Sunday, November 21, 2010

The Vaudevillian


“…They call me a cynical soul,
one who has no heart of his own!”

“Why do you look at the flowers 
with such disdain?” They ask.

“Nay, you naïve souls, ‘tis not disdain; 
nor is it contempt,” I reply.
Darkness is the only existence,
the light, the colour, are but illusions!”


“Oh, ye cynic, cold and heartless!” they exclaim.
“Such cold a creature can never be the Lord’s creation!”

"Ha! You fools!” I laugh out loud, 
"I am not a creation of God!
The one that you worship!
I am man! Nature’s creation; the finest!

“She has bestowed upon me
powers great and mighty!
But fear me not, for I’m a part of her,
destruction of this world is not in my nature!”


“Then,” they ask, perplexed, “such cold a person you are,
yet you claim to be a poet, an artist?”

“My art is merely a subtle way
to mask my emotions, in all the splendour there is…
Though what the grandeur conceals is all but fake,
I do this all with utmost passion.”


“You are mad!” They scream in fear,
“Such crazy passions you hold so dear!
All that is created will be, one day, destroyed;
you shall be left alone; you’ll rot in a void!”


“Life’s a concoction, of health and death;
happiness and sadness…
It will go on forever, you see.
All I do, is create art of a finer degree!

“I am indeed the hero when you are the villain;
the villain when you are the hero!
Theatricality is my bane, it is my lifeblood;
without it, I am as empty as ‘zero’!

“And so concludes tonight’s performance!
This humble actor shall not live in conformance!
I take my prestige, bowing to the crescendo,
of claps and cheers; and, jeers and fears…

“…for sadly, such is my life, I think!”


A creator? An actor?
A hero? Or a villain?


...I smile…!


“Though the curtains’ a’ downed,
I shall be ever at your service!
With all due respects, sir,
I am, after all, a humble vaudevillian…!”



Tonight's performance is dedicated to a fellow actor, thinker
 and poet par excellence!
Together we create worlds through words...
...and of course, life's as vivid as it can (im)possibly be, 
for us vaudevillians!





6 comments:

  1. Proshant, you're just going from strength to strength! This is exceptional work from you. The ideas just brim forth this poem. And the grace with which it is said, this marks the birth of a new you!

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  2. MrNarci, thank you...this had been phenomenal for me; you know where the inspiration came from, so you know how it started...
    and I confess, I have been inspired by 'V' a lot...a vaudevillian...

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  3. A few things about the poem:

    The form is good, because I don't find it difficult to reach till the end. The content is illuminating at times, though there isn't really one content so to speak. You jump from one theme/position to another. Even though my personal taste can't savour this idea, I see no reason why this hasn't worked well. Further (and perhaps this is a common thread) I think in each of your work, you have a strong desire to speak differently from all others, and are aware of it too:

    “I am indeed the hero when you are the villain;
    the villain when you are the hero!"

    I don't know how long an artist can keep this on, but I don't see a problem yet.

    Bravo.

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  4. Pratik: thanks a lot!
    about the form, it was never in focus, the flow was too strong while i was writing it; i could give the touches only once it was done. it essentially captures the variety of life, it's metaphor being "the stage".
    and yes, I do have a desire to speak differently from the crowd, I am a non-conformist in that sense...how long can I keep this on? Hm, I won't worry about it yet, it hampers the creativity!

    thank you!

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