ONAM 2013 : A POEM BY E X JOSEPH



ONAM 2013

E X Joseph*

             I walked in despair in the wet misty air
             wondering where my  good, old  Kerala has gone?
             Where are the flowers pink and blue and white
             yellow and mauve, big and small, smiling so sweetly?
             Where are the rice fields, green and fresh and rich
             and   the pretty maids singing while working?
             Where are the boys and girls gathering flowers
             and the laughing men playing in the fields?
             Where are the untiring men  ploughing the fields
             and the cheerful women milking the cows?

              And then I saw a tiny,little pink flower in the cranny of a wall
              smiling at me with all the abundance of creation
              a frail, weak woman carrying a load all with love
              a girl with her  school bag laughing and running to her friends
              a farmer planting the seeds with never-ending hope
              a mother feeding her baby singing an old lullaby
              a young couple exchanging glances with tender love
              smart boys and girls exuding the energy that defies decay
              and men and women though bent with care and concern
              with hope in  their eyes,mastering the latest technology
              determined to create a new future, a new earth. 
             
              And then I knew  Kerala, the land of the age-old myth
              of Mahabali,of truth and beauty and love and glowing life,
              of songs and work and joy and flowers and rice fields
              will come back in all its glory, one day, one day!

              BEST WISHES FOR A VERY HAPPY ONAM!

              E.X.JOSEPH

* E X Joseph is Senior Advocate, Supreme Court now settled in Kochi now engaged in several social activities including those related to VR Krishna Iyer Foundation. My association with him dates back to 1964-68 when I was in AG’s Office, Trivandrum and he was Secretary General, All India Audit and Accounts Employees Association.

M G Warrier

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