Poets And Mendicants Poem by Khairul Ahsan

Poets And Mendicants

Rating: 5.0


When the bar at the level crossing falls,
Vehicles line up and wait for clearance,
The mendicants emerge from nowhere,
And stretch out their palms for alms.

A poet sitting in his car alone, waiting,
Busy with his smart phone, quite absorbed,
Is distracted by their unsightly deformity,
Cleverly displayed for drawing sympathy.

To avoid their repeated begging for alms,
The poet throws a dime to the empty palm,
And moves on when the train passes clear,
Pondering, how he and they were similar!

The beggars tried to impress the passers by,
And did some acting to market their deformity.
He tried to impress the woman he loved,
With his poems and acting, to win her affability.


Dhaka
04 March 2015
Copyright Reserved.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Topic(s) of this poem: love
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Patricia Grantham 04 March 2015

Love your comparison with the beggar and the women. Our personal views are what makes us unique. Nice.

1 0 Reply
Edward Kofi Louis 02 June 2020

Observation! ! ! A poet watches and, Writes something about it. Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

0 0 Reply
Valsa George 06 March 2019

Reading the title of the poem I was wondering what similarities could be drawn between a mendicant and a poet! After reading it, my confusion is clarified! Both try to impress others, one by marketing their deformities and the other by winning the favor of the ones they love through their poems! It has also brought a smile to me! Some poets think it is safer to win the affability of the women they love through poems they publish than sending a personal message!

1 0 Reply
Khairul Ahsan 30 April 2020

'Both try to impress others, one by marketing their deformities and the other by winning the favor of the ones they love through their poems! ; - Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to say. Thanks for explaing the poem. This might help some future readers too.

0 0
Khairul Ahsan 17 March 2015

@Elena Sandu, Thank you so much for stopping by, to read a poem of mine. I am glad that you found the comparison interesting and appreciate the thoughts you shared. Yes, I agree that 'it may be important to give a chance to celebrate both'.

1 0 Reply
Elena Sandu 16 March 2015

Interesting comparision, yes we can find similarities in mostly everything but differences too. I guess it may be important to give a chance to celebrate both, if we want.

1 0 Reply
Khairul Ahsan 05 March 2015

@Patricia Grantham, Thank you so much for reading one of my new poems and leaving your thoughtful words there. 'Our personal views are what makes us unique' - Very kind and thoughtful appreciation, many thanks!

0 0 Reply
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Close
Error Success