~Dinesh Adhikari~
Translation: Robin Sharma
You are a big man
You have time to go through the newspaper
Only in the precincts of the bathroom in the morning Without a slip
It is not possible to meet you now
Well done ! Good Job !
You are applauded everywhere
In greetings
Namaste* is not enough
You require bouquets too
These days
Everyday, you receive allowances
For the ‘meetings’ you attend
You are an indispensable part in the ‘inaugurations’
And in closing ceremonies you are a must
Your name is synonymous with ‘rhetoric’
Is there anything impossible that you desire for ?
Is there anyone who dare not follow your cues ?
All corruptions you commit
Will henceforth be regarded an ‘inevitability’
Every crime you commit will
Henceforth be considered a ‘service to the nation’
Indeed !
You are now the sky
You are now the revered one
You are heard on the radio
You are watched on television
I swear, By God !
You are now a big, big man
But Sir !
Though you’ve conquered all
There’s probably something left
Once you became a big man
Has there been a night with normal sleep
Without being bitten by a ‘money bug’ ?
Has there been a single moment that you have
Spent in the company of your family
Without hatching conspiracies ?If not,
What has it meant to you to become a ‘big man’ ?
Alas ! Just an occasional sweet dream
To your son – that is what you are
And in the eyes of your wife
A slightly larger photograph
Than the one adorned in a frame
* The Nepali word of greetings.
Dinesh Adhikari
Kathmandu
