The dream of century

A sculpture of rare excellence,

the left half of a woman

and the right of a man.

The hair do in equal halves

of matted tuft knotted by a snake

and dropping tresses fastened to floral strings.

On forehead

flaming sun and dreamy moon.

Doomsday Fire in one eye

and sea of tenderness in the other.

It’s a golden blend of words and meaning

in a piece of poem.

There lays the statue of Ardhanareeswara

in the archaeological museum.

Display of second hand books

On foot path for sale,

Wandering over titles

my eyes are stuck

on the cover of a paper- back

Raised hands of a man and a women

held hammer and sickle aloft

The symbol of emancipated labour,

of equality and understanding

of man and women,

the dream of a century

-The communist Manifesto.

The shrine of a rare idol

In archaeological museum;

And the shelf of a priceless book

In roadside dust.

A puzzle hard to read:

Or, is it

An error committed unwittingly

In the design of human destiny?