The Ethos of The City Animal in India – Pawan Hira

There has never been a sentiment

of such a nature which says:

In India, do as Indians do

and I am tempted to look through

and wonder how it is true

to not have such a sentiment but to

constantly ape; ape the man of

modern boots, oiled tongues, a swag, and solid white lies too

that in India, no one does as Indians do, even Indians too

but those who do here are akin with walks of a liberated zoo

prancing here and there with nothing to do except to joke around

and mask the varieties of masks in a tongue salivating for foreign foods

that the hunger of outsiders remain evermore evasive for their talks

who do simply saying it in closed doors and gatherings of few as if identity crisis

had never touched their collars and dues to pay to say a thing or two with open doors.

Pawan Nooroo Heera is a poet from India, a founder and editor of The Quiet Letter. He is also working upon his first novel and a poetry collection to be published later.