part II of my earlier poem.


Learning History

There sure were English Literature and Psychology
i thought could be interesting but not satiating
as history was for me.

and thats how
i rolled on
but first digging my way through
pre history or archeology
and moving between ancient, medeival and modern Indian History
transitioning between
the Russian, the European, the Chinese, the Japanese History
sturctured by its socio-economic political history
studying the architecture of monuments.

Life entailed just a few things-
Note taking, bibliography, reference books
roaming between book shelves in a public library
and sifting through files and files of archives.

You see, the fabric came later
with the subalterns where even a fragment became a subject of study
And i could weave a tapestry of my own
for my teacher had opened a whole new world before me
the world of socio-reform movements
a world beyond revolutions
the world of Derrida and Deconstruction
of just first trying to see, unfold and unlayer
by own bare hands
in my own mind first
and hear what is not being said
-not loudly at least

And with it dawned the technique-
the skill as if transfused into me
for i dont remember absorbing it.
The methodology of history
its historiography
the task cut out for an historian
and the responsibility cast
for wanting to be known as one
for aspiring to say something
worth sharing.

As the groundwork was being done
by the teacher
i understood
i had learnt as much from class room discussion
over tea
as from delving into the research papers
more together and from each other than alone
and that the only resistance to learning
is from unlearning.





Poetry by Sona The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 52 times
Written on 2023-12-14 at 16:45

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Sameen
Fuck yea! I knew I was right. I don't know why you separated them, they work wonderfully as one long whole. Amazing
2023-12-18