remarkable are my many poet friends
winning, among friends, some fame
a greater reputation in their own minds
though struggling to earn +a decent income
foremost among these dancers is Zinga
self-righteous, self-proclaimed a Nigerian chief
an angry immigrant to a terrain too unfriendly
he now like a sober sage proclaims, affirmatively
the old English maxim: ‘all that glitters
is not gold’
justifying also his unwillingness to change
with times
hence denying, within self, traces of a
chameleon
as i move on after failing to uncurl the
dog’s tail
then comes Brimstone, the brilliant bask
singing morning, noon and night from work
to escape
arguing the need to speak truth through a
mask
claiming, unlike me, a Tamil writing in
English
he also thinks the language of his colonial
master
he is a migrant poet, and his face is
behind a mask!
Leister is the other, licking the others’
liquor glasses
basking in coffee shops, establishing his
charisma
only after failing to find his worth
elsewhere
but in a land that alienates the new
arrival
he networks with the underdogs
constantly kicking George’s ass
thriving on the exploits of his comrades!
last but not the least is a damsel, Dorothy
writing with the pen name Dana
claiming to be like the beaver
a true daughter of the soil
with little education and more with her
skin
very confident that her poetry, for sure
will fix peace in the warring world!
© henry victor
18.09.2003
