Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Cell Phone Speaks   [song]



I went for a bath in the Goan sea
no longer is chatter my stock in trade
from language's babble at last I'm free
who'd think I'd gain this from a simple wade?

I went for a bath in the Goan sea
the network of fishes seemed lithe & bright
it's hard to say quite what attracted me
to dive into water devoid of fright

I went for a bath in the Goan sea
the custom of bathing though not my wont
who seek the dim object of liberty
must hazard chill paradox & cruel taunt

I went for a bath in the Goan sea
the going gets tough when the bluff is called
no jabber remote now ensorcells me
in measureless silence my soul enthralled



===============
Poem's 1st line borrowed (with modification) from Nitoo Das

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Here, There, and Everywhere   [rubai / ditty]



Do you hear that I am here?
are you aware that I am there?
although I'm not quite in the clear
potentially I'm everywhere

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Culture   [quatrain]



Starting to cultivate a gotee again
summer approaching its late close
crickets resounding in the atmosphere when
night is composing its great prose

Saturday, October 8, 2011

"Tuning the sarangi"



Finally tuning the sarangi
after many a moon's neglect
hope blooms again in the ferengi
that some raag he might yet perfect

when the shishya's ready the guru's there
quoth the wise who on such reflect
when the swar grows tuneful amid the air
can the puzzle's swaroop connect?



================
a little lexicon:
sarangi
ferengi (Urdu/Farsi): foreigner
raag (Hindi) = rāga (Sanskrit)
shishya (Hindi/Sanskrit): student
guru (Hindi/Sanskrit): teacher
swar (Hindi): note (sound)
swaroop (Hindi): essential/inherent nature

Sunday, October 2, 2011

"They're selling God" [ditty]



They're selling God on eBay
the bidding's off the charts
while Meher Baba ki Jai
unbidden steals the hearts