Scavengers - A Crow & A Poet Poem by Amar Agarwala
Scavengers - A Crow & A Poet
Like a crow scavenges garbage
And sometimes a prey,
I too scavenge for morsels dry
That I may live a day;
There is a difference in our tasks
Though they look quite the same,
The crow labours for its stomach
And I do it for name;
Needless to say, we both need hope
Each a different one,
For him it is to pass a day
Mine - a place in the sun;
The beast imbued with flying straight
Cares not for passing days,
But I take heed of rushing time
I heed the worldly ways;
It snatches, steals without a qualm
And does so sans regret,
I steal and plunder thoughts from life
Like it, I do not fret;
It lays its eggs on bending boughs
Into the raven's nest,
So that it lead a carefree life
And be by heaven's blest;
Know I envy this subtle trait
Something I wish could do,
Living a life of blessedness
Carefree under the blue;
We both are stoic in our ways
Watching life march ahead,
It firmly perched upon the boughs
And me inside my head;
Its ceaseless plight and harrowed years
A curse from heaven's be,
His life unwritten poetry
Poet he is, like me.
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Having lived in Calcutta all my life, my mornings are never complete without the cawing of crows from nearby trees, and there are quite a few around. The Mango with its leafy branches, a Pepul that competes with the years and a few others. A murder of crows even nest in there, and sometimes they are more noisy than I can bear.
Yet, I also know that they are grossly misunderstood, more so, because like other birds they do not sing and besides, look shabby and ugly. The world is besotted by looks, and so the crow often faces the wrath of humans, only to be thrown food to ward evil spirits or to appease the Gods.
Crows are wonderful scavengers, and work tirelessly to keep the ecological balance. They live the longest among animals and birds and I feel there is a stark resemblance between it and a poet. Poets too are misunderstood, disliked and berated by the mortal world, even though they do wonderful work by scavenging ill thoughts and filling the void with rhyme and rhythm to give life meaning and charm.
These thoughts have motivated me to write the verses above. I hope I could do some justice to these unfortunate beasts of nature.
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Crows act instinctively, whereas poets are more conscientious. Cleansing the environment, is the end result in either case, but one is unintentional while the latter is intentional. What a nice simile. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Jayatissa, for reading and liking the verses. Yours understanding of this subtle difference has been perfect, if I may say - poetic. Warm Regards!
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/27/2024 2:02:26 PM # 1.0.0.1119
A great poem- - - - Comparing a Poet and a crow- - - God's creation, a crow, though with an ugly look and a rough voice doing marvelous service, by cleaning earth of pollution.A poet with higher understanding purifies many evils of society. Thanks for sharing the beautiful poem.
Thank you Bharati, for your kind words and for liking my verses.
Dear Bharati, Thank you for reading and liking the verses.You have also read beautifully in between the lines. Shows the true poet that you are. Warm Wishes!