In the beginning there was Shakespeare
with his worldly verse that let me fly
betwixt the Merchant and the Shrew
a flame was set alight
and it grew and bore
testimony to an increasing love for the music of the mind
Tagore came later
with more a serious thought a distant father
to my immaturity
undulating spirit that within me lay
inspired
Always thought I’d grow up and be like Plath
Or like Dorothy Parker
always in some dark corner
trying on all the mental dresses
my imagination supplied
powerful black and pungent hues
tears that no one cried
confessions which became
accusations
self-effacing in my pride
then I found e.e.cummings
that tricky wonderful guy
who weaved puzzles into his poems
such spell-binding joy!
I am become Ekalavya
from absent teachers i have learnt
to string my voice together
- Vijayalakshmi Harish
31.08.2012
Copyright © Vijayalakshmi Harish
Ekalavya : In Indian mythology, a young tribal boy who taught himself archery while accepting Dronacharya, a teacher of princes and kings as his teacher. Drona refused to teach Ekalavya since he was a tribal. When Ekalavya, who was self-taught began to excel at archery-even more than his favourite student Arjuna, Drona asked for Ekalavya's thumb as his "dakshina" fees for teaching him, since Ekalavya had accepted Drona as a teacher even though he had not been accepted as a student.
