Elephants Talk Poem by Prabhakar Subramaniam

Grown-ups cannot wait

For children to grow up

Especially those

Of their neighbours

Or reprehensible relatives

They want them

To be like those monsters

In the movies

Precocious and poised;

They want them to run

Before they can walk

Sing before they can speak

Speak before they can cry;

'Why is he walking like this?

You should teach him to walk erect

Like a soldier marching.'

A three-year-old child

Talking to his toys,

Making his own universe,

Is not a scene

That brings a smile;

'Tell me, do animals talk? '

Ofcourse, they do

See, the elephant

Is asking the horse

To bring him something to eat.

'How is it possible?

Only human beings have speech! '

He pounces on the mother

To give more instructions

On bringing up a child;

I do not want to tell him

That it will be a sad day for me

When my son stops talking

To his elephant and horse.