my teacher talks of a sri lankan english-poem ii
Repost This Articlemy teacher talks of a sri lankan english-poem ii
(a responsive thing)
by sumathy
ooo, how sad that
thing called a sri lankan-thing
who
thinging this thing of
of englees or inglisss
has no capacity, no?
for funny funny joking thing
in the morning,
day, evening or
night. only thing
he, boyfriend, can find is thing
that, thing this, and good old papa shakes
peare, no great shakes
but sitting on the fence of the globe, passing on
this or that thing frommm
eliza to james, accumulating
primitively othello’s thing? of course,
this is way above the ways of pearl,
bin dalen or the pumpkin lovers of the
fricative z, but
write i, nevertheless, of
the base indian, richer than all his tribe,
this thing, no caring no, meyler’s
injunction against poetry
in the sri lankan
that thing.
Dear Sumathy,
I think you have talent. But then Indran Amirthanayagam also writes poetry. Good wholesome poetry.
But why waste your talent with the intent of pillorying your critics? It hurts no-one but you. I agree Dalen was getting a bit personal on attacking you. But when you write on any subject someone will disagree with you.
The trick is to duck and dive and and not respond. This is best form of defence.
But if they criticise your writings, as an academic you sure have the ammo to reply.
Pearl,
Thanks for the recommendation. Is it like Sri Lanka’s got talent?
You, I hope, are wrong about one thing.
This poem is about Sri Lankan English, Othellos’s this thing, primitive accumulation and many other things and is not about Bin Dalen, though he did give me the funny funny idea of this thing. But my earlier poem, my teacher talks of a sri lankan english, my very first in fact, had this thing, in just one place. So, Bin Dalen just prodded my memory a little bit
I don’t like to comment on other people’s poetry unless of course I am teaching a class on Blake or something like that. But I am compelled to say this. I’d shudder to write like Indan Amirthanaygam as he does in his recent manifestation as commentator on Sri Lankan politics of the ethnic kind.
So that really hurt. I am infinitely grateful to a suggestion made by Indran on one of my earlier poems; though I did not fully follow his his suggestion, what he said did make me think of it; and my poem became better in my view. But what he writes today on Groundviews is way out of touch with reality and that shows in the ‘poetic sensibility’ as well (the realm called the aesthetic) if you would pardon this old fashioned phrase of mine.
And the jab about pearl and Eliza? pure Sri Lankan English gem of yours?
Just carry on I say Sumathy.
Pearl,
Launching out on Shakespeare making it a central thematic concern is something that came from your own reference to Shakespeare. Eliza is Elizabeth I, during whose reign Shakespeare wrote some of his poetry. The Elizabethan era gave way to James I’s reign at the turn of the century.
Of course the name Pearl did suggest other connotations, but those were purely connotations and suggestions and not jabs.
‘Othello, the base indian, richer than all his tribe threw the pearl away.’ (The line goes something like that.)
the line naming you and Bin Dalen was not exactly a jab at you, but are references to you. It was this one brief moment when I felt superior. But it is more about how I am working out things for myself than anything else. Of course poetry or any other writing is very intertextual. and you cannot fault me for responding to what other people say. I think my poem is interesting; it requires some more work. But thanks for engaging with it.
Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. Praise needs to come from others.