S.THILAKAVATHI'S POEM

 A POEM BY

S.THILAKAVATHI

Translated into English by Latha Ramakrishnan(*First Draft)

HORSES MORBIDLY MAGICAL

In horses’ run

run many a life.

With entire labour wasted away

any and every asset wrecked

spending reckless

Lives entangled with each other

turn thoroughly mangled

Even illiterate men

avidly leaf through English Dailies

day in and day out

and choose horses and bet.

Wonder what magic powers these horses use

none of them ever turns victorious.

True they are horses illusory.

Devouring all that we have

They enable the bosses to thrive.

Alas, these so-called magical horses

turn an entire family’s gains

into losses.

S.THILAKAVATHI'S POEM

A POEM BY 

S.THILAKAVATHI

Translated into English by Latha Ramakrishnan(*First Draft)

THE PHOTO HANGING ON THE FOURTH WALL

Those days the moment we set foot inside a household
Particulars about their predecessors would be seen on the walls
hanging as framed photographs.
Thus we would be acquainted with the generations of the family.
They would help us retrieve memories of magical moments
Would offer us a lot of themes to chat and discuss
In my house too
there was one, you know
The picture hanging on the wall of a house would show
Which party
Which school of thought
Which….
Would reveal everything.

With the passage of time
everything changed…

Now
the portrait hanging on the fourth wall alone
has something to convey.