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“Forest Fire” by Kamala Das Line by Line Explanation

Of late I have begun to feel a hunger: The poet starts by expressing a recent feeling of hunger or desire.

To take in with greed, like a forest fire that: The hunger is likened to the insatiable greed of a forest fire, which consumes everything in its path.

Consumes and with each killing gains a wilder, Brighter charm: The metaphor of the forest fire gaining a wilder and brighter charm with each act of destruction is extended, suggesting a growing intensity in the poet’s desires.

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All that comes my way. Bald child in Open pram: The poet lists various images that come her way, including a bald child in an open pram.

You think I only look, and you Too, slim lovers behind the tree and you, old Man with paper in your hand and sunlight in Your hair: The poet addresses different individuals, asserting that she not only looks but desires and consumes their essence. The imagery includes a child in a pram, slim lovers, and an old man with a newspaper.

My eyes lick at you like flames, my nerves Consume: The poet uses vivid imagery, likening her eyes to flames and her nerves to a consuming force, emphasizing the intensity of her desire.

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And, when I finish with you, in the Pram, near the tree and, on the park bench, I spit Out small heaps of ash, nothing else: After satisfying her hunger, the poet metaphorically spits out small heaps of ash, signifying the aftermath of her consuming desires.

But in me The sights and smells and sounds shall thrive and go on And on and on: Despite the outward destruction, the poet suggests that within her, the memories and experiences shall continue to thrive endlessly.

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In me shall sleep the baby That sat in prams and sleep and wake and smile its Toothless smile: The poet envisions the continuation of various experiences within her, including the innocence of a baby smiling in its sleep.

In me shall walk the lovers hand In hand and in me, where else, the old shall sit And feel the touch of sun: The poet imagines the continuation of love and the aging process within her, where the old can still feel the touch of the sun.

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In me, the street-lamps Shall glimmer, the cabaret girls cavort, the Wedding drums resound, the eunuchs swirl coloured Skirts and sing sad songs of love, the wounded moan: The poet envisions a vivid array of experiences, from street-lamps glimmering to the sounds of wedding drums and the sorrowful songs of eunuchs.

And in me the dying mother with hopeful Eyes shall gaze around, seeking her child, now grown And gone away to other towns, other arms: The poet concludes with an image of a dying mother seeking her grown child who has moved away, suggesting the cyclical nature of life and relationships.

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