So, You Think You Can Be a Kathakali Dancer?
(Fort Kochi, Kerala)
The original mimes, they drop worlds
of meaning with each arched eyebrow;
mudras of body rhyme with royal stories
of devas and demons from the epics.
If I stand against the hero, I must become Kathi,
drawn like a knife, a chundappoo herb laid in
the lower eye lid to turn it red, like how we leave
a little hate in our spleen to sharpen anger.
To win the princess, I must answer to Pacha,
and paint my face green to proclaim nobility.
My jealousy will be left in the courtyard of those suitors
who can never crush the bearded rakshasas.
Each emotion must be studied, syncopated
to the slap and curl of each desiring arrow that speeds
my dance, stamping on the shadows of demons,
the chengila belling a constant worship call.
Kathakali, you have no words at all;
for words are faithful only to fallible makers.
Your tales are told instead with the navarasas,
the expressions, the nine – that make us human,
that makes us dance.
Poet Douglas Kearney and composer/producer/drummer Val Jeanty link up for a a compelling LP that feels like the written word come to life. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 30, 2021