that is the end of story.
* Poem written by K. Radhakumar which was published at Hueiyen Lanpao (English Edition)
This poem was posted on October 20, 2014.
* 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.