Thursday 8 January 2009

Sunbird

He soars
And plunges into the canopy
Flashing zig-zag
Through twigs and branches
Alighting light as eternal peace
On this leaf
Picking the ripest
Twittering...

On TV
Over Gaza
The machine zooms zig-zag
Over the streets
Never alighting
Picking this and that
Twittering...
Wreaking futility.

*****

5 comments:

anonymousmuse said...

"Twittering,
The King The King"
summarises
every aspect of our life.
Good Luck!

Balachandran V said...

I had loved the previous version - the introduction of 'Gaza' - was it really needed? It doesn't serve any purpose.

P. Venugopal said...

How is it now, Vijay, Balan? The first version was Zen; this one now is dramatic, the 'sheer futility' of it all. The contrast is not artificially introduced. Seeing the sunbird in action on the cherry tree had often brought me the image of Tom Hawk missile zig-zaging over the Iraq cities telecast during the war.

Balachandran V said...

Actually, it is a tomahawk - Red Indian's axe; then the American missile. I beg to differ with you, Venu, an image of a Sunbird or any other bird for that- I cannot equate it with violence and missiles - i should not,because such scenes are the last remnants of sanity, of beauty, of life as it ought to be - to me, it is a sacrilege. I do not blame you for that; it is just that I cannot take it in...

P. Venugopal said...

Reality is shocking, Balan.