So they say

When an old man dies
it is a library that burns:
so said some Griot, long before
words were inked for my deaf eyes

The hand that gives is
the hand that shall receive:
so said some Bard, long before
Gaga’s music needled under my skin

This is how I remember
the true ways of the world:
so said some Valmiki, long before
his comics and kisses goodnight

 

Arun Sood is a Scottish-Indian writer and lecturer. His research and works focus on themes of emigration, memory, family, history, and transcultural parallels.