kanipiMcani cAvulu samudrAlni lEpavu smail ekkaDA jaMDAlu kiMdaki digi reparepA EDvalEdu saMgItAlu vishAdAla dIrghAlai viSwAMtarALaM niMDalEdu evarani mIru mAku daggaragA lEni mIrevarU mAkEmI kAru, evarani mIru vArtala pEparlaMta palacani vALLu cAvu mI nettuTlO khUnIrAgAlu tIstunnA telIni amAyakulu mIkEM takkuvani gAli mIdi, nEla mIdi, saMdugoMdula samIkRtAhAraM mIdi DAlar taloMcukuMTuMdi. rUpAyi taloMcukuMTuMdi avunu mari - gAli mIdi, nEla mIdi, AkASaM mIdi anEkAnEka AvEdanala baruvu mIdi mIrEmI aravoddu, palukE palakoddu, EvI aDagoddu AkalI gIkalI anoddu E bAnapoTTalainA ciTlutAyi, SAsanAlu taDisina mancAlautAyi tupAkulu Siluvalni kurustAyi, prabhutvAlu kaTakaTAlni pUstAyi voddu voddu, evarnI mIribbaMdi peTToddu, evarikI mIribbaMdi kAvoddu poMDi veLLi poMDi ATaloddu pATaloddu mI bAlyaM aDavipUvai vikasiMca voddu veLLipoMDi, caDI cappuLLEkuMDA nIDallA nishkramiMcaMDi mA nidralu ceDatAyi, mA nishAlu vodultAyi mA caTrAlu pEli viDatAyi mA frijlu, fOM parupulu, brAlu, aNDarwErlu, blEDlu, sabbulu seMTlU tiragabaDatAyi bAbbAbU, mAku pIDa kalaloddu mAku mA AlOcanalu tappa vErE iMkEmI voddu mAku mA pilla pApala caduvU kshEmaM abhivRdhdhi tappa iMkEmI telIdu eMdukilAga EmiTi cEddAM anna praSnalE voddu caMdruDikO SukruDikO vATini paMpiMcEddAMleddurU veLLipoMDi veLLipoMDi mAku kanpiMcani mIru evaraitE yEM, mIrEmaitE yEM cinna cinna picci picci kalalu jillEDu pUlugA eTO egiripOtunnAyi cinna cinna kOrikalu gAlilO gOrIlai tElipOtunnAyi ayinA rODla pakka ceTla kinda vIryAlu molustUnE vunnAyi avunavunu mIru mAku kAvalasina vALLE kAni mIru mAvALLE anaDAniki mEM mA Terlin&la kiMda tappa nagnaMgA lEM kadA mari mEM mA rAtallO vUhallO tappa mI kOsaM siggu paDaM kadA mari.

# Footnote: "There are 60 million malnurished children in India, and of these, 4 million may die within the next three months unless correctly treated" - Editorial in Sunday Standard, 1973. (Reference. This poem was first publsihed in 'jalapAtAlu' anthology, by pragati sAhiti, 1978. Posted to telusA from "khALI sIsAlu - a literary miscellany" published by the author in 1995). #

veLLi pOtunna varadalni venakki laagaalani.... vaaDrEvu china veera bhadruDu veLLi pOtunna varadalni venakki laagaalani eMdukO iMkaa ee verri kOrke naaku varadalu pravahiMci pOyina jEguru raMgu paMTa polaallO saayaM saMdhya vusurumani koolabaDE vELa malina pakshaala koMgalu miDatalni vETaaDE cOTa porlipOyina BheeBhatsapu baadhaa parishvaMga sukhaanni padE padE smariMcukoMToo daaTipOtunna varadalni venakki laagaalani eMdukO iMkaa ee paaDu kOrke naaku nirmala SaaradaakaaSaM kiMda rellu bayaLLani mettagaa taakutO selayELLu pravahiMcaalani kalalu ganna naa pai varadalu varadalu varadalu appaTikee, nilava neeyakuMDaa kudipE ee muriki varadalni venakki laagaalani kaaviliMcu kOvaalani eMdukO iMkaa arthaM lEkuMDaa naaku!

aMtA okE SabdaM ajaMtA ceppalEdA nEnu ceppalEdA aMtA okE SabdaM ani sarvavyAptamaina SabdavalayaMlO KaMDitahastAlu Avishkaristunna jananAMtara grahaNa dRSyAlanu talacukoni nI kannulu jalArdramainapuDu ceppalEdA nEnu ceppalEdA mRtyuvu oka heccarika mAtramE ani AkurAlutunna SabdaM oka AhvAnaM mAtramE ani ceppalEdA nEnu, ceppalEdA BayakaMpitamaina SabdaM mIda oka gavAkshaM terucukOgA nEnu, nA SarIraM okEsAri niluvunA braddalai reMDu muKAlatO nEnu marO gavAkshaMlO aDugupeDutunnappuDu ceppalEdA nEnu ceppalEdA aMtA oka kadalika mAtramE ani maraNAnaMtaraM kUDA manishi mATlADutUnE vuMTADani ceppalEdA nEnu ceppalEdA nigUDhamaina oka SabdaM venuka agAdhaM lOlOtulalO Idutunna nA padyAlu ekkaDO okacOTa oDDu cErukoni trikAla nATyaM cEstunnappuDu ceppalEdA nEnu ceppalEdA aksharaM niMDA annI adButAlE ani Sabda Sakti sArvaBaumAdhikAraM anAhataM ani ceppalEdA nEnu ceppalEdA aMtA okE SabdaM okE kadalika okE pravalhika SarIrAnni jayiMcina oka jIvitaM aTTaDuguna SabdapETikalO oka asthika vikasistunna SabdaM nEnE aMtA oka citkaLa.

apaswaraalu naaraa aakalEstOMdaa neeku? aandhra saMskRti mahOjwala mainadi tinaDaaniki tiMDilEdaa neeku? telugu Baasha '#italian of the east#' pOleesulu ninnu citaggoDutunnaaraa? manaki antarjaateeya khyaati avasaraM nannayya goppavaaDu naaku aakalEstOMdi kRshNadEvaraayala rOjullO -- orEy! naaku aakalEstOMdi E dESamEginaa eMdu kaaliDinaa.... neeyamma! naakaakalEstOMdiraa!