yeah, yeah, another poem about India

Ok, so this time I actually had a legitimate reason for writing a poem about India (not that missing India isn't a legitimate reason, but this was a reason outside myself). I recently had to do a group presentation on Indian theatre for my theatre history class, and my section was intro and origins. So I decided I wanted to try and do some sort of visualization thing to get the class to feel more of a connection with India and its theatre, and the best way I could think of to do that without being completely cheesy was to write a poem. So here it is:

3-Dimensional Photograph
by Dena Adriance

India.
beautiful
sacred
colorful
overwhelming India.

See the technicolor temples,
the gold trimmed saris
fluorescent turbans
clashing patterns and bright lights,
the ornate palaces
and the beggars in the streets.

Hear the animals in the marketplace -
chickens packed in cages
and bony cows in the streets.
Hear the horns of the cars,
honking every ten feet.
Loudest of all -
the music.
The nasal songs,
the dancing and drums for religious festivals,
and the throbbing beats of a Bollywood movie

Smell the air -
in Delhi people cover their mouths with scarves
so as not to inhale the pollution.
It's hard to find clear air
in India.
Either foul or sweet -
trash or incense.
no happy medium -
only extremes in India.

India:
Overflowing sub-continent
of one billion people.
An ancient people,
speaking 17 languages
in 844 dialects.
Hindus, Muslims, Christians,
Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Baha'is.
Religions mixing, intertwining, overlapping,
Religion inseparable from daily life.

India:
ugly
beautiful
foul
sweet
rich
poor
noisy
peaceful
ancient and new,
overwhelming India.