Of Kari and Meenu

In torrents of flowing might,

Where wings of freedom take flight,

Dwelt a fish, a creature of water’s deep night.

Kari swam from northern banks,

No scales to show, thanks

To the maker, He of merciful hands.

In a lake, great and wide,

Where men bathed like a lion pride,

Lived a fish, a fish by birth purified.

Meenu travelled from southern depths,

Silver scales, her pomfret lengths,

Shone of no defects.

Where a dam did greet,

Covering sheets of concrete,

Jericho’s walls did hopes deplete.

Little did his faith waver~

As forts fall, so did brick voids favour,

To shine a path for Kari, a heart now braver.

Through waters where arks do course,

With hooks and bait that motors force,

Darker than red, gleaming Red Sea’s scars.

A setting sun and docking boats,

Empty the river of severed fishermen’s notes.

Chosen to cross, split, the waves she dotes.

Basked in sunlight screaming azure,

He meandered this aquamarine pure,

Trees marking his green paddy allure.

His layer of life perceived an upper flight,

Colours meet his eyes, amidst his blue sight

A narrow realm unknown to his lower plight.

Watch this brave soul venture near,

Darting through the cold of dark, of fear,

Through the unholy depth did she steer.

Her fins tread the world away from her beam,

A valley of darkness where could no light stream,

Where light reached not, her scales cease to gleam.

A nylon net, Kari caught,

Valiant fight against fate he fought,

For freedom he sought through grids distraught.

The holy of holies,

Parochet tears among cries,

The veil uncovers, revealing waters rightfully his.

When cold darkness did cease,

Her silent composure did please,

As gates closed behind and river beds unfreeze.

Forty long minutes to pass,

Did Meenu wait in that hourglass,

As Israelites did journey, whose fates recast.

As swam two souls, to lands unknown,

Eyes met eyes in silent moan,

Caught by fate, together, alone.

 Two swam toward each other’s reach,

So the net did upward breach,

A moment tender and a moment later fried on metal, each.

Wide the net and merciless the hook that catches them,

Of two lives that from waters did stem,

Bones and meat lifeless lay condemned.  

In a song of streams and sizzle,

of Kari and Meenu became Karimeenu.

Notes:

The poem is meant to be read alternating perspectives every two stanzas such that we have two of Kari and two of Meenu. At the end, when two become one, meant to be read together(i.e. The entire group sings this part). The form here imitates the form of Vanchipattu in Kerala.

Details taken into consideration while crafting the story: the permeation of light and colours in varying depths, the characteristics of various fish, the eyesight of aquatic beings, some geographical features of Kerala, sounds that permeate waters etc.

While working on this project, my friend Grusha Mohbe volunteered to add a few visual elements to it. 'A few' is an understatement. She literally reworked my poem as a Canva project to give this beautiful result: Canva Project

Given below are some of the many evidences of the following themes

Caste:

• water’s deep night

• No scales to show

• sunlight screaming

• layer of life

• Colours meet his eyes, amidst his blue sight

• A narrow realm unknown to his lower plight.

• birth purified

• Shone of no defects

• of dark, of fear

• her scales cease to gleam

Christian References:

• Jericho’s walls

• Parochet tears

• Red Sea’s scars

• valley of darkness

• Forty…Israelites