The Bloodaxe Book of Contemporary Indian Poets

Looking through the collection of Poetry in this Anthology, on page seventy-four there is a Poem by Srinivas Rayaprol called Middle Age that struck me as different. At first, the title is very simple which once you read the poem you understand the meaning of the simplicity. The author speaks of growing old and the changes that take place, how the reflection in the mirror will change although the person will stay the same. Many connotations can be found. For me, the phrase, "and the eyes hardened with age", may suggest that in his life many things have been witnessed that potentially would cause a 'hardening' of the eyes, or soul. Hardening to me would mean a toughening, or a loss of innocence. With that, the attitude of the poem changes from beginning to end. It goes from describing all the physical changes that come with the aging of a body, which could be considered as being ' glass half full' because it can be read in a positive tone. It then changes to a 'glass half empty' because it shifts to how the beauty of the youth is being lost and how even with all the good experiences every day is a day closer to death. Continuing with the attitude, the last two lines don't quite 'flow' or 'fit' with the rest of the poem. It is almost as if the author is telling the audience what he is in his life, as though it is his direct voice speaking out. The last word of the poem being 'I' suggests that it is him speaking of his life. This is not suggested until the last word, it begins on a happier note describing the changes and shifts to a darker version of aging by saying that with age comes dead and the loss of beauty and then it almost awkwardly goes to Srinivas telling the reader what he is. The theme of the poem is pretty straight forward, being that of aging and what links together with it. I found the shifts in perspective very interesting and how he explored the positive and the negative views of being middle aged. After reading the poem I believe it is important to revisit the title, to see how its simplicity prepares the reader for the somewhat simple message behind the poem. Overall this poem is quite interesting and I highly recommend you to visit it in the Anthology. (Page 74) It will only take a minute!