Yes! This is a book of the poems on this blog! A birthday gift from my dad (2 years ago, but still...), it was a limited run of my poems interspersed with photographs and paragraphs written by my dad's students at MICA.
I am working on a second book, so not sure if I should be putting those poems up here anymore, 'cos then who would read the book? :(
Anyway, below is a sample of what will be part of the new book. Enjoy! :)
The
Fruit Vendor:
She sits silently on the pavement, a
weathered rock braving the flow of time.
She sits, withered in faded, thread-bare
clothes, age her only crime.
Swanky women in their big cars,
School children stuffed into rickshaws,
Youngsters on their flashy bikes,
Formally dressed with their hair
sporting spikes,
Laughing boys and giggling girls,
In the afternoon sun with their
ice-cream swirls,
The world passes her by with barely a
glance,
As she sits with her wares, praying for
a chance.
By her side, her blind husband reaches
out a hand,
Through touch and feel, he brushes off
some sand.
She understands, breaks off a banana,
and removes the peel.
They eat in silence to stave off the
hunger they feel.
A man slows down, looks at the fruits on
the cloth she has spread,
Some, like him, are fresh, some, like
her, half-dead.
He moves on quickly, beating off the
heat and flies,
Never noticing the desperate plea in her
eyes.
Her eyes moisten as she hangs her head,
She hears her husband’s words unsaid,
“No matter what happens, we will
survive!”
And thinks, “But I wish our son were
still alive!”
I hope I can announce the new book soon! :)
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