Section Breaks

I
Chit-chat with a young poet
An uncompromised “poetess”
To most of you here
That’s your teacher’s teacher

II
Free-style writing I no longer believe in, he says
Yet, he welcomes small talk a lot
Claiming it could inspire him somehow
I, therefore, get into a conversation with him

III
Right from the kick-off
And throughout
I can’t help myself but speechless
I come to realise what I’ve been doing – from within and deep down

IV
How come I always have a hectic schedule?
Is it because work is not letting go?
Or, am I not letting go of money?
Why do I invariably depict teaching as a profession non-stop?

V
While I often look gauche in school
He’s achieving instant fame
His goal is to be one of the top Asian poets,
To be mentioned and quoted whenever folks look into exotic poems

VI
It ain’t your aim anymore, I argue
How come, he asks
“Your destination’s been reached a decade earlier;
Better look for a new one”

VII
He nods,
Abruptly turns from passive to proactive,
And interrogates, how about your destination?
Have you reached it yet?

VIII
I’m stunned
Those are the questions
That I dare not ask, let alone answer myself
But, I opt not to shun

IX
Like you, I joke
I’m constantly looking for, at and into the chemistry between words
Unlike you, however,
I’m now exiled from my place