the ragpickers
TRANSCRIPT
Sahitya Akademi
The RagpickersAuthor(s): Kumar VikramSource: Indian Literature, Vol. 49, No. 2 (226) (March-April 2005), pp. 18-19Published by: Sahitya AkademiStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23346604 .
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Kumar ViJkram
The Ragpickers
Blessed are those
who can carry on eloquently
about how a dog crosses a street
and how the cudery looks graciously as it is placed on the table
or displayed in the showcase.
Certainly the privilege of drawing litde joys and unlimited laughter is denied to those
who can only talk about
some unique dilemma
some unsettling
undefined moods
and moments,
some unseen,
hidden facets
of the goings on.
Pity on those
who are left
thinking,
brooding,
analyzing about people talking
spontaneously
indulgendy
naturally
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about the antics of the dog
or the fine curves
offered by some new outfit.
II
The habitual ragpickers left wrapping up the materials of decorations
of bamboo sticks
and chairs
thrown about chaotically amidst the stale smell
of rotten food
and used paper-plates after the actors have left
after the audiences have clapped, if only they could go home
leaving behind
the unpleasant job of delivering the materials back
after tallying the missing items
and those at hand.
Blessed are those
who can carry on eloquently
about how a dog crosses a street
and how the cutlery looks graciously as it is placed on the table
or displayed in the showcase
to move on
for another show
throwing words behind their back
to be collected
by the ragpickers.
Kumar Vikram / 19
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