TELEPHONE CONVERSATION

wole Soyinka, a west African writer, was born in western Nigeria in 1934. He was educated at University College,Ibadan and at Leeds University England. His first play "The Invention" was produced at the Royal Court Theater in London in 1959.His other famous plays are "the Lion and the Jewel"(1959) and "the Road"(1965). He was the editor of a magazine called "Black Orpheus".he was awarded Nobel Prize for literature in 1986.Besides being a poet,he is also a playwright,actor and musician.

                                  The poem "telephone Conversation"  is a humorous satire on racial discrimination,revealing the Nigerian poet's sense of humor at its best. It is based on his own experience in London. He was then                                                                                                                                                    

ALIENATED JEW

Nissim Ezekiel (14.12.1924-9.1.2004) was an Indian Jewish poet,playwright,editor and art critic. He has become a legend in his lifetime and modern Indian poetry in English owes much to him. Ezekiel has had diverse interests and varied phases in his career. However he has always been interested in writing poetry and has always realized that his roots are very well in India. Ezekiel's poetry is simple, intros pectic and analytical. He is highly disciplined and unpretentious. His skillful use of prosody,restraint,conversational style,mastery of irony,purity of diction and perfect control over emotion place him on the top of the contemporary Indian poets in English.
               
                                Ezekiel has written on a variety of subjects. Love and sex,the problem of marriage,the Indian contemporary scene,modern urban life,the need to overcome alienation and to create integration among the various aspects of his character are Ezekiel's major themes. The theme of alienation is central to all his poetry. His Jewish background makes him a natural out stander. But Ezekiel has made it categorically clear that he belongs to India.
           
         Ezekiel was born in Mum bay,where he lived most of his life. his parents were English-and-Marathi speaking modern Bene-Israel Indian Jews who encouraged active,productive,secular lives. His father was a Professor of Botany and Zoology,his mother was a school teacher,then a founder and principal of a Marathi language primary school. After attending a catholic school in Mumbay he did his B.A at Wilson college and he actively involved in trade unionism and in M N. Roy's Radical Democratic Movement.* He married Daisy Gabriel in 1952.
     
                      Ezekiel , who was already part of the Mumbay intellectual scene, was a friend of Ibrahim Alkazi who gave him a one-way ticket to England so he could educate himself in contemporary culture. For three-and-a-half years in London he supported himself through such poorly paying jobs as clerk and dishwasher. He studied philosophy ,attended poetry readings and had poems accepted in such literary magazines as "poetry Quarterly"

MY TREASURE

I searched well
The sky was empty
Darkness drew the world
Oh! that day was new moon
Slowly I turned back
I saw the stove fuming
Late at night
I saw my mother
I looked again
Was the fumes coming
From mother or stove?
Both were fuming
As a volcano
That was the last day
For remit the debt
Money was the burning topic
I searched my treasury
And collected a lot of small coins
I gathered it on both hands
And presented to mother
Among them I picked out
A precious stone
And kept.
That was the tear drop off
From my mother's eyes.

IS IT TRUE?

A dull morning awoke Kamala with a horrible dream.The clattering sounds from kitchen and the surrounding noise announced a reality that was "Monday".Suddenly Kamala got up from the bed and prepared for breakfast.Kamala was very slaw because her memory fills the dull dreamy atmosphere.
                            At last she attained a good spirit. On the way to office,an unexpected phone call lead her to homeland.
     Kamala entered the reception and searched for an appropriate seating.At a time her sight caught a familiar face.Yes,that was Priya on the other side.
                      Priya was one of her best friend.After their college,it was the first time they met with and so surprised.Kamala's thought ran  through her good old days.
    Muhammed Ameer was college union chairman,very smart and intelligent. One day Priya told Kamala that she fell in love with Ameer. As a friend it was her duty to convey the message to him. Kamala did her duty well. So the college witnessed one more pair in loving manner.
                    Ameer was a good social worker and had a great leadership quality. After graduation he went to journalism and Priya had got admission on LLB. After that our friendship continued through phone but not so long,we centered to ourselves.
     Priya belongs to an upper class Hindu. So her parents never allowed the relation with Ameer.But Ameer had a problem that his parents forced to change her religion. These were never acceptable to them.So they were waiting for the mercy of parents.
                 "hey, why you changed the cell number?"
Kamala awoke from thoughts. Really she was not interested in a lifelong friendship. But Priya was her good friend.So she wants to give a convincing answer and also Kamala was very curious to hear her story. So Kamala asked.
           "Where is Ali?"
   Kamala saw the expressions changing on her face. After two or three seconds, she answered,
          "Still living in my memory"
   Kamala couldn't control her voice.
          "What?"
She replied with a barren face
          "already gone"...     "from this world."
Kamala heard the remaining story in a feeble voice.                 
 One evening they went to the nearest beach. Many travelers attracted by the beauty of shore;but the waves were comparatively strong. They saw some boys from the nearest college,enjoying the beauty of waves. Ali was just looking the sight. Suddenly they heard a loud cry.
    They saw the wave catching one among the boys and rest of them were helpless. Ali ran through the waves and save the boy. Unfortunately  another strong wave caught Ali and suddenly he vanished. Priya had lost her consciousness. After years she came back to life. Now she is trying to complete his mission.Yes, she is living for him. As a social worker she knows him more...

WHAT THE NIGHT DOES NOT SAY

can you hear a weeping sound?
the evil face of darkness became nude
the clouds covers the beautiful face of moon
then the stars starts to blinking

all hopes and dreamswere shattered
the dragon form of darkness consumes everything
the whole world became slaves of darkness
every spots of light left its field


night witness the dirty plays of darkness
thats white teeth moves slowly through the world
the world turns to a victim of this still to light
day portray the picture as a beautiful smile