Maybe it might’ve been decided that day,
The day the second standard students were
Gathered up to be taken to the temple grounds.
The rules were simple; from the banyan tree to
The stands were people sit during the festival and back.
All of us were lined up and the teacher hollered, ‘one, two, three.’
All ran, and me too followed suit, panicking.
When I reached halfway I saw them coming back;
Friends, classmates, neighbours, but not as friends, classmates
Or neighbours, but as a single unit, frighteningly aggressive.
I overcame the momentary confusion, halted myself, turned back
And ran towards the banyan tree holding on for dear life.
Maybe it might’ve been decided that day.
Maybe everything grandma told about fate might’ve been true.
The day the second standard students were
Gathered up to be taken to the temple grounds.
The rules were simple; from the banyan tree to
The stands were people sit during the festival and back.
All of us were lined up and the teacher hollered, ‘one, two, three.’
All ran, and me too followed suit, panicking.
When I reached halfway I saw them coming back;
Friends, classmates, neighbours, but not as friends, classmates
Or neighbours, but as a single unit, frighteningly aggressive.
I overcame the momentary confusion, halted myself, turned back
And ran towards the banyan tree holding on for dear life.
Maybe it might’ve been decided that day.
Maybe everything grandma told about fate might’ve been true.
4 comments:
I guess I got the gist when I read the poem a few times.
The visual of the people coming back struck me mob like. And the disarrayed panicky state when you took to your heels was fatefully deciding your fate in the life to follow. Quite good concept Arun.
Anil Kurup: Thank you. I was not sure how well I expressed it, but now I’m relieved. Yes, you got it right. Thanks, once again!
Perhaps you ended up smartest of the lot; you got back to the Banyan tree first! Thats survivality! ( excuse the phrase)
Balan Sir: Shall I tell you the truth? I was the last one to reach the banyan tree, my friends were super quick :(
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