FACE – FACES - SUBRAYA CHOKKADY'S 'MUKHA-MUKHAVAADA' ಮುಖ-ಮುಖವಾಡ

Kannada original: ಮುಖ-ಮುಖವಾಡ Mukha-Mukhavaada 

Poet: Subraya Chokkady

Translated into English by: S. Jayasrinivasa Rao

 

FACE – FACES

 

I took an oath;

I wanted to peel and throw away

the faces that I had

pasted on my face, 

and live 

in the world of the real. 

 

As I peeled them off

one after the other, 

threw them into the fire,

one after the other,

I couldn’t tell

the difference between 

my face and

my faces and

wasn’t at all aware

I had hurled

into the fire

my real face too.

 

I don’t have a face now

I need a face of my own now

How shall I get it?

 

Please tell me

 

*****