Friday, July 05, 2013

The Justice Of Appetite



At night,
A lizard comes out, 
sweeps away 
with a mighty whoosh 
dashing me into tumult.
I lie quietly... keep watching him
floating around like a spider man;
I peer into its eyes
Breathtaking...alluring
...shifting, searching ceaselessly- 
A typical behavior of the hunter
Dreaming of food before the dawn tears;
It's lolling eyes finding nothing,
tears me instead...
I cringe; the wayward lizard
Lays supine...in tactile stillness?
An obscure fear grips me
my bangles jingle- the lizard darts out
with merest hiss, it drifts seeking its prey...
A modest dragonfly- as pale as me
immersed in playing hide and seek
Steeps its flight and floats past him
Moonlight spills on the dragonfly stuck to the ceiling
The primordial creature glides, and clutches it
between its teeth; it's perforated wings shiver a bit
struggle to move with little progress
I gaze, and I can scarcely blink-
the last flickering of its wings cease
Hunted-- Swallowed!!
Appetite fills the silence of space
I scrape my veneer, recoup
rightfully understand
The justice of eating, of appetite
The stronger must dominate,
and not blend with the weaker!
The lizard slips noiselessly past...










http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.in/2013/07/verse-first-appetite.html/ appetite

41 comments:

  1. Wow, Panchali, this is an amazing poem. It must have been quite an experience watching this lizard in pursuit of the dragonfly. What a breathtaking sight. I always feel sad for the prey, for some reason, though I know it is the way of nature...and yes, there is a lot to be understood by the justice of eating, of appetite, in the natural world. This was really well described, and I GET it!

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    1. Thank you, Mary. I thought, no one will get to read this.I am happy you liked this poem.Coming from a poet of your stature, it means a LOT!!
      While observing, I saw how the victim of starvation slowly chewed away the tissues of the prey for his own fuel..Reminds us of Darwin's theory of evolution.The world is filled with strange and natural wonders.
      Thanks a lot, Mary for that wonderful comment.:)

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    2. Thanks for the high praise, Panchali. I will have to live up to that 'high stature.' Smiles. Indeed the world is filled with strange and natural wonders...and they aren't all beautiful. Your picture didn't work above. I was wondering what kind of lizard it was, curiious person that I am.

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    3. Mary....that's what you are...trust me!!!I have discovered some prolific poets in PU, and you are surely one of them!!!:)
      It's not easy for the people to understand what metaphors and similes are doing in a narration and it is meant for those only who can understand it...and your comments show how accurately grasp the picture always... and that makes me feel so good!!!! Smiles.

      Yeah, the pic was giving a bit of a problem. I changed it. Gimme a smile now... :)))
      Thank you!

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  2. This poem gave me goosebumps, Panchali. I hate lizards. But they have an appetite and have to satiate it.and it is the survival of the fittest.

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    1. Yes, Kalpana...but, I hate their devilish look and behavior!Creeps me out! Ewww..
      Thanks for your lovely comment.

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  3. Wow this is a wonderful poem Panchali.. the description of her feeling...'bangles jingle' :) I love the structure as well :)

    Someone is Special

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    1. Thank you for dropping by, SIS! Its such a pleasure to see you here.Glad you enjoyed reading this piece. :)
      BTW, missing blogaton prompts..???((( I'll be disappointed if you shut it down :(

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  4. kinda scary eh? i guess we could take comfort in being the dominant species for now...but that only leads to us eating each other...and the strong survive...so much in the natural world when we still and watch it....cool verse....

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    1. Thank you, Brian.
      Lives are laden with conflicts, more so, in today's context. So, metaphorically we are eating each other...Ugh...hope better sense prevails. Smiles.

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  5. WOnderful..you write so elegantly !!

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    1. Thanks Naba. Appreciate being appreciated!! :)

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  6. Oh, Panchali this poem is amazing.
    Nature has its own laws.
    I send greetings from distant Polish.
    Lucia

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    1. Thanks Lucia...True, Nature has her own ways. For survival, man has to follow nature's traits!
      Thanks a lot!

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  7. Beautiful! The way you narrated the whole thing was spectacular!

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    1. Thank you, Bushra.... glad you liked this...Thanks for the compliment!! :)))

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  8. 'Nature, red in tooth and claw' - as Tennyson said. I agree this is an amazing poem. You convey both an objective understanding of the necessites of the natural world, and your own emotional response.

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    1. Rosemary, Tennyson wrote about the violent natural world so accurately in which predatory animals cover their teeth and claws with the blood of their prey as they kill and devour them.
      I am so happy you enjoyed this. Life is indeed not rosy... not always... not for everyone... :)))
      Thanks a ton for that superb comment!!:)

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  9. This reminds me of a nature show I used to watch when I was younger - always felt so bad for the poor animals that lost the battle! Had I been wearing bangles, they would have been jingling too!

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  10. Lizards - that was one part of India I did not enjoy but your poem describes it well and it brought back memories of the times I lay awake and watch them slither across the wall. ugh. Nicely done.

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  11. What a FANTASTIC response to the prompt, Panchali. This is amazing. Such great scope, makes us think far beyond the lizard and the dragonfly to the ways of nature, the ways of man........terrific write, kiddo!

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  12. Lizards...ewww!!! I feel uncomfortable whenever I see them.
    Very well crafted poem...!!:)

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  13. Very well written. There is even a human reference there with the bangles. One can almost relate to it if it weren't so overwhelmingly about the painting the picture. The visual imagery is very graphic.

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  14. Darwinian theory very well depicted...survival of the fittest!

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  15. Like Mary,i too feel v.sorry for the prey though i know it is a long food chain.

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  16. Oops! the sight of a lizard waiting for the prey or the Lion sneaking behind the bushes to leap upon the unsuspecting deer are sad moments to watch. But that's the way they survive. Fortunately, our prey is served at home and restaurants.

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  17. dropping in after long . And such a wonderfully penned verse to welcome me back !
    Hope you are doing good ma'm :)

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  18. Phew....
    Wonderful thrilling hunting expedition - well versed!!

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  19. I don;t know how many can write a poem with lizard as protagonist and pull it off so good...It;s nature...
    but yea one always tend to lean toward the underdog...

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  20. A normal day to day course for the lizard but well, scary for the eyes that blink not at the scene. Your account of witnessing that moment in a life cycle well, Di! must say is etched out well here - Survival of the fittest!

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  21. Carries that unique Panchali touch.

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  22. The way of life, Panchali, 'The stronger devour the weak'!

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  23. You should have watched the lizard more closely for writing this poem - Lovely lines:)

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  24. for the world is all about dominance .. the stronger .. the dominant .. my perception tells me there is a lesson here.. to be calm composed and targeted .. dominate with your skills .. well.. for the first time I felt all inspired by the act of lizard .. All thanks to the wonderful poetess weaving beautiful poem about a hunter and a keen observer !

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  25. As beautiful as always, your poetry is truly mesmerizing ma'am, all the scenes vividly come alive in the vision of my mind as I read through. Super work :) and this poem also reminded me of the food chain, where the strong conquer the weak and a natural balance in the world is maintained.

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  26. Hi Panchali di

    That was beautifully described. The lizard eats off its prey in one gulp. Have once witnessed a kitten catching a lizard. Oh cats are sadistic creatures when it comes to catching food. They would let it go, catch it again, let it go, catch again just like the one in Tom N Jerry cartoon! Nature can sometimes appear cruel but thats the law of the land!

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