The Dance Steps /Veerankutty Poem by Veerankutty

One should ask the hurricane
About the patience needed to teach
Ancient trees,
Dance.
The effort is lesser comparatively,
To teach singing to
The bamboo groves.
Still,
It is interesting to watch
How the tree solves the problem of
Inability to move its feet,
Through gestures.
The tree stares
With desire,
As the rain dances
A Tillana*
Its feet on the edges of
The fragile glass vessel
Of the Lake.
And daily,
The Karakattam*
Of the glass blades
Balancing the dew drops
On their heads.
The wind that got trapped
Even as it started to dance,
Within a ball-
Is not letting it touch
The ground anymore.
Having lost the ball,
The child stands crying-
Unable to follow
Its dance steps.
^^^^
*
Tillana- In Kuchipidi form of classical dance originating in Andhra Pradesh, the dancer places her feet on the edges of a brass plate.
Karakkattam- In this folk dance form of Tamil Nadu, pots are balanced on the heads of devotees who dance around in praise of the Goddess.
**(Translated from Malayalam by Ministhy S Nair)