Ananta Madhavan Poems

Go, my notebook,
Get lost in a trunk of old papers,
Now the last page is inscribed.
I who could give you speech
...

I knew on Friday night, at seven,
That Ennui was a Hound of Heaven.
I fled him down the drawing room
Where brittle laughter sounded doom.
...

Arrears Statement

The day's 'receipts' were nine, 'disposals' eight,
Three callers, two teas, four phone calls,
...

It should be easy to go with no care into the midst of things;
But somehow the habit of worrying takes over command,
And all one can do is to watch it happen once again:
The killing of impulse by routine, the eddying of thought,
...

It is quite simple. You reach out and touch
The core of a soul, as you might touch someone's hand.
You may withdraw quickly and go away, but you
Cannot undo what you have done:
...

How can I tell if Fortune has been fair
Or wanton as the wind upon the sea?
The dreams that built my castles in the air
Disdain the anchors of reality.
...

Those who are shadows grieve the light
When picture sharp the black blocks move
And nudge a map of shapes to occupy
The glare of white surrender.
...

Draped like a dream the universe expands,
Fragile and fugitive, it flees the dark centre,
Blown away in skeins of gossamer
As stardust and sunlight, moonbeam and earth-glow,
...

Emptied of rain, the convalescent sky
Grows luminous again, all is cleansed.
Bicycles emerge from passageways
And weld in long formations;
...

The centipede crawls into the bus,
The millipede must wait.
A red bug moves towards the money-combs.
Driver ants are racing to the hill of power
...