Life and Times of Mr S

116 Pages·2012·2.533 MB·English

by  Vivek Narayanan

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Life and Times of Mr S
Vivek NARAYANAN was born in India and grew up in Zambia.
He did his undergraduate and graduate studies (in cultural
anthropology and creative writing) in the United States, taught
at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa, and
moved back to India in 2000. His first book of poems, Universal
Beach, was published in 2006.
Narayanan’s work has been included in several recent
anthologies like The HarperCollins Book of English Poetry, The
Bloodaxe Book of Contemporary Indian Poets and Language for a
New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia,
and Beyond. Journals and magazines that have published his
poetry, essays and short stories include Poetry Review (UK),
Agni, The Caravan, Open, Harvard Review and Tehelka.
Apart from his published poetry, Narayanan has conducted
experiments with technology, physical space, movement, site-
specific poetry and audience interaction, through a series of
collaborations with other artists. He is co-editor of the literary
organization and publisher Almost Island, and has also worked in
Delhi with Sarai-CSDS, an organization that brings together
individuals from diverse backgrounds to reflect on new and old
media forms and avant-garde practice.
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2023 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/lifetimesofmrspo0000nara
Life and Times
of MrS
POEMS
Vivek Narayanan
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HarperCollins Publishers India
a joint venture with
INDIA
New Delhi
First published in India in 2012 by
HarperCollins Publishers India
a joint venture with
The India Today Group
Copyright © Vivek Narayanan 2012
ISBN: 978-93-5029-409-3
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Vivek Narayanan asserts the moral right to be identified as
the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publishers.
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
WAKING IN THE SIMULTANEOUS PRESENT
A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF MR s’s ACCENT
HIS OWN OBSOLESCENCE: SIX SHAPES OF THE NEW: 1
[O static noise meadow . . .]
[Oh intellectual, intellectual toy]
AREA OF MR S
MR S, ON FIRST LOOKING INTO PARTHASARATHY ‘3
CILAPPATIKARAM
SHORT PRAYER TO THE ECONOMY
[Sex which is after all mechanics . . .]
HIS OWN OBSOLESCENCE: 2
[And here in the place of writing. . .]
THE ZYGOTE’S FIRST UTTERANCES
NATURE, AS MANIFESTED IN THE HIGHER ALTITUDES
OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT
[reason: here is your longed for horizon. . .] 24
SHORT PRAYER TO SOUND 25
ON THE ADVENT OF THE ZYGOTE, 26
SOME NOTES FROM S TO WIFE
[Each of the faces you find... J] Pag
ON THE SUPPOSED SIMPLICITY OF THYAGARAJA 28
NIECE OF MR S 30
MR $’S NATIVE 33
HIS OWN OBSOLESCENCE: 3 36
MOTHER OF MR S on
[o let it dangle. ..] 41
[you have come to the conference late] 42
HIDING FROM RHETORIC’S SHADOW 43
ON TALKING TO THE ANIMALS 46
SEPARATION ANXIETY, AKA FRANKENESSENCESTEIN 48
POEM, WITH CHOICES 50
TURBULENCE AT TWENTY THOUSAND FEET JZ
[Declares himself hereby . . .] I
MEMORIES OF FAILED AFFAIRS 54
[The aquanaut emerges . . .] 57
DIGRESSION IN RECEIPT OF NOURISHMENT,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE BODY’S INBUILT GUILT 58
[Some leave their traces. . .] 61
SHORT PRAYER TO THE MOON 62
ON THE NECESSITY OF SPEAKING OF CASTE 63
[He brushes a tiny beetle. . .]
67
HIS OWN OBSOLESCENCE: 4 68
Vili