This week we have the pleasure of featuring a poet from India. Subramanian K.S. shares his distinctive style and jaunty use of language in ‘Julie’, a piece which harkens back with a harrowing message. This poem is nostalgic for any reader who knows what i means to be hampered down with responsibilities.
Julie
Some leer, a few jeer
the rest cheer at Julie,
Circus girl, flexing her
sinewy frame; acrobatics
done, she awaits her turn
– all for a scrap of coins
to feed the loved at home.
In between gazed
blankly at days past
– the palm fringed village
where she grew with the birds.
From town to town
she flew with her troupe,
like Bedouins of yore,
counting the fall of years
with long repressed tears;
The day would come, she knew
when the troupe would go on,
limbs leave her behind.
She wished for the days
when she grew with the birds.
This poem uses language to mimic the subject’s tumbling and turning while still expertly finishing on a reflective note. We can see the fine line (one could say tightrope) which Julie walks between providing for those she loves and yearning for childhood freedom.
Join us next week for another beautifully done piece!
Words, Pauses, Noises 