Did I tell you About the poothaankiris Who never abandoned me Even when all others did?
They were the ones Who woke me up today
Donβt know why They woke me up Calling me The names Of all my Previous lives
Even I had Forgotten All of them
In my ninth Life My name Was Shanmughan Your name then Was Lara
You were the daughter Of the captain A foreigner From Portuguese Who had come To Fort Kochi Paravoor And Paliyath
My job then was Counting the number Of ships In The harbor
You had come With your father Then To see Cochin.
Even before The ship with you Anchored at the harbor Sea crows began their pageantry of joy Whole hearted wings fluttered Across the skies A pandal was built Above the waters
One Of them Astonished The kids By flying upside down
The paral fishes Splashed around in ecstasy
Then A ponmaan Aroused by The dance of the paral fishes Dived in and out Again And again In the sky of joy
As I turned back After picking A stalk of paddy That had fallen from a ship I saw the ship with you Floating from faraway Your face Gazing the world From the fifth window Of the second deck
Lara. The glitter of the thoda You wore on your ear That day Still Blinds my eyes
Lara, Feel like seeing That you and me Of the Ninth life
I am Desperate.
Translator - Shyma P
5 Birds with brown colored feather which move in groups., 6 Flock of tiny fishes., 7 Kingfisher bird.