Paradox and irony are after all
The two sides of the same coin.
Though I love irony and employ it
Often in my poetry, in life, I am actually
On the side of paradox.
It takes a little patience
To see irony turning into paradox ,
Like the caterpillar turning into a butterfly.
Otherwise I should end up in frustration.
I help someone, but it’s not reciprocated,
Not always, not certainly immediately.
Then, in frustration, I switch to the Hopkinsian mode:
Why do sinners’ ways prosper?
What I expect is probably direct and immediate reciprocation,
This simple equation doesn’t always seem to work in life.
It actually takes a higher calculus:
What may happen, if I am patient enough to see,
Is indirect reciprocation: someone else trying to help me.
Such help is often delayed, but not denied,
And may turn up rather unexpected.
Sweet are the fruits of patience!
— Ram, R. V.
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