A rural perspective...

Having seen regional movies a lot over the years and been in the rural parts of kerala; there is one thing i have always caught my eyes - small shacks run by either a person, or a mother and her kid. The locations have bothered me more than the appearance of the shack. I often wonder if they actually make enough to sustain themselves. This is an attempt to describe one such person's life....call him peter or muthuswamy or ibrahim.

---------------------------A RURAL REFLECTION--------------------------

Yet another Sultry Morning
Trudging along a gravel path, the path of mourning

Opened the door to the wooden shack
Bottles fell from a dangling rack
Six bells chimed in the distance
Yet no change in my stance

A solitary soul wandered the nearby field
A plough in his only hand, yet he does not yield
Shoddy clothes, hours of sweat, and a parched farm
‘Toddy*’ works better than a balm
Approached, the diminutive man towards the shack
No doubt, with the intent to quack

“Sparks in the Sky”, said the guy
I chimed, “What will you buy?”
A derogatory response, it was
My prerogative, it was
Six bells rang in the distance
Yet no change in my stance

Sun gave way to the Moon
I trudged back to my ‘castle of hay’, by the lagoon
A solitary reaper visited my humble shack

As always, dangled the onion sack

Yet another Sultry Evening
Trudging along a gravel path, the path of mourning

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This has been my very first attempt towards writing a poem: Successful or not, meaningful or not, i still feel like a poet!! I have neither a garland nor a bouquet to give to myself!! :(

A pen perhaps? Naah...bloggers dont use pens!

'Toddy' is also known as 'Palm Wine', common in South India - obtained from the sap of Coconut Trees (locally known as kallu). Next time when you drive along the rural parts of kerala, you would know where to stop to ask for directions and where not to!!