A Few from My Collection

FIREFLY

God cursed her!

The voluptuous body

gets devoured every night.

Bruises all over the body

exhibits of excessive passion.

Her screams of agony

are decoded as ecstasy.

Test drives are done

to check valour and skill.

Love, lust, anger, dejection

sadism, masochism, sadomasochism

punctuate her nights.

Painful nights end

penniless days.

As sun rises,

the paramour becomes a sinner

customers preach morals!

She is the butt of ridicule

shameless promoters-

her nocturnal partners!

Pain is everlasting

physical during nights;

mental during day time.

My dear morning moralists!

stop axing her,

after the night long ploughing.

Spare her from dawn to dusk

to sparkle at night.

MANLY MALIGNITY

The search for food is over
She moves a bit faster.
Hot noon bewilders her
Is summer really over?
Students are back
After the summer break.

Mess in the mess
Workers still fresh.
More students, more plates
More wastage, more food.
The thought gives her strength
The waste bin at arms length.

The new bin is taller
She finds it difficult to ladder.
She feels heavier this time
Healthy pups her long time aim.
Gulp by gulp
She becomes a bit plump.

As she climbs down
An angry log rattles her bone.
Shock, pain, fear, anger
She is a bundle of emotions.
The safe shady spot
Is not very far.

Let the pain be bone deep
The pups inside should not weep.
She bears this pain
Awaits labour pain.
She feels heavier this time
Healthy pups her long time aim.

DIWALI IN SIVAKASI

The day starts early
Much earlier than early!

Lights and noise
Shake the children from sleep.

The world inside is same.

Everything is new outside.

Unseen happiness,
Boundless joy,
Pleasing vignettes,
Sweet words.

The day passes,
They too get some niceties.

The struggle continues,
For a few more sweets,
Few more crackers,
A pair of chappels...

By the end of the day,
The real feast begins.

Night turns into day,
Sky gets decorated,
Eyes and ears taken for a ride.

They are out of the hut.
A fire-engine placed at the distance.

They look at their hands;
Parched, scorched,
Bruises all over.

The smell of phospherous
Lingers in the air.

At the end of the day,
The thoughts of tomorrow
Bring back sadness.

The days will roll
As their hands
roll and pack
The crackers for the Diwali!

PROMPTING PEDAGOGUES

A teacher by choice teaches
A teacher by chance exasperates!

A teacher by choice learns
A teacher by chance confuses!

A teacher by choice helps
A teacher by chance suffocates!

A teacher by choice enlivens
A teacher by chance dampens!

A teacher by choice delivers
A teacher by chance confines!

A teacher by choice treats it as an opportunity
A teacher by chance feels it to be an obligation!

THE NEWBORNS

He's happy to become a father,
Recently married, hurriedly fathered!
It is the day to bring home the child.
Scrubbing, cleaning, pasting new posters,
Hours go past like minutes.
A scream prevents him from cleaning,
A squirrel flees with anxiety,
To reach the box with trash.
He's seen it few weeks earlier,
He searches the box.
The mother is there, fear in her eyes,
To save the babies from the 'father.'
The elders ask him clean the box.
The squirrel may disturb his baby.
He glances the new borns, eyes yet to open,
He's a father who cares for his child,
Here's a mother who suffers in solitude.
He leaves the box to take the blame.
Let his baby have some company!

PEACE

Let us pray for peace;
That eludes our place.
War may show our might;
Peace will resolve all plight.

Orphaned children, abandoned homes,
Ravished maiden, punctured greeneries;
Vignettes of sorrow,
Seeds of bleak tomorrow.

War is seldom a solution,
To bring peace be our resolution.
Let the flutters of peace be vibrant,
Let the banging guns fall silent.