love in the time of wordpress

I’m following

My followers

Prime Time

Government proposed
“Special Economic Zone”
Buy farm land for Industries, Chinese scheme
“Give us your land. We’ll pay you three times it’s worth”
Farmers refused
They lunged “let us be”
and the lobbyists won’t let that be

Relax
Give me a chance
Let me speak

“Farmers, my brothers, sell your land
You got no choice but two
Hang yourself to a rope and die or raise a gun
Don’t
Let me be your inspiration
Look at me
I’d sell anything
My underwear, my socks, my neighbor’s wife
That’s all I am left with”

My speech had an effect
But on the authorities, it seems
“An apartment on your farm land for free”
Awesome deal!!

Not a single eyelid winked
Farmers like to make out in the open, I believe
Damn…I so envy that
I’m game
In the car, on the beach, moonlit night
But hush hush job unlike countryside
Cops and hooligans alike, how many can I fight?
I am getting old now and I got to keep myself fit for prime time

Millions die of hunger in my country
Let them eat, I am on liquid diet
Prescribed by a celeb dietician, a cute one!

Am I missing the point?
Food grain decays in the open yards
Exposed to insects and rats

Huh! All you need is a reason to blame our politicians
How do you expect them to build storage overnight?
Haven’t they asked Wal-Mart and Carrefour to march in
With Dollars and Euros and insight?

Rise above petty thoughts
you don’t appreciate, take all for granted
air and water, they never levied upon us

Contaminated?

YOU FOOL,
We are immune
virus, bugs, worms, fertilized crops,
toxin, venom, carbide gas
a thirty odd die everyday, get crushed under trains
Don’t they read public messages?
Politicians are clueless
they did their job ardently
To make us aware
they glued posters
In the stinking public toilets
but we just don’t go there
We like it in the open

Ah! Now you get it

you need not question our politicians

or doubt their selfless act
Ask the Indian cricket team
if you don’t believe me

Can I see it?
Can I see a civil war closing in?
Really, is that true?

God help me please
Hold that war
Don’t be unfair
You see, I am on diet, and I have waited quite a while
I was promised a special coverage on TV, Prime time

Alright…alright, I’ll let that pass
One picture in page 3 will do
What do you say?

Damn, I hate deadlines

Once upon a time

from my early days of bedtime stories to valium now, one cliche remains constant. “Once upon a time….”

Bad Attitude

Ranthambore National Park.

Visiting a wild sanctuary, reporting time 7 am, is not my style. I’m happy with my regular bar, 7 pm, happy hours, wild animals you find there too. But I had bought myself a new camera and I owed a service to my friends on social sites.

We stood there quietly as instructed by the local guide. I was a bit irked with a mild hangover and the “No Smoking in the Park” sign but I was amazed at a rare sight of over a hundred people in solemn silence. We looked good.

Just then our guide whispered “Tiger Tiger”

“WHERE…WHERE” our bewildered eyes, scanning the park from right to left and back.

“Shhhhh, there….there”

“WHERE WHERE” We bellowed in unison again.

“Shhhhhhhhhhh” He yelled “THERE”

We turned to our angry guide. His eyes wide. brows raised, his one hand stiffly pointing in a direction. We nodded just like in kindergarten class and traced the invisible line of his pointing finger.

There, We noticed black stripes advancing from behind the deep bushes. My camera ready for action, my hung-over head froze in splits on a dull summer morning.

Guide rectified “That’s a tigress”

Thank you. Who really had the balls to find that out?

She kept coming closer, walking towards us but not once she cared to look, acknowledge presence of over a hundred people gaping at her.

My one eye pressed shut and the other one glued to the viewfinder, my camera on sports mode, I could hear a million clicks triggered in random. So was I.

She stopped. I guess we were in middle of her way.

“Get going” She snapped at my camera, looking away

“Get going you miserable fool” she twitched

“I’m your fan, Ms.Jolie. I came all the way here to admire your magnanimity. Take pictures of my up close and personal encounter with you”

She snorted as she changed her path but I was determined to convince her of my sincerity.

“I am poet, a photographer, aspiring artist”

She looked away “Everyday a bunch of jerks like you land up here, from far and beyond. Go on, take pictures, transfer them to your laptops and upload. That’s all you guys are here for.”

She was gone, out of our sight and ones with camera got busy checking on playback. You never know. Life is a bitch.

I got home to my laptop, viewed her on screen, just like you right now. Earlier through my viewfinder, then on playback but not with my naked eyes.