Elders' Day Poem by Rajendran Muthiah

I don't remember or speak often of my age.
If anyone wants to know how old I am
I'll ask how many years they have been in this earth,
and tell him to multiply by four or three or two.
When my degree- students enquire of my age,
I 'd say with a smile, ' you're my grand daughters'
and tell them, 'I'm four times older than you'.
'My God! My grandfather is younger to you, sir! '
they would say and widen their eyes!

Some of my well-wishers would query me,
in the presence of beautiful womenfolk,
' Are you healthy, sir, to continue teaching? '
I'd look above and say, till He rests me at home,
'I'll come' and with a twisted face, they'd leave.
I received a message yesterday, to place orders
for Elders' Day cards. I felt surprise, how that fellow
knew, ' I'm a senior citizen of 73 years'.
Once a girl, a quarter century younger than me
smote me with her bewitching smile.
I asked her if she were in need of any help.
Being at the dissipating stage of life,
I don't want to disappoint the youngones
who are attracted by my teaching or other virtues,
and I told her of my paining joints and numbing feet.
' You're joivial, sir' and continues to pay me respects.

I teach to my grand sons and daughters in B.A class,
laugh and joke with them, lead them to taste
Shakespeare and other poets and forget, ' I'm 73! '.