The Leveller

a poem by Murty N S

No matter before what light you stand
Your shadow is taller than you
No matter how far you stand from the source
Your shadow, still, is taller than you.
Did you ever give a thought to this conundrum?
The shadow expands, elongates, and pervades
Sweeping over hills and vales
And all objects lying low behind you.
It creeps up to the horizon, shoots up to the zodiac,
Then farther into the vast expanse of space.
This very knowledge inflates you no less.
For, the moon comes under your eclipse.
Why? Even the Saturn, the Jupiter and
The stars of the Milky Way for that matter.
With the planet virtually at your feet
You seem at once the conqueror and his hoist flag.
The conquest is total.
Relishing and re-living each second you get home
And look into the dressing mirror
Turning up your moustache.
But lo! That fool scales you down to your size.
Replicating as-is your visage, your emotions
And your aberrations, without a trace of a hyperbole.
What is worse, he even shows up things taller than you
Making you but a pock on the wall of time.
Crestfallen, you come to your knees,
And he spares you the humiliation
By hiding you in some corner.