by M.Mohankumar
The bard may say so, but
whoever stole my purse didn’t steal
trash. He got away with a lot:
three thousand- rupee notes and
some of lower denomination.
ATM card. Credit cards. Driving licence.
Scraps of verse I’d scribbled in a hurry.
And the purse itself, a mascot,
money flowing into it every time
money flowed out of it.
This is how I figure it out:
I’m walking along the corridors
of a busy mall, stopping here and
there to window-shop. The purse
is in my hip-pocket, bulging out,
swaying to my every step. He tails
me, walking as I walk, stopping
as I stop. And as I stand distracted
his nimble fingers go to work.
Not a difficult job. It doesn’t take
an Artful Dodger to lift a purse,
sticking out prominently.
I remember reading an article
in Reader’s Digest, giving tips
to outwit pickpockets. Written by
a pickpocket turned gentleman.
If only I had kept those tips in mind!
These days my purse is rather light.
And I don’t keep it in my hip-pocket.
Mohankumar has published seven volumes of poetry in English. His poems have appeared in almost all reputed literary magazines in print in India. His first collection of short stories in English will be brought out by Authorspress, Delhi shortly. Mohankumar retired as Chief secretary to Government of Kerala.
