Ajitha M.K
(Translated from Malayalam by Sreekala Sivasankaran)
Hunger is an enemy, always
Hate it to the core, it will thicken like forest
Stand like a rocky mountain brazenly
Bite like leeches and scorpions stealthily
Hunger is rain
Falling like needle points
The blazing sun and the pain
Even if you bend down and creep into the den,
It will come
Couple of onions
Handful of rice grains
Half a banana
Still…
In the thorny bushes of madness
When the brains burst,
It will pierce like cane forest
Hunger is always an enemy
He will chase you down to the hiding pits
Coil around you
Hit you hard with the fist
Lash you with lathis
And when the ribs are broken
The heart shredded,
His heart will not melt
Hunger is enemy
He doesn’t care a hoot
if my ancestors’ corpses grieve on the koli tree branch
Hunger is enemy
He will come in search of the solitary one,
Hunting down to the forest
~~~
Born in Thekkummuri in Kottayam district of Kerala. Father M. K. Kuttappan and Mother Omana Kuttappan. Ajitha holds BA and MA (NET) degrees in Malayalam and has served as guest lecturer in various colleges. ‘Viralukalude Akasam’ (The Sky of Fingers; Mudra Books) is her widely acclaimed collection of poems. Her poems have been published in the collections ‘Mudida’ by Vidyarthi Publication, ‘Nizhal Maramal Pookunnidam’ by Vicharana Publication and ‘Akashavum Bhumium Thottu’ by Folio Publication. She’s recipient of the Vayanakkoottam Katha Puraskaram (2016) and Thrissur Chenthina Award for Young Writers (2019). She has received the Adi Janasabha Writers Award and Ambedkar Award in 2018. She writes poems in periodicals and various online journals.
