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Sunday 15 April 2012

Shelf life: Indeterminate

(for oldness)

These are the libraries
of our land,
made of novels and epic poetry
rarely perused
seldom cited:
and yet there are letters
words and metaphors
tapestries woven
with labour
and the threads of being,
the bartering without permission
wheels that turn
despite impediment and age-limit,
the fruits of our today
the catch that fell through
the butterfingers of political economy,
the story of a child
and her tomorrow
and the transcripts
of a timeless,
careless
civilization.

[From the collection 'Some texts are made of leaves,' shortlisted for the Gratiaen Award 2011]

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1 comment :

  1. this is a good one. this is a different and a good way to look at 'life' .... 'shelf life' this certainly says a lot about many things related to human lives. Yes there are many libraries in our land. sometimes we don't try to read the books available in the libraries that are very close to our hearts. 'reading' is the most difficult thing in this world i believe. reading accurately the books that are available in ones own book shelf is the most important thing to learn. these books are known as 'the parents'

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