Inscriptions (Fragments) Poem by Raj Arumugam

translation of ancient inscriptions on clay square tablets discovered in 1935; these inscriptions were discovered when a shepherd noticed the exposed edges of mud squares in a pit on the side of a hill after a day of heavy rains …




1

the sunlight fades behind yonder cliffs
the trees are aglow
and the leaves sparkle:
I must walk there;
I must go…


2

the birds are singing
and the trees dance;
the breeze blows…
…the ghostly statues stand in the cold…
….and. why...


3

a word is said
and five returned;
words do not always
bring clarity
for language
carries with it
one’s emotions and energies


4

I entertain sometimes
the thoughts one should not,
the unspeakable thought:
why should one
wait?
why must one wait?
why can it not
be brought about by oneself?


5

we kissed today
below the tree;
it was my first
and so it was his;
and when we had to depart
we could not really see our way
though it was still but midday


6

I passed this way
and I had to say
what must be said;
but I ask your forgiveness
if my words hurt in the message


7

we skipped school today
and played in the hills
and ate berries and fruit
and cooked meat
the seniors brought from home;
all day we laughed and we swam
and returned home as the sun set:
O why would anyone
want to go to school?


8

but it was not about you or about me
it was about
all of us
and what we thought not aloud


9

there is always
a battle for
your heart and mind;
you can be free
if you see
your conditioning