Wednesday 19 August 2009

night fever

waking up in the dead of the night,
with a parched throat, running a hot fever,
can be fun,
as i discovered last night.

take a long draught from the jar
without spilling,
snuggle inside the blanket,
and let me let my jaws
hang free, just the right way.

as i shiver,
the molars chatter with a bass note;
the other teeth have different notes,
according to the make in each case.

each breath turns into a celebration.
two beats now, three beats next,
then a rumble beat as the drumsticks fly.

and in the background,
a voilin's soulful music,
over the aching strings of my body...

i didn't want the dawn to come.

*****

10 comments:

anonymousmuse said...

Celebrating
the deathwish with
"a voilin's soulful music"
Good.

P. Venugopal said...

no deathwish at all. celebrating everything in life. i am going to patent this discovery.

G S Pillai said...

Oh no Venu sir, I dont think u cud patent that.

Am sure others have been there before u.

Cheers!

P. Venugopal said...

hello doctor. so you prescribe this trick to your patients? perhaps we should put this to sreemathi teacher. she is at a loss how to handle complaints about the viral fever spreading. she may make some announcement, if tipped. she will sure do that, you know that, don't you? are you in government service?

DownUnder said...

Shiver! Shiver!
Whisper! Whisper!

Are you sure?
You had fever?

Shiver! Shiver!
Whisper! Whisper!

You are sure?
You had fever?

Yes! Yes!
Hush!
It was Tamiflu!


-)Krishnakumar

G S Pillai said...

Yes Sir, I am now at the Medical College, tvpm. I must have done terrible things in my previous lives..:-}

Kalpana said...

Woa this is so interesting ...what an exprerience Venuji...!

poetry is here and everywhere your poem has epitomised this.

P. Venugopal said...

kalpana, don't make me blush.

doctor, we must meet one of these days. call 98473-68819 when free.

and krish, the prescription included three brandies neat with a liberal dash of pepper, taken at a single gulp the next evening. no tamiflu for me.

Gymnast said...

i might be revealing my ignorance but i am sorry to say that this poem does not make me feel anything at all. No images, nothing.

I really cant see whats so great about having fever at night.

P. Venugopal said...

Gymnast, dear. Its not a poem. Just a prescription for viral fever, currently making the rounds in our place. Just curl up into your blanket, allow your teeth to set the beat and enjoy the ride. Don't complain. Take everything in its stride. There is joy in discomfort too, if you know how to listen to its music.
Just a year ago, three or four us friends went visiting a great Yogi we know, Pankajaksha Kurup, at a place called Kanjippadam, near Ambalappuzha. We went hearing he was nearing his end. He had developed a very painful condition. Tiny corn-like things popping out of his skin all over. Herpis, I think the disease is called, but I am not sure of its name. I may have to look up the net or ask a doctor friend. But that is not important.
I asked him: Saar, how do you find the experience?
He said: Eda, you don't know the esctasy. It blazes all over the body, the pain. This is the way the climax should be.
And there was bliss on his face.
I don't think any of us in the group knew the dimension of his words.