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| Anjana Alphons George |
I wanted this to be a guest post from a former student. However,
getting this poem from Anjana
Alphons George wasn’t quite easy. So this is going to be a hybrid of
the guest and the host coming together like the waves and the intertidal zone
in the ocean.
“I’ve become your fan,” I said to
Anjana. She was in grade 10. I wasn’t teaching her since my classes were
confined to grades 11 and 12. It was a few years back. Anjana had delivered a
speech in the weekly morning assembly. Her speech was entirely different from
all the speeches of students I had ever listened to. It sounded impromptu. It carried
feelings from the heart. Convictions, rather. It was motivational. Inspiring.
It moved goosebumps on my skin. “Your speech was splendid,” I told her when I
met her on the corridor later in the day.
She became my student in grades 11
and 12 and I watched her grow up into intellectual and emotional maturity.
When I asked her to write a guest
post on my blog, I had that speech of hers in mind. I wanted her to write a
motivational piece based on her college experiences. Well, she gave me a poem.
I bring to you, dear reader, that poem. You judge it and life (and what life
does to people) for yourself.
I am moved to reflect on what life
does to people who have immense potential, who had infinite positivity. I don’t
know how much of the poem is personal and how much of it is imaginative or
imaginary. I leave that to you, reader, to decipher.
I have decided to leave the
profession of teaching at the end of the current academic session, for various
reasons. But I want to get some of my old precious disciples to share with us
all their experiences of growing up. My request to Anjana was motivated by that
desire. Of an aging teacher who has fond memories of certain classrooms. I hope
to bring more of my old students here in days ahead.
Though I requested Anjana to give me
a brief self-introduction, she didn’t. So I have introduced her to you as I
think it best. Now, over to her.
A moment more, please.
I was moved by the trauma and the
emotional scars hinted at in Anjana’s lines. Do/Can we grow beyond the
terrifying experiences of life or do they become an inseparable part of us?
What made this young poet, who was a promising motivational guru, write such verse?
I would like to probe more. Wouldn’t you, if you were in my place?
Over to Anjana… Her poem which was untitled… in spite of
my reminder… So I titled it…
Trapped in Pandora’s Shadows
Does one grow out of all the terrifying
experiences, one had to survive?
Some that shatter people,
Rendering them into walking corpses,
Just waiting for the day of burial.
One sheds tears at birth,
Evidence of life, they say.
Then you grow up
And the world gifts its Pandora's box.
It swallows you to the depths of fears and tears.
And now those tears water the seeds of misery and fright.
Humans move on, they said,
Maybe from places to places I guess,
Is there any assurance,
That they can fall asleep in peace,
Without being terrified,
That they will be forever locked in the Pandora's box,
With no sense of expression,
As they are only familiar with apathy?
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteMy word, the poet is still alive in Anjana... But life has stuck its spears in. That beautiful young lady in the photo smiles upon the world, swallowing the woes, then regurgitating them in this profound way. Thank you for sharing this talent! YAM xx
First of all, thank you Yamini for your insightful understanding of this post. I will bring Anjana in this space again with even more sparkle in her lines.
DeleteMay the poems help her heal.Her words reflect the pain of surviving trauma.
ReplyDeleteShe tells me she's writing about the trauma of one of her teachers. Let all trauma be healed. And I love someone who has such empathy.
DeleteYes... Anjana's, poem is a regurgitation. As I told you once,, humans are the only beings, perhaps, gifted with hindsight, as well as Apprehension and not really, Comprehension! Just the other day, a friend enlightened me during the Seminar on Hope that the Pandora's box contained not only a cluster of evils, but also Hope, who was pleading with Pandora, to let her out.... And she was let out... Let us unlessh Hope, like Anjana is doing in the poem... Both Tear-filled Scars and Hope-filled Healing...
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the last item in Pandora's Box was hope, as Camus said famously. I could sense that hope in Anjana as she spoke to me this evening. The motivational guru in her will emerge soon, I'm sure.
DeleteMy niece -in-law's WhatsApp status reads something like those experiences which do not kill make you stronger. I am certain Anjana's experiences will make her more mature and hard to bend and crack.
ReplyDeleteAnjana will come back in this space sooner than later with one of her best motivational pieces.
Deleteഓരോ വരികളിലും തുളുമ്പുന്ന ആ യുവതിയുടെ നിലവിളി ഏതൊരു വായനക്കാരന്റെനയും മനസ്സിൽ തറക്കുന്ന ഒന്നാണ്… മനുഷ്യൻ എക്കാലവും തന്റെ ഉള്ളിൽ അടക്കിവയ്ക്കുന്ന ദുഖത്തെ ഇത്ര മനോഹരമായി അവതരിപ്പിച്ച ഒരു കവിത ഇക്കാലയളവിൽ വായിക്കാൻ സാധിച്ചിട്ടില്ല… ഇനിയും വരികളുടെ ഈ ലോകത്തു ഉയർന്നു പറക്കാൻ അഞ്ജനക്കു സാധിക്കട്ടെ…
ReplyDeleteAnjana will conquer great heights.
DeleteIt was nice that she was able to write something for you. I think there's something about the college years that leads one to write a lot of poetry.
ReplyDeleteCollege makes people particularly creative. A quantum leap from school.
DeleteWho can say that a person with such a gorgeous smile understands pain at this level ! I hope she conquers her demons with ease and may poetry help her in this endeavour.
ReplyDeleteShe was placing herself in another person's shoes, she told me later.
DeleteWhat a powerful introduction and poem! It’s incredible how Anjana has captured such profound emotions and reflections on the impact of life’s challenges. The imagery of Pandora’s box as a metaphor for our fears and experiences is striking. It really resonates with the idea that while we may move on physically, the emotional scars can linger. This hybrid piece of your voices beautifully illustrates the connection between teacher and student, showing how growth and maturity can emerge from shared experiences.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing Anjana’s poignant words with us. I look forward to more contributions from your former students!
Read my new blog post: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2024/10/the-social-media-trap-of-judging-relationships-by-one-sided-narratives.html
Glad to hear such words of appreciation, dear Melody.
Delete