Poem-I burn'd my books--25Nov2024

Poem : I BURN’D MY BOOKS… 

 

---"Books are the liberated spirits of men."

         -- Mark Twain (1835-1910)

--- “When a work appears to be ahead of its time, it is only the time that is behind the work.”

--Jean Cocteau (1889-1963)

---“I have received your book of poems just sometime back, today. I have no words to express your talent. The world should know. So very classical, one can easily compare these with any of the poems of the great poets of the classical era. So very emotional & depth in them. Thank you for this wonderful gift.”

--From Sagnik Sen, (singer, painter, pianist and poet), India, June 2021

www.sagniksen.com
(On my book “Poetical Ravings,” second edition, March 2020, Mauritius). 

--- “If learned men force instruction into the ears of the ignorant and thereby incur disrespect, the fault is their own. Why blame others when with all their wide learning, they know not the nature of those others ?”

 --(Ed) T. B. Krishnaswami : “TEN TAMIL ETHICS.” Madras, India : The South India Saiva Sidhanta Works Publishing Society, 1937.  Full acknowledgements are made to the authors, publishers and rights-holders.

 

*****

 

1^st section

First book publish’d in 1997

“Poetical Ravings.”

Big hopes, but big deception…

Hardly anybody car’d…

Went with the wind…

Went up in smoke…

 

2^nd

Misguid’d expectations.

Some 2000 copies print’d.

Misunderstood the masses,

Even critics.

Gave away about 275 copies.

Paid the postage…

 

3^rd

Few responses.

Most bother’d not.

Universities, colleges,

Government departments

Libraries…

Went unknown,

Unwant’d…

 

4^th

The remainder sat yonder.

The boxes pil’d up.

With time, sagging boxes…

The boxes sagg’d with the weight,

The unbearable weight

Of going unknown,

Spurn’d,

Uncar’d for…

 

5^th

Months roll’d by,

Years elaps’d.

The sagging went worse.

Groggy stuff,

But still unwant’d

Even with the passage of time.

Time went slowly,

So slowly…

 

6^th

What a sight…

What an experience…

For how long to endure it…

Mistaken ideas,

Right from the start.

Misjudg’d the reception.

Nobody car’d…

 

7^th

Finally, years later,

Open’d some boxes

For a peek…

Alas !...

What a shock !...

Bookworms had drill’d holes

In the books…

The unwant’d books,

Unwant’d by humans,

But food for bookworms…

 

8^th

Some solace, at least :

The books provid’d food

For bookworms…

The books had holes in them :

They had turn’d HOLY !…

Holy Lord !...

 

9^th

The bookworms were neat :

They came,

Ate

And went away,

Cleanly,

Ne’er leaving a mess…

 

10^th

The mess was the very idea of publishing.

Flaw’d was the very idea,

From the start…

But, this be the fate of some writers :

New books drill’d by worms.

Unseen,

Unwant’d…

 

11^th

Still, publishing logically follows writing.

But the fate be unknown,

Even for books.

Anyway,

The poet still holds sway :

He gave life to the books :

He will give them a fiery death…

What else be left to do ?...

 

12^th

A further insult would be

To let the books litter…

To send them to the dump-yard…

Burning is cleansing.

The books be like the phoenix :

They will rise from their ashes..

(A mistype made “asses” appear here…

But, that Backspace be a wondrous thing…

Thank God for Backspace and Delete…)

 

13^th 

For now, intense heat

From the fiery pyre.

Like a wood-bas’d cremation pyre :

I had to cremate my books…

I was like a moth sneaking closer

To the devastating fire…

The smoke will disappear.

The holy books will vanish.

Physically.

But, they will still remain…

 

14^th

The books disappear’d.

They were littering the place.

They had to go.

Ay, they had to go.

Like the returning spring,

They will return

Anew,

In another series,

Edit’d,

Revis’d,

Augment’d…

 

15^th

SLOW forward.

March 2020.

The second edition.

Revis’d,

Augment’d.

But dastardly Covid broke loose :

The printing stopp’d :

Everything seiz’d up…

 

16^th

Months later,

Matters resum’d,

Work resum’d.

Printing was complet’d.

Just 200 copies,

This time.

Cut down to size.

Brought down to earth

By reality.

Reality checks…

From 2000 to 200 copies…

 

17^th

Some 195 copies given away FREELY.

Not one copy sold.

Still, no reply from many addressees,

Universities,

Libraries,

Government departments,

Diplomatic missions,

Colleges,

“Personalities”…

A few positive replies…

I paid the postage myself…

I paid the price :

In more sense than one…

Many trips to the post office :

Queuing up in the rain,

Swelt’ring in the sun…

 

18^th

No response ?

Little response ?...

What the heck !

Stop complaining,

Stop moaning…

Serve you right

For casting pearls

To the wild winds…

 

19^th

The burden be gone :

No more sagging boxes

This time round…

Buy one, get one free ?

Nay :

Buy nothing :

Get it free !...

 

---------------

Soman Ragavan

25 November, 2024

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