Man's Best Friend Poem by Madathil Rajendran Nair
Man's Best Friend
Rain clouds ran berserk on the hills
Like elephant herds in panic
Winds whistled like villains
On the winding mountain pass
A warm tea would do me good
I stopped my car and moved
Towards a dilapidated shed
Where men of all shades
Huddled together puffing beedies
He came after me then
His eyes had a moist glisten
Of ageless friendship
Wagging his tail looking up
At me, placing his paws on my thighs
Stray dog of the mountain pass
His eyes were mascara lined
A beauty to behold
A silky brownness filled with mirth
And wavy musculature
What does he like?
Anything, Sir, that we have here
I bought him a sweet bun
He gulped it at once
Wagging his tail again
Ageless camaraderie in his eyes
I bought him a second bun
Before I drained
The last drops of my steaming tea
Made from what God knows
On that forsaken mountain pass
And as I walked back to my car
In an elemental swirl
Of winds, drizzle, mist and clouds
He was there behind me
With that haunting friendship in his eyes
Friend, our knowing each other
Is perhaps endless
It never had a beginning either
We were together through ages
Births, rebirths, deaths and pangs
Perhaps, you guarded my Neanderthal cave
When I snored inside
Looking at the Moon and wondering
Why the world was made
So beautiful to behold
Or perhaps you sat there in the snow
Outside my igloo freezing
Looked at the white expanse and mused
Why it had to be so awesome
When it bit into the bones
And stiffened the looks even
Of the stars in the heavens
Adieu friend, we are to meet
Again and again in our sojourns
Keep the friendship burning
In your moist eyes, sure am I
You will be there when I breathe
My last on some mountain pass
Sitting at my head, man’s best friend
What more would a human want?
A nice description of a loyal and faithful friend................................10
One of your best poems, both in English and Malayalam, Madathil Nair
Sir, Great poem on the eternal friendship between man and the canine. But the following lines impress me: You will be there when I breathe My last on some mountain pass Sitting at my head, man’s best friend What more would a human want? These lines remind me of the last sojourn of Dharmatutra (the seniormost Pandava-of epic Mahabharat) . It is written that, when the Pandavas embarked upon the Mahaprasthana (sojourn) , a dog joined them. As the journey progressed, starting from Droupaty (the wife of the Pandavas) , one by one, fell on the way. And Dharmaptura continued his journey, when Gods descended to take him with them to heaven. He, however insisted that he would go with Them, only if the dog is also allowed to accompany. Finally, when Gods yielded, to his chagrin, he found out that the dog was none other than God Dharmadeva, his father. So goes the story. The poem as such is reflective of this epical story. I am grateful to you for sharing this exquisite poem.
Thiruvannamalai is a shrine which I loved to visit. We lived in Chennai for 11 years and had visited on many occasions and made the round on the pournami nights too. It is really an enchanting spiritual experience. The experience similar to yours have been recounted by many of my friends and realatives. But I never had; May be I was not pious enough to acquire the benevolence of Lord Siva.
I have read that story of a dog following Dharmaputra. However, that wasn't in mind when I penned this poem. This is based on a true incident which occurred somewhere beyond Walayar en route Coimbatore. The only change is that I made it an unfriendly mountain-pass. Thanks for reading new meaning into my poem. A dog had followed me for about 14 km when I was going round the holy mount of Thiruvannamalai, (one round is 15 km) where Bh. Ramana Maharshi spent his life-time and attained mahaasamaadhi. The pious there believe that such dogs are not ordinary but siddhaas. I don't know. But the dog's behaviour baffled me despite my usual rationalizing. I would now like to believe that he was a siddha!
Breath-taking and surreal. The narrative is fantastically interesting as well as emotional. The eternal bond of friendship felt with a stray dog during a short period of time lasting barely an hour or so of halt on a journey by road. You have made it a philosophical experience. Thanks, Nair ji.
This poem made a strong impression on me when I first began exploring PoemHunter eight months ago. Stumbling across gems like this convinced me to stay with PH. The storm is described in film-scenario style. We can visualize the stormy desolation and how comforting the dog's presence must have been. There are authentic touches, such as wondering what the tea was made from on that Godforsaken mountain pass. We are seeing through the poet's eyes. He imagines himself wondering about the beauty of the moon and intensity of winter cold in other eras. It seems natural that such reflections would be enhanced by the presence of a companion. This poem evokes the mystery of friendship across species.
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4/24/2024 4:19:35 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Truly said, dog is man's good friend and man has to learn a lot from it.