Tamil Life

The doorbells
don’t work
but no one goes away.

These one-and-a-half years
with no latch on the bathroom door
have endangered
no one’s privacy.

The broken leg of this chair
will not insult a guest,
only slightly imbalance him.

I have been travelling
in this god-protected city
in a vehicle without brakes
for a week.

That pain
at the base of the stomach,
somewhere to the left,
comes often these days.
If I sleep at a particular angle for a while
I can manage.

There is a lot
to be set right
everywhere.

Even so,
uncomplicated
is Tamil life.

TAMIL LIFE