A love affair in remorse

A love affair in remorse

I met you when I was twenty two,

And knew you were not true.

Our meets left me in doubt,

And a bad taste in my mouth.

At first our encounters remained in bars and cars,

But soon moved to anywhere under the stars.

So our love sustained,

And pretty soon I was chained.

I shared you with coffee, I shared you with beer

And never thought you would make me shed a tear.

I sought to you in comfort; I sought to you in relief,

In you I held my belief.

But you turned to be a cruel mistress,

And being with you became an illness.

With courage and support I brought the relationship to an end,

And without you a year was spend.

But alas your aroma and presence was ever there,

And so continued our affair.

You were my muse,

My worries you did unconfuse.

You stole my presence more and more,

And I became your whore.

I used to be an athlete, I swear,

But with you I am gasping for air.

Together we travelled the world,

But frankly this is becoming absurd.

That you are cancer is well known,

This the research has shown.

We used to share a laugh,

But now all you bring is a cough.

I wish to no longer be your slave,

As for certain you will put me to the grave.

Thus, with this last puff,

I hope to end my affair with this cancer ridden stuff!

Ps: This is about cigarettes.

ohh that smell, the smell of us around you

Today I am reminded of an incident i saw not too long back. Urinating on the street is all too common in India. Not Sure if there is a law against it or not, but if a law does exist it is not exercised; much like the women cannot wear pants law in Paris. I have seen ppl urinating on the streets in all places i have been to in India. Infact i have seen it happen in Dubai and the United States, but in the US if your caught, its a $50 fine. I speak from experience, not personal but that of a friend's; and in Dubai its probably jail time. However, the incident I am talking about is not urinating on the street but rather the other bodily excrement. Yes, i saw a man defecating on the street. True the man was homeless but to do that in public on a fairly busy street speaks volumes about our great country.

India they say is growing at a fast pace, 9% growth in the midst of a global recession. India is a developing nation knocking on the doors of the developed. But what is it that defines a country as developed? Is it the economy, trade relations, global stance and government? Or should the cities, infrastructure and population mimic those of the recognized developed nations such as United States, Japan, Australia or UK? If it is only the former then yes India is on its way towards the developed nations club and could essentially enter the club within a decade or so. However, if the latter needs to be considered then it may be a while, probably not in my lifetime, before India is considered a developed nation. Our cities are congested, the infrastructure is not well planned and our population is not well educated. Sure, we export the largest number of software professionals, a highly skilled profession, but that is not the education that i am talking about here. Education is etiquette, interpersonal skills and open mindedness; that is what is lacking. "You can take the Indian out of India, but you cannot take India out of him"; this is true, unfortunately not in a good way. Having met a lot of my fellow citizens in foreign lands i have noticed a certain lack of the three above mentioned attributes; my intention is not to generalize an entire race however one visit to Naif street or Meena Bazaar in Dubai or Little India enclaves in New Jersey and Chicago will help prove my point. But i ramble on ... lets first try and get free public toilets that all can use. I shudder to think what he used to clean himself, but did not wait to find out.

Bargaining

Yesterday i had to travel from Chennai to Bangalore and as i am the sort who does not plan these things, my only option was to take the bus service. On arrival at the bus terminal i was met by a lot of ticket vendors and finally found one who was selling tickets to Bangalore. His price was almost double what i though the normal fare should be, so we started to bargain. Eventually he brought it down to 650 still a lot more than i was willing to pay. His reasoning for the price ... This bus is going to Goa via Bangalore, so that is why it is more expensive!!

Bargaining is a common trend in India. You can haggle over pretty much anything as long as ur not in a big department store. Infact, bargaining is a livelihood for some ppl; they act as a broker trying to sell a product at much higher than the original price inorder to pocket the difference. this scheme i guess would only work on the tourists since the penny pinching Indian is always ready to bargain. When it comes to bargaining knowing the language helps a lot and knowing ur surroundings too. But what i have found helps the most is acting like you dont want it. If you start to walk away they will drastically reduce the price. This tactic has worked on a few occasions. More on this later as i hone my negotiating skills. These skills will come in handy later in life.

India the exotic

Yesterday, as i was strolling along after lunch, I was approached by a lady carrying a small handmade basket. She was mumbling something to me in a language i did not understand. As I tried to explain that i did not understand, she opens the basket and shoves it to my face. The basket was only 5 or 6 inches deep and inside neatly coiled was a snake hissing. Jumping back with a fright, i wondered if the lady was mad, shoving a potentially dangerous snake within a foot of my face. I continued walking but that encounter got me thinking about India, the land of the exotic. Although I am an Indian, i have spent a majority of my life outside of India. And when indigenious ppl find out that I am Indian, they curiously ask me... Do Indians really eat monkey brain as depicted in the Indy Jones flick? Do snake chammers really exist? Do fakirs realy sleep on a bed of nails. I used to brush off these questions with come on guys do you really think so. But after haveing moved to India, I have seen brain fry on the menu and snakes in a basket. I guess India is an exotic place after all and not just the coconut with a straw exotic.

Confessions of a lunatic

Far away in a distant memory
Is a place and time
When I was carefree
Lost in my own insanity
And this is what has
Led me to be me
So please do forgive me
If I have troubled thee

Buffalo Wings

Wings, a man is born without,

Yet he eats them to get stout.

They come in three sizes; six, twelve and eighteen,

And their aroma is everlasting.

Bright orange and golden brown little wings,

You were never the food for kings.

Nevertheless, to a common man you are heaven,

Especially when watching a game on television.

Together with its companion – beer,

Constitute the happy meal for the mature.

Yummy, scrumptious, tasty wings

Quite a delight you do bring

But beware of the dangers that lie,

Because, a buffalo cannot fly.

(edit) The Buffalo Wings poem actually has a story behind it. I absolutely hate buffalo wings and my friend challenged me to write a poem on it, stating that the hardest things to write about are the ones that you dont like. Taking on his challenge resulted in the above sonnet.

a few more from days past ....

Smile

When you’re feeling sad and low

Smile it will make you glow.

When you feeling crappie

Smile, it will make u happy.

And everyone around you,

Will not have a clue;

Yet they will say to you

“How do you do?”

So smile once in a while

It goes a long mile.

When you see people with a frown;

Smile, and tell them to turn that frown upside down.

So smile once in a while

And make it your style.

I have

I am a man with a plan

Who has done whatever one can

I have had love's first kiss

Then had to face its dimiss

I have had a smoke

Long before i became a bloke

I have had an alcholics urge

Till i realized the amount i splurged

I have had my dance with Mary Jane

Now its time for a change.

Just wrote this one... lazy day at work. A little bit about my life in the new millenium

The Millennium dawned, the world did not end
Moved to the United States, the dork did die
Got a degree, drank a lot
Dabbled in pot
Let my hair down
Like Che without the frown
A rebel without a cause

Got a job,
Traded the cause for a suit
There was no sob
Cut the hair
Had an affair
Drank a lot
Burned my lips to Miss Jane
Went down like a wrecked train

Moved to India
Did some charity
Got healthy
Shaved my head
Became a veggie

Took a job
Moved to Sydney
Drank a lot
Ate for four
Bedded some more

Back in India
Dont see a plan in whole
God save my soul

on a lighter note

The Ballad of Joe Shmo

Four scores and twenty years ago
Joe Shmo walked the earth.
A farmer by trade he was
But a farmer he was not;
For ol' Joe had no clue
And was always down with the flu.
And therefore, you shouldn’t eat his food
As it wasn’t all that good.

Now Joe Shmo was fond,
Of singing in the pond;
Also loved climbing trees
And scaring bees.
This he did with utmost delight
Till the day he had his plight.

The bees’ obviously were not trilled
And so they went in for the kill;
Four and twenty bees together as one
Went after that poor old son.
Thus Joe’s days of fun
Are all done.

Now he plant peas and corn
Hence a farmer he did remain,
With lots of disdain;
Till the day he lost his brain
And went completely insane.

On the day he did die
Quite a story it did buy
For old Joe was not the kinda guy
To quietly die
Oh no! He went back to the trees
To scare them bees
The next day the news did read
“Local farmer killed in a stampede!”

In an effort to get things going i thought i would post some of my creativity here

Change

People change all the time,
But a change is not easy to come by as a dime.
Change is good, a change is great;
But a change for the worse is just met with hate.
And so I tell you a change overnight;
Is just not right.
Cos it almost always ends in a fight.
And therefore I urge you to reconsider your spite;
Even if you may be right.

A change for the better,
Usually requires an apt reason.
And such a change thereafter,
Doth last all season.
But a change of this nature,
Requires you to be mature;
And does take a year to appear.
Thus, I say to you a change overnight;
Is just not right.

lets try this again

So created the blog and then remained inactive for almost a year. Great start.