The Ask Me Poem by Bijay Kant Dubey

They ask me, Mr.Dubey, where have got from the art of humour
Humour, mockery, joke and laughter
But what to say to,
As I have from the clown, fool, rustic character,
The village clown, circus joker, comedian,
The winker, whistler and imitator.

I have got my art form, I mean the performing art,
From the dancer, the village clown and the imitator
And my art is pantomime art,
I trying to say with signs and symbols,
Trying to imitate your style and manner,
Life-style and words.

I have learnt my art from the rustic clown
Dancing in a lungi and ganjee
With a beedi on the lips,
Whistling and dancing
With the band party.

I have learnt my art from the winker
Winking at,
The smiler smiling without rhyme or reason,
The voice-changer
Changing his voice to that of the girl’s,
One imitating the gorilla’s voice.

The monkey style chattering and grinning
When angry,
The snake-style hissing and hooding
When to attack,
The lion-style roaring,
All these for my imitation and pleasure sake.

The train is passing, whistling and chugging
And I too whistling,
Doing ta-ta, bye-bye to the passengers
Seated in the bogeys