Tsunamisaurus Vex

I was in Karaikal in Jan 2005, just a few days after the tsunami. The primary purpose of my visit was far removed from my experiences in that small friendly town. The tell-tale signs of the killer wave brought on a perspective that I would never be able to capture in words. The spirit of the people who braved it was even more so. I did a short stint with an NGO involved in relief work, helping them make a movie on the discrimination against Dalits even in times such as those. These here are some of the thoughts I could ramble


like a huge dinosaur had walked along the beach
broken walls, displaced boats, utter disarray
cry out loud, echoing the wrath of the ocean

bruised limbs, broken bones, lost relatives
shattered dreams, crushed hopes
a life of penury staring at their faces

no dearth of sympathy, empathy, whatever else
used clothes, unusable articles, some money too
contributions that were made in good faith
contributions that were made to satisfy a guilty, false ego

feed their mouths we will
until our collective hearts run out of magnanimity
build them homes too, maybe

but what will keep their homefires burning?
lying on the wretched land, staring through the sky
searching for an answer, still in hiding

minds dulled by generations of disuse
attitudes of inferiority, accepted as the norm
cannot think of a way out
cannot climb out of the quagmire

from day to day
from hand to mouth
seeing not more than the next meal
waiting for the sun to dawn on their lives

relief will subside
with the ebbing tide
baring unhealed wounds
fueling the trauma
that the waves left behind

that will the biggest blow
beating this one hollow
is anyone tuned into this
hello! hello!