All about a painting

a poem by Raveendranath Hebbar

Coming from school
he took a large sheet of white paper
and on that he painted ‘the world’.

A blue sky and many brown mountains
An emerging red sun with a yellowish aura
half way through, the green grass and the blue river
dancing and flowing and feeding
herds of cows and flocks of chicks on both sides
the farmer and his wife happy in their cozy hamlet.

Working all day he painted all of them
and finally he had his bath, that was Saturday.

Then on that day he did nothing.

In the company of his family
he did nothing but watched silently
some films and serials and some Cartoons
some internet
they were there and therefore
he was there.

On Sunday he put an young person in the same world
playing hide and seek with a pistol in his hand
running on the green grass
and lo! there he brought another person
from across the other side of the river
he too having the same kind of thing in his hand.
They appeared fighting
And after frequent rubbing
He vanished one of the two
and then spread the blood red all around
He gave a space to the dollar dog*
and to the team rocket* too to enjoy
the fights and the bones.
The man with a cigarette in his mouth and the gun in his hand
Standing merrily.

Our boy is ready to walk saying click click
On the Monday morning
To hand over the painting to the school

A sure winner?

*Characters of Cartoon videos