A Poem in English by Me 

Vaidheeswaran 

  

Written in 1965 this poem was embedded between the pages of an old book all these years!

In Sixties we were all generally addicted to T. S. ELIOT and reading and enjoying his poetry for his sharp observation of the predicament in Contemporay Life . His poetry had its influence on our “puthukkavithai “ in Tamil for some years but waned out. The following poem  in English was an attempt by me to try and speak like T. S. Eliot. Written in 1965. which I would like to share with friends who are inclined.

  

                                                                                               Vaidheeswaran

  

To-Day is the day

When People will stay

At home dozing in chairs of content

Making No attempts

To do or undo.

To-Day is the day

when people will sway

their brick walled cages

singing and shouting

with release and abandon

breaking racks and punching nails

scratching shoulders

with garden shovels

To prove to themselves

they are their own selves!

To-day is the day

The people would say

what they want to say

with open throat and casual thoughts

with no “sirs” and “please”

With no empty smiles and mock up traits

To day

The people will talk

and wives will talk

and pets will talk

and talk and talk

togethrer and each other

anything and nothing

As if they are happily shipwrecked Mates

Sure to depart before the next Date.

To-Day is the day

when the offices will be nights

that would sleep together in mournful fright

the files would lie like bombarded tiles

strangled and squeezed and used up lives

the empty streets and deathly sight.

To-day is a Holiday

for what we care not!

But we want it we welcome it!

After all Holiday is Human Nature

that needs Rest between Past and future.

 Vaidheeswaran 1965