Khan Singh Kumar
The dream of return
It is simple. I will work my hours all of destiny
cutting cement into rectangle, living in rags
so my daughter with my son will go to India
and imagine a pizza bar in the most fashionable town!
With retirement as showing of God’s faith,
the past where all is written is begin.
In my acre of land, eagle-seated
with mauve faluda under fan, the peasants
will mimic how with the many eyes like Brahma
my son mastered the crickety customers. My daughter
to the most alabastered family blessed.
Only then, at the daub of holi,
will I have packed the boot of my white Maruti
with chum-chums and powder-paints
or gunned liquid yellows
for the childrens of my village,
queued from bark to faraway bark,
with hands raised at the heel of my burgundy loafers,
and all the old to the very young
of many branches ago - propped
in the sand of the hot air -
struck by the gold ring
of the blue-suited man who took off his shades -
his voice louder than the temple speakers,
he tear into his one word of English:
yes, yes! What you are admiring at is me - I am back
from the fated life of mad work.
My children have come too
and they are very happy to have come too,
so you must watch the wedding of my son.
Yes, that is the one. We live in Model Town.
Page(s) 44-45
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