28th August, '09
My breath is warm,
warming me,
from the cold gaze of survival;
Each day, a fire I'm walking through,
each applause, an ode to my life.
Underneath a starry sky,
behind a wall of fireworks,
I become the lone edifice,
I become the burnt deity,
revered for my burning skin,
loved for my teary eyes.
My nerves they slowly turn to steel,
hardened by the fires of time,
breathing a breath of lifelessness,
burning in flames of approval,
I become the fire of a million souls,
to burn and be burnt with joy,
until this night turns to dawn.
I like the way it progresses from the matter-of-fact "my breath is warm" to the cosmic "burnt diety", and the "fire of a million souls".
ReplyDeletethe phrase burn and be burnt with joy
http://briarcat.wordpress.com
Hello Amulya,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this and the direction in which you took the prompt. I also love the sound of
"breathing a breath of lifelessness".
I loved the line, "burning in flames of approval". The view point of your poem is very personal and I like that you were able to capture the anxious tension involved in this line of work. Thank you for sharing your poem.
ReplyDeleteIt felt like a collaborative, jointly lived memoir between you and the subject of the photo.
ReplyDeleteMakes me think and feel more deeply into my life and the collaborative memoirs I write each day.
Thank you!
I become the lone edifice/ I become the burnt deity were my favorite lines, but the entire poem is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI was drawn deep into it..
ReplyDeletegeometry of fireworks cuts into me
This really is quite beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the voice seems to belong to both the poem's speaker and the street performer. The character speaks for you; you speak through the character. I like the ending--
ReplyDeleteburning in flames of approval,
I become the fire of a million souls,
to burn and be burnt with joy,
until this night turns to dawn
Thank you all for the encouragement. In India we see many such sights often. As a child it was with only awe; as I grew older it became mingled with analysis and perspective. Hence, the personal touch.
ReplyDeleteMy comment did not show up the first time, so hopefully this isn't redundant. I really like the humble, self-sacrificing tone in this. The poem feels sure and calm in spite of the speaker's circumstances. The effect is spiritual and reassuring.
ReplyDeletewonderful...."fire of a million souls" is great
ReplyDelete...I become the fire of a million souls,
ReplyDeleteto burn and be burnt with joy,
until this night turns to dawn.
Lovely!