AXIS OF COMBAT

JAYAN K.C.

Around me the city

has gone insane

Last night

exactly at twelve-thirty...

The city that

Wears certain dresses

Works certain jobs

Mates at certain time

Wakes at certain time

Muttering certain mantras

has certainly gone insane

at a precise moment...

Yes I sincerely believe so.

Last night at twelve-thirty.

I beheld the city

In the pale body of dawn.

It was moving

The calm terror of the rush

Airplanes

Trains

Cars

humans curled up inside them...

Their peaceful rhythm is pure lunacy.

This awareness

(No one else but I have it)

hurled me to the edge of a declaration.

I have to declare

the city insane.

I was about to climb on my roof

when I realized I had no roof over me

I tried to undress myself

to catch the eye of those around me

when I realized I had no clothes on

I wanted to wail

calling for my mother

When it dawned up on me

I was born of myself

I called out to my love

Oh, I didn't know

her mother forgot to give birth to her

In its ignorance

(or was it enlightenment?)

the city went on insanely.

My brain began to spin

on the axis of combat.

In that slice of a second

My screams and yells merged

I slipped into complete madness...

Since then lunacy was never

talked about in the city...

not even in mental asylums...

Translated by Ajit Zacharias

Copyright  © 1998 Jayan K.C