Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2001 16:43:37 +1100
From: saeed urrehman <saeed.urrehman-AT-anu.edu.au>
Subject: a poem



research into the nature of time-space and snarling dogs


the text:
a rickety weatherboard house
the frail figure of a housemate from mozambique
bringing home the cheapest rice and no frills manufactured meat
from franklins
his body still shows traces of past starvation in the uncanny curves of his 
ribcage.

the subtext:
twelve stomachs wait for his money every month
he must save and send most of his home.

the text:
his room
one dark green inflatable waterproof canvas mattress on the floor
bought from a military surplus shop for 20 australian dollars
serves as bed, study table, and easy chair.
pictures of einstein and max planck from a special issue of the sydney 
morning herald are on the walls.

the subtext:
the deflateable mattress is easy to transport to be re-sold
when and if he has to go back.
the pictures provide cheap and necessary inspiration throughout the year.
the rest of the inspiration comes with rain and sunlight.

the text:
he prepares his cv with utmost care
lists all the past and present prestigious scholarships and awards
original contributions to international refereed journals
his incisive explorations of curved spaces and quantum mechanics.
he is sure he can answer any theoretical questions
on the nature of light space time blah blah etcetera etcetera.

the subtext:
he is afraid of one question.
if they ask "why do you like theoretical physics?"
he cannot tell them that he chose theoretical physics because it did not 
require much equipment
and he could work with equations in his mind
even when there was no chalk in the classroom.

the final text:
he says he has heard that the australian law declares dogs are the 
responsibility of their owners
and if a dog attacks him without any aggression on his part
he can get some compensation from the owner
approximately 2000 dollars
he has not confirmed the veracity of this piece of information yet.

the final subtext:
but he admits
sometimes when coming home from the university late at night
he has found himself walking nearer to the fences than necessary
and fantasizing about snarling dogs.

                                         ___ Saeed Urrehman





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