Man-eater Baby
(Adaptation of a Bengali poem received from Dr. Piyali Palit through Mr. Deval Dev)
That baby of a vulture
Nest on the treetop
Starts crying, shouting,
Mom- I want the meat of man
And will not eat anything.
The mom explained, no son,
Don't cry for man's meat
See I brought a big piece
A full piece of beef.
The baby cried, loud and loud
No Mom, bring man, else I don't eat.
The mom flew, flew away,
Looked for this, and for that.
And brought a full leg,
A flesh full piece of pork.
The adamant baby cried,
Cried, cried and cried,
No, no, no, bring the man,
Or I do not eat, no, no, no
The mom, now sad and irritated,
Spoke with anger in eyes,
All right son, wait for tomorrow,
And eat whatever quantity you can.
Early in the morning,
The mom flew to the city
Piece of beef in her claws
Flew over, and dropped it
In front of a Temple
The mother came back fast,
Flew again to city
Piece of pork in her claws
Flew over, and dropped it
In front of a Mosque.
The noon was at its top,
And there was news around
Hundreds had died,
They killed each other.
Mom took the child,
Flew over the dead bodies
'Son, eat whatever you want,
In quantity, you love to.
Taste the nose, the eyes, the skull,
And tell me what you like most.
When we have the carrot dangling
in beef and pork, human meat? It's easy.
Baby vulture comes down happily,
Takes a bite here, tastes a nose there,
Eats an ear here, picks an eye there.
With a sore taste in the mouth, call up:
Mom, why the man does not taste good.
Mom says, with a sad smile in her eyes,
'Son, because these men-
Are not fully human yet.'
Spoke with anger in eyes,
All right son, wait for tomorrow,
And eat whatever quantity you can.
Early in the morning,
The mom flew to the city
Piece of beef in her claws
Flew over, and dropped it
In front of a Temple
The mother came back fast,
Flew again to city
Piece of pork in her claws
Flew over, and dropped it
In front of a Mosque.
The noon was at its top,
And there was news around
Hundreds had died,
They killed each other.
Mom took the child,
Flew over the dead bodies
'Son, eat whatever you want,
In quantity, you love to.
Taste the nose, the eyes, the skull,
And tell me what you like most.
When we have the carrot dangling
in beef and pork, human meat? It's easy.
Baby vulture comes down happily,
Takes a bite here, tastes a nose there,
Eats an ear here, picks an eye there.
With a sore taste in the mouth, call up:
Mom, why the man does not taste good.
Mom says, with a sad smile in her eyes,
'Son, because these men-
Are not fully human yet.'
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