Conversion

I am the son of a ‘criminal’ who died on the tree.
I am also the son of a ‘bitch’
I am the son of a Pulaya woman
that Parayan you wanted to ditch
I am crucified
I am resurrected
Ezhavan, Thulukkan
all those names that don’t quite fit
I am the still centre, the calm, in the 24 spoked blue wheel that will soon start to spin
I am green and I am white and before.
I will soon be the storm, I swear.

I also know how to fight.

Rising petrel of the mind’s single eye of revolution
I come
Ekalavya
Karn
Christ
Buddha. Ambedkar
Marx.
English
Each name I am that makes you fear
Long loved long live long cherished line of anti-heroes
Blue panthers, Dalit (broken,
restored)
I am the black crow
bird of prey
scavenger
It’s your innards that this time my red eye longs for
to feast on
in the dark of the night
I am the Dancer
on your corpses

getting ready to dance
Who am I? Dreaded
I am your dark, awaking, Other.

Dr A.V. Koshy is an established author and writer who is a poet, critic and artist. He has a doctorate in Samuel Beckett’s Poems in English from the University of Kerala, now published. He has co-authored and published a monograph of essays called Wrighteings: In Media Res and has several, published research papers to his credit. His greatest desire is to build a village for people having autism where all their needs are met. He runs an NGO called “Autism for Help Village Project” with his wife for this dream to come true. He has fourteen other books out now as fiction writer, literary critic, poet, academician, literary theoretician, essayist, editor, anthologist, co -editor, co-author and co-contributor. His latest and perhaps best book is a collection of short stories Scream and Other Urbane Legends. He can be reached at terrestrian@gmail.com