Four Replies for Joshua - III

Room number 5, Student’s Hostel, NIAS

Sailen Routray

Photo Credit - Wikimedia Commons

What is the sound of one hand clapping?
A fart.
 
Farts produced by overeating fermented rice

 have a de-hangovering smell; 

like that of stale mint leaves;
the sound of a suppressed fart 

born by eating khichdi 

made with moong dal late in the night
has the consistency of claps 

induced by gazals sung by Iqbal Bano;
those brought into existence 

by eating lahmacun 

have the flavour of tender onion shoots 

marinated in wild honey
for three days and four nights 

during the waning gibbous moon.
 
When my childhood floated 

on the appliqué works of Pipili, 

ghosts of farts populated the
evening conversation. 

Now baba wants me to say 

excuse me when I fart.
 
Excuse me. 

There is someone clapping.

Note: This poem was first published in the webzine 'Muse India' as part of a larger poetic conversation with Bangalore based writer and poet Joshua Muyiwa.