Kill Me

Kill Me
K.R.S. Murthy

Kill me, kill me, and kill me right now.
Yes, you may kill me any which way you can
If you can, cut my head into hundred pieces.
And sprinkle my blood all over the town.

I will resurrect into thousand heads
For every drop of blood that drips
Scare you in your dreams, as you are fast asleep
Haunt you day and night, all your life

I am your greed, the inner voice that keeps wanting
I am your jealous thoughts, that bugs you every minute
I am that thought that makes you angry with no reason
I am in your blood that makes it boil, when all else is cool

Do you remember when you were just a kid and innocent?
When I didn't have a reason to be, but moved in with you
As you were unaware, and growing up like anyone else
Growing up to be worldly, and seduced by its pleasures

You feed me in every bite that you eat, yet never make me full
You soak up my thirst in every gulp yet never quench enough
I know, you pleasure me in so many ways, so many times
Yet, have you realized that I always want more than you give?

Don't ever blame me for wanting all the time, all the things, please.
For, the more you give me, I want more than ever to be pleased
Try not to kill me, for I will kill you before I leave you peaceful
Hey! Just know that I am the reason that you are human animal

Just leave me alone, and not talk to me any time
Be deaf to what I say, and I may fall into hibernation
Alive but barely alive, in a deep sleep, in my heavenly cave
OK! Good bye to you my friend, for I am already very sleepy.

FootNote: Many of the poems by Dr. KRS Murthy are discussed in graduate and Ph.D. programs in English literature in many universities in USA. The questions given below are meant to initiate a discussion among the students in the class, or for class projects and workshops conducted by the professor.

Questions:
Who is talking to whom in the poem?
Why does the poem start with words like "kill me", "sprinkle my blood",
"Scare you in your dreams" and "haunt you day and night"? What do these expressions really mean?
What is the real theme of the poem?
Do you have any comments on the poet's style?
What does the last stanza really imply?
Notes: The poem is about the root of jealousy, greed and all other thoughts and feelings. All these feelings and thoughts are a result of, and different forms of the inner ego in all of us. The inner ego is the voice with in us that keeps talking to us all the time. However, the same ego also tells us, in the last stanza of the poem, how to deal with it, so that it does not control us. It is normal if you were caught off guard while reading the title and the first lines in the poem. That is my signature style in many of my poems, deliberately and tactfully employed to give that impact and punch and also to get the attention of the readers. It is similar to powerful turns in stories, novels, dramas and other literary forms, which make them captivating. I have to create that impact very quickly, because the poem is meant to be short. In other literary forms, there is a lot of time to build the tempo and the readers mind for the unexpected turns.