“Coffe, Tea or Me”….or is it “Bush, the Bomb or Me”?

Now that he’s here and doing what he does best,
Should I run to the streets & shout in protest?
Maybe I’d pause for a while and just think,
If I’m an Indian or just a plain ol’ fink.

We’re a land of warriors and lovers, ‘tis all the same,
Be it Jhansi Ki Rani or Shah Jahan of Taj Mahal fame;
As our culture and customs have very clearly said,
We do know what to do and what steps to tread.

Our scriptures dictate that the enemy in our own camp,
Be shown the same warmth like the insect & the lamp;
Only when he departs & you cease to play host,
That’s when ‘tis time for battle & your victory to post.

The reason I believe Bush can come & he can go,
Is very clearly enunciated in the verses before;
I’m a citizen of India first & the world only second,
But I’ll say this to all those who mean only to offend.

Yes, the war on Iraq is no trivial matter,
And the big-bully hard-talk on Iran no idle banter;
But what is the problem, what is the grouse?
I too am an Indian but I ain’t no piddling mouse.

It is Hypocrisy all around with a capital H,
Just see the Consulate queues & what we’re trying to fetch;
The Americans throw tid-bits & crumbs like Visas & such,
Can somebody really tell me, why does it matter so much.

And when our kids strut around in hip-hugging jeans,
Munching burgers & fries, you will know what it means;
It’s as simple as X that we’re aping the West,
Yet we protest burning effigies of our American Guest.

I’d leave it to Columbus to find the New World,
I’ll stay right here with the Tri-colour unfurled;
Let the Bushes and his ilk come & do their slam-dunk,
No one shoves me around, I’m an Indian with some spunk.

I tell you all my friends that we’re safe on our own,
So why worry if Bush just rode into town;
His smokin’ gun is all cold beef by now,
If you all act like a Bull, he’ll feel like a Cow.

No need for protests & no need to shout,
With the bomb in our hands we do have clout;
Now do you see why Bush & the rest,
Almost do things at our behest.

Expressions in Verse

"Don't want to be born"
Saw a movie by this name way back in 1982. A horror film it was with a rather ghastly & eerie theme....in the usual Stephen King mould. Daily newspapers regularly scream out tragic headlines & photographs of killer quakes, suicide bombs, hijacks, mass murders et al across almost every part of the world & make me wonder if our world was a safe place to live in at all. Never mind the self-destructive ways of our fellow-men, Nature too seems to be intent on punishing defenceless man in her own awesome way for perhaps the waywardness of the human race & it's calculated destruction of our life-sustaining planet earth. Our flimsy & fragile existence against such great odds reminds me of Elton John singing "Candle in the wind". Technology has absolutely no answer to Nature's fury & should make us all wonder....What next? Life is getting to be so uncertain with every passing day, be it with the vagaries of Nature or the rat-race of daily life that we all find ourselves embroiled in. So..... what of the kids waiting to be born..........what's in store for them? I don't want to be a downright pessimist but here's my view in verse from the perspective of a womb-dweller...........

The life that snuggled inside the womb,
Felt the earthly tremors that had spelled doom;
There wasn’t much standing, not even a room,
As the once tall abode became a tomb.

Mummy please tell me what's going on outside,
I really don't know, am I safe inside?
There's no big hurry, my time I'll bide,
For once I'm born I'd have to run & hide.

Today it was the earth that was shaking,
A week ago the hurricane blowing;
The rains it was that caused all the flooding,
Last year the Tsunami & a discotheque burning.

And don't forget the bombs & the guns,
Spreading their messages, all violent ones;
Wherever one turns, wherever one runs,
They're snuffing out lives of our daughters & sons.

Let's say all's well & peaceful & nice,
Complacency comes with a terrible price;
Life today is a roll of the dice,
It's all about playing cat & mice.

You brace yourself against all odds,
And come out on top, thanking the Gods;
Just when you think you've done enough to be Lord,
You'll be cut down to size by some poor sod.

That's life as it is, on top one day,
The pits maybe the very next day;
So listen Mom to what I've got to say,
I'll be where I am, 'tis a nice place to stay.

Mom I think I do know what's going on outside,
I also do know that I'm safe inside;
There's no hurry at all, my time I'll bide,
For now I don't want to run & hide.