Two From British India
1
Goodnight, Jack.
Mummy has a migraine
and Daddy’s hurt his back.
It’s forever the same thing:
‘Sing to him, Sally.’
But they know I can’t sing.
Stop that noise, Jack.
Nehru’s on his rounds.
He’ll take you away
if you stay awake.
Don’t make a sound.
In class, it’s déjà vu
‘Sally has a brother
who can’t walk.’
‘Sally’s bad news,
like the flu.’
We’ll be home soon, little brother.
India, they say, will be free.
But what about the pair of them,
and what about you and me?
2
Hide me in the 10 o’clock show at the Eros,
Ma.
I’m frightened of English soldiers
and frightened of crowds in the street.
I’am frightened of Brown, English master,
And Pee Wee, PT master.
I’m frightened of dwarves
and the tin man in Wizard of Oz,
but most of all of Dr. Know-all Rustom
who will make me lie down
and pick them out of my system.
I’m frightened of vomit
and the things that make me vomit.
Stop hugging and kissing me.
Why is father away?
He can’t be at a war.
He always has one with you.
Published with permission from Adil Jussawalla’s poetry collection The Right Kind of Dog, published by Duckbill books. You can buy the book from here for just Rs. 104.