The Professor Poem by Nissim Ezekiel

The Professor

Rating: 3.2


Remember me? I am Professor Sheth.
Once I taught you geography. Now
I am retired, though my health is good.
My wife died some years back.
By God's grace, all my children
Are well settled in life.
One is Sales Manager,
One is Bank Manager,
Both have cars.
Other also doing well, though not so well.
Every family must have black sheep.
Sarala and Tarala are married,
Their husbands are very nice boys.
You won't believe but I have eleven grandchildren.
How many issues you have? Three?
That is good. These are days of family planning.
I am not against. We have to change with times.
Whole world is changing. In India also
We are keeping up. Our progress is progressing.
Old values are going, new values are coming.
Everything is happening with leaps and bounds.
I am going out rarely, now and then
Only, this is price of old age
But my health is O.K. Usual aches and pains.
No diabetes, no blood pressure, no heart attack.
This is because of sound habits in youth.
How is your health keeping?
Nicely? I am happy for that.
This year I am sixty-nine
and hope to score a century.
You were so thin, like stick,
Now you are man of weight and consequence.
That is good joke.
If you are coming again this side by chance,
Visit please my humble residence also.
I am living just on opposite house's backside.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Bijay Kant Dubey 05 August 2016

The talks between the ex-student and the retired professor of Geography continues it in a healthy spirit where the latter is a spokesman while the former a mere listener of his. But the professor's English which he is using is broken English, somehow carried on to show his professorship and professorliness and the status which he held it once. Even the erroneous sentences have been used in to carry forward the talks. Most of the sentences are of the present continuous tense.

3 2 Reply
M Asim Nehal 14 July 2020

Interesting storyline to read.

0 0 Reply
Anil Kumar Panda 04 April 2020

Nice to read such a poem after many years. sort of story telling and very enjoyable. Thanks for sharing.

0 0 Reply
Devidutta 31 October 2019

Good poem

0 0 Reply
Mithlesh Singh 01 May 2019

Wow this poem is like a short story and tells us about a conversation of a teacher and student

0 0 Reply
Ashley Paul 09 April 2018

The reading with a native accent has slaughtered the poem. It has to be read with an Indian accent and intonation to convey the message and the spirit of the poem.

1 0 Reply
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