THE DEATH KING BACK LEGS

On Onan Eve on the Avony month

A slight bicker at the gateway to Yama,

                             The King of Death,

And a mass prayer of malayalees too....

"King of Dharma, Lord of the Hell,

Lord Yama, give us relief,

Sinners we hail from the land of Malayalam"

Hearing a prayer in Malayalam

A sergeant wielded up a pike

The Sentinels of the Hell rounded up and

made a chain of resistance

The Lord of Dharma entered

oping the portal of Death-den.

Hell guards saluted in awe

And the dead souls lay down and wept

'Give us relief Lord'

"Gupta, do their trial anon,and

submit their penal-record"....

Ordered the Patron of Death

.

Gupta, picking up the files,

studying them turned pages keenly over

Then took the registers out of the safe

and examined  the data-list.

Wrinkling brows and mopping sweat

He performed scores of serviles

To find out where counting mistook.

Personal Register stark exact;

Daily inspection notes exact;

Entries, actions,disposals,

 Nothing shows any misconduct.

 Scribing notes, Gupta submits

The file before Lord Dharma.

The Death-King gazed into the file

And the Time removed it's curtain....

 His inners shuddered

seeing Nachikeda in front

Anon the Death-Lord took detour

With inner eyes on earth.

A truck from Karnatak

speeds up crossing the boundary...

A stalwart in Cabin gives instructions....

The vehicle stop at check posts now and then

And pouches handed over to guards at times

At early morn a giant tanker

stops at the factory yard;

Ministers are there and henchmen of Abkaris

And the communal leaders, men of arts...

Police... great men of various genres;

Many are they, and in their bowels

Froths out alcohol...

And at the sight of the light of their faces,

The death-King thought awhile.

On the screen removed of curtain

Brighten sights fair again...

The liquid is tapped drip-drop in pipes

from the tanker...

And many a process follows...

In bottles and cases 'the thing' with

An d workmen coming in row

reaches the outlets to buy a bit...

Thiruvonam in Kerala country side

The tide of glee and mirth

Meals prepared with dishes abound

And a  share was kept for fore fathers in

 Pieces of tender plantain leaves;

And a share to the ants in another piece;

Seating kith and kin in row,

The meal is served;

Aged Kumaran knelt before destiny

That blessed him to feast another Onam.

All, prior to the feast had gulped a bit

of the 'thing' as an initial rite.

After meals they chewed the 'pan-in-fours';

Spat red and renewed bygone memories.

Oh, who might have thrusted the pain of death

 into their hearts?

Kanaran dropped down pressing on his chest

Kumaran fell flat spitting blood;

With an unwonted fart by Raghavan,

The smell of Ammonia spread there.

The elder folk all fell flat thus

The curtain raised again on the screen

 The Lord turned down the file and got up,

Twirled up the rope into his hand, and 

walked alone to earth...

 He looked for the centres of knaves

that take up innocent lives

There were great men from the bottom

Upto the Minister levels,

And their chain was too strong.

their myriad numbers will not be content in the Rope...

taking the great rope twirling up,

The Death Lord held it within armpits

stepping down the steps of memory

Yama reached Markandeya.

Do not, no game   will be frutious

Before men; None could be trusted....

Even "The Trinity" will melt if man calls in meek.

What is the place of Lord Dharma and Yamapuri,

if man is not there....?

Time, this is Kaliyug

The world won't move if it loses 

the touch of Man's finger...

Tapping the dust of his buttocks,

The Death-King got up and moved to his kiingdom.

"Let poets be born here,and 

Let their works live long,

to maintain justice in the world..."

Thus prayed Lord Yama,

holding the Rope of Death

within his armpits.

Seeing that Nachikeda grinned.