UNESCO declares Kozhikode (erstwhile Calicut) in Kerala, India, as a literary city. The city commemorates its writers by installing their busts on public squares.
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the essence of a writer
compressed into stone
saved for posterity
Hail the City of Literature
a cultural situation
I wonder how the travelogue writer
John Gunther of India
processes facts in stone
I can sense his spirit wobble
as it listens to merry youth
describe their dream worlds
maybe a spirit somewhere
runs fingers on the keyboard
to bypass artificial intelligence
and touch raw minds
leave imprints of his experience
now condensed in stone
the fragrance of garlands
carry whiffs of contemporary thoughts
he feels invigorated
eager to add his two bits
A student seated beneath
generates a projection
of the writer’s thoughts
-impressions of the world
not eternal truth
sands shift far away
on Kovalam beach
images change
with undulating swiftness
the writer squirms
a memory trapped in stone
struggling to reveal
his new found ethos
wanting to be remembered
in a new way
carefree revellers chat
exchanging freshness
the world is changing
but he lacks
avenues of expression
Creative Experiments and More 
Reena, I feel the poem vividly captures the tension between tradition and change. The image of a writer’s essence compressed into stone is powerful and thought-provoking.
Much love,
David
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Thank you for your detailed responses! Much appreciated.
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🤗
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Interesting take on the image, Reena! I enjoyed the deep dive.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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Thank you, Yvette!
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Very interesting post, Reena.
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Thank you, Dwight!
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Reena, your poem is acutely poignant in so many ways.
the writers being honored with statues
the people under the statue
the fragrance of changing times
the memorialized writer observing but not able to act
I love what you expressed her. Please put this one in your special folder.
Was this writer one you admired?
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p.s. her = here
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No sweat 🙂 Thanks!
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He wrote in a language I’m not familiar with. This is the only free picture I could find on the internet.
But the city is known for commemorating writers on every public square.
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❤
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It must be both a blessing and a curse to simply observe and not take part…. but that is how writers live on; by inspiring.
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A writer succeeds if the ideas appear relevant decades later. Like George Orwell and Alvin Toffler whose prophesies came true and then surpassed the writer’s imagination. I’m sure they would like to rewrite their books now.
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This is an excellent and thought provoking poem 👏
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Thank you, Robbie!
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