Abhay K.| Poet, Editor, Translator, Artist| : Foreign Service: A Poem by Abhay K

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Foreign Service: A Poem by Abhay K

Diplomat Magazine publishes Abhay K.'s poem titled "Foreign Service". Diplomat is a foreign affairs magazine that provokes intelligent discussion from the heart of the Diplomatic community in London. This 65 year old magazine provides a unique insight into the minds of the most prominent world leaders and governments. Diplomat’s mix of high quality analysis, political commentary on world affairs and interviews with Ambassadors make it essential reading for the diplomatic community and those working in foreign affairs. Please click below to read the poem

Foreign Service

by Abhay K.

Foreign service is a journey

And all the diplomats merely travellers

They have their wits and talents;

And one diplomat assumes multiple roles

His career spread over many grades. At first the probationer

Learning and unlearning at the institute

And then the shy third secretary, with his briefcase

With curious look, rushing like a bee

Earnestly to the boss's cabinet. And then the first secretary,

Ever engrossed in work, with his laptop

Still unsure of his place. Then the counsellor

Full of strange note-sheets and growing graveness in looks

Risk averse, long hours at work,

Conscious of reputation, quick temper

Seeking new authority

Among the seniors and subordinates. And then the minister

With a paunch, receding hairline

With squint look and harsher commands

Full of jargon and clichés

So he gains perfection in officialese. Then plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassador

Into the linen and lace-less shoes

With reading glasses and daily jogs

Trying to fit into his old suit,

Then superannuation. Last journey

queuing up to enter the Foreign Office

That ends this glorious journey

Then second probation-hood, flowing with wisdom

Free of protocol, briefs, talking points, telegrams, free of everything.

‏@Shashitharoor Amusing and insightful take-off on Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage" summarizing diplomatic careers, by the MEA's @abhayk_

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CAPITALS

"As the world shrinks and border fences go up, and travel becomes both easier and more difficult, Capitals looks like the book to have. Frequent flyers can here rest awhile as can nimble-footed backpackers, and for those who are still curious to see what the poets in Moroni or Tegucigalpa are doing, I cannot think of a better place to begin." —Arvind Krishna Mehrotra

"In striking voices of every hue and shade, from some of the greatest cities of our globe, Capitals marries word and verse to elegance and fire, transporting history's ghosts and tomorrow's hopes in an inspiring journey of the soul." —Shashi Tharoor

"...disturbing and poignant....what an anthology!"—Shobhaa De

"This anthology is a powerful evocation of cities, communities and urban spaces across cultures and continents, histories and timelines." —Namita Gokhale

On Poetry of Abhay K.

"The geographies, both material and spiritual, of Nepal, the pinnacle of our world, have never been more lovingly rendered than in this, Abhay K’s splendid poetic sequence of praise, dazzlement, and wonder for a realm in which he sojourned as both a pilgrim and a friend."—Vijay Seshadri, Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

"Abhay K.'s words don’t sit outside and observe. They dig in, making their subject their home, and then they turn outwards, watching the landscape, the people, the city, change. The city makes him feel, and these feelings seep into his words." —The Hindu Book Review

"Abhay K’s Seduction of Delhi is not so much a city transformed as tenderly opened up and invited to commune with the world around it in both time and place.The transformations are gentle and humane: the history is deep and lightly worn. This is a beautiful way to be introduced to a great city as both specific and essence." —George Szirtes, Winner T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry

"Abhay K's poems serve up a Delhi, resplendent with character, torn asunder by marauders, patch-worked back several times with belief and faith - and above all saturated through with the touch of time and history."—The Times of India

"Qualities of love, tenderness and compassion set Abhay K's work apart from much of the general run of current poetics."— Jayanta Mahapatra, Major Indian Poet

"Abhay K has a special gift. His poetic mission, rare today, is simply to praise. His poems shimmer with a deep human appreciation of the gift of life and its fragile tapestry. I see them as Vedic hymns of praise in contemporary dress."—Gabriel Rosenstock, Major Irish Poet

"In these rapturous poems (in The Eight-Eyed Lord Of Kathmandu) Abhay K catches the allure and mystique of Kathmandu; its maze of medieval streets, its thronged bazaars, its twilit courtyards." —Cathal O'Searcaigh, Major Irish Poet

Abhay K.| Poet, Editor, Translator, Artist|

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Foreign Service: A Poem by Abhay K

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