THREE POEMS BY UMAR NIZAR Mudumalai Through the mist, in the night The driver spots you And stops the van, as You, block the road And refuse to budge. We cower, inside the van in primeval intimacy. Outside, Your words Trumpet. Desert Iron wheels gobble up, crumbs of desert. The ghost of a river, Flashes past, then memories of water. Courtallam A lean, mean waterfall, Spiting spray Prehistoric memories signal, redemption. Pilgrims emerge Bathed in clay And lounge in the sun, waiting to be reborn. Seringapatnam Of all the royal tombs Engraved, embellished, and worshipped Royals, courtiers, an entire harem Of voluptuous dead, A tiny piece Of marble cake, catches the eye. A child or a dwarf? A prince or a jester? A scholar or a spy? A miniature or an epic, In the tapestry of the cosmos. Papanasam Tourists bathe in the sun
On the fringes Of sacred geography Acquiring new sins As we wash off our old ones. God's Own Country As the plane touches down Kerala rises up to meet you With coconut tree hands Full of tourist brochure clichĂŠs Welcome Aloha Swagatham.
