Now that I am old and broken
I may tell you the tale
When I lost Kerala.
Were you to see me now
You would not believe that I
Once was a backpacker
An Indian tourist who
Travelled the land of his ancestors
In between my studies
With no more than a wing and a prayer
And the goodwill of my fellow countrymen
My travels took me to once
To Kerala
To
To watch the snakeboat race
It is something you should all try
To race along the banks
Keeping pace with those muscular males
Paddles cutting the water in half, crying
Hoy, hoy, hu hu hoy
O boy, the sex ran high
There I found, to my unfound joy
A young dark-eyed female running alongside
With her manicoloured skirt
Flying high over her rippled thighs
She flashed a wicked smile at me
Come hither, the smile said
If you dare
And then she was gone
She was gone, gone
I never ever found her again
My legs could not keep her pace
And now the snakeboats too were gone
And now I fear to tread the land
Of Kerala again.
Beautiful verse.. with the pace of tale! Hope you’ll change your mind and come again
I am sure, that I gave comment at this poem before…………where is it?
I guess we all tend to ”tread” our own Kerala .. sometime in our lives .. and then re-treading is difficult but inevitable .. what say ?
I think you should count yourself lucky for having done all that you did when you could. How many youngsters of today have the desire or freedom to step beyond their cubicles, laptops and the compulsive routine of materialistic pursuits? You followed your heart and the exercise of that choice have given you so many good memories. And as long as one’’s mind can travel and retain its zest, it really doesn”t matter if our physical selves don”t keep pace. I for one am glad I saw the grandeur of snow peaked mountains and the desert sands and hills and forests ,even as I know that my knees have lost its agility and I have to tread warily on uneven ground where once I could pace down with confidence. As for Kerala, it was always and is beautiful:-). I sure consider myself fortunate for my roots here.
Enjoyed the rhyme of the poem and the wistfulness of a fleeting, yet ravishing , spectacle:)….PGR
Bravo Sarbo….what a poem !….absolutely impressed…