C i 2 i!

naisaiku week 25

2009-08-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry -18 ]

'' Zahid sharaab peene de masjid mein baith kar
yaa woh jagah bata de jahan par Khuda na ho " ~ ghalib

[ Ref : Inner World Outer World by T.N. Dhar - Google Books - 210 pages
books.google.ca/books?isbn=8183242472 ]

oh righteous one
let ' ghalib ' drink in the mosque
FOR HE'S EVERYWHERE
tell me a place where He's not
let ' ghalib ' have wine .. ~ ghalib

naisaiku / translation / z.g.©

Note :

[ i believe that this couplet is sometimes misunderstood . . ' mosque ' here should apply to any place of worship . It alludes to the Omnipresence of The Lord Almighty .Nothing can be or is hidden from Him .To my mind ' ghalib ' is certainly not seeking a license to partake of wine inside any place of worship . . ' mosque ' or otherwise , all that he is possibly saying is that a vice is a vice
afterall , anywhere and everywhere and that the final judgement belongs to the Lord Almighty.

Ghalib , learned as he was , must certainly have known that such ' permission ' was
anyway out of the question , so he's merely teasing the devout ! .. ]

~~ .. ~~

the right and the wrong
playing a game of ' eyes spies '
CHANGING PERCEPTIONS
playing a game of ' eyes spies '
the right and the wrong ..

{ indian kids play hide and seek & call it ' eyes spies ' }

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

naisaiku week 24

2009-08-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry -17 ]

Laali mere laal ki, jit dekhun tit laal,
Laali dekhan main gayi, main bhi ho gayi laal .. ~ kabir

i went to see red
the red of my beloved
RED IS EVERYWHERE
the red of my child , lord , love
has made me red too .. ~ kabir

[as per the devotional traditions of india the lord is worshipped as a 'child ' ~
' baal gopala '~ just one of his ' rupas ' or forms ]

naisaiku / translation / z.g.©

~~ .. ~~

you deal with yourself
when nothing is happening
BE THE BEGINNING
of something that could happen
you deal with yourself ..

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

naisaiku week 23

2009-07-24T16:45:00.000-07:00



[ echoes of indian poetry -16 ]

deen gooli mor shonaar khanchaye royilo  naa 
shei je amar na na ronger deen gooli ~ tagore 

my days they escape
from their cage of halcyon
        DAYS OF MANY HUES
            escape from their golden cage
                      my 'halcyon days'~tagore

naisaiku / translation / z.g.©

[ ref: walt whitman _ halcyon days ]
                       
 ~~ .. ~~

( ref: john masefield -

- " i have seen flowers come in stony places
and kind things done by men with ugly faces
and the gold cup won by the worst horse at the races
so i trust too " ) ~

betting on a horse
somehow it always loses
WHAT IS GOING WRONG
murphy's law or hobson's law
ain't no law for luck ..

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

naisaiku week 22

2009-07-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry -15]

'bada hua to kya hua jaise ped khajoor
panthi ko chaya nahin phal lage ati door'- kabir

tall, the date palm tree
no shade to the traveler
THE FRUITS ARE FAR OFF
the traveler without shade
could you call that tall .. kabir

naisaiku / translation / z.g.©

                    ~~ .. ~~
                     in the gloaming hues
                tracing a sad melody
             FIND A HAPPY SONG
 then rearranging the notes
return to the blues ..



/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

naisaiku week 21

2009-07-12T02:46:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry -14]

aami tomaye joto shooniye cheelem gaan
taar bodole aami chaye nee kono daan .. tagore r n

i wanted nothing
for the song i sang to you
NOTHING IN RETURN
for the song i sang to you
i wanted nothing .. tagore

naisaiku / translation / z.g.©

again rings the phone
and the hellos are exchanged
IT'S THE WRONG NUMBER
but the hellos are exchanged
again the dialtone ..

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

naisaiku week 20

2009-07-12T02:29:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry - 13 ]

tumi je shoorer aagoon lagiye dile mor prane
she aagoon chodiye galo shob khane .. tagore r n

sets my life ablaze
the fire of your melody
IT'S EVERYWHERE NOW
the fire of your melody
sets my life ablaze .. tagore

[ could also mean ]

you kindled a fire
of melody in my life
NOW IT'S EVERYWHERE
the fire of that melody
it is everywhere .. tagore

naisaiku / translation / z.g.©

assembled beings
replaceable body parts
STEM CELLS AND CLONING
body parts replaceable
and so will be you ..

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

naisaiku week 19

2009-06-29T00:49:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry - 12]

badal kar fakiroN kaa ham bhes ghalib

tamaashaa-e-ahl-e-karam dekhte haiN.. ~ ghalib

[ Line 2 needs verification / another citation reads - 'tamaashaa-e-ahl-e-jahaaN dekhte haiN ' ]

watch the spectacles
of the graces of the world
GUISED AS A MINSTREL
of the world of the graces
watch the spectacles' ~ ghalib (~ urdu poetry - )

naisaiku / translation / z.g.©

you consume products
shadowed by advertisements
BECOME A SHADOW
haunted by advertisements
products consume you ..

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

naisaiku week 18

2009-06-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry - 11]

" ogo nodi aapon bege pagol para
aami stobdho champar toru,
gondho bhore , tondra haara " ~ tagore r. n.

' lost unto yourself
like mad you flow oh river
A STILLED TREE AM I
the ' champa ' whose fragrance flows
but has lost its sleep `~ tagore

/ naisaiku / translation / z.g.©

sometimes you wonder
how yesterday got devoured
THAT IS HOW LIFE IS
devouring all yesterdays
you wonder sometimes ..

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

[Champa ~ Botanical name: Magnolia champaca Family: Magnoliaceae ...]

naisaiku week 17

2009-06-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry - 10 ]

" maati kahe kumhar se tu kya raunde moye
ik din aisa aayega main raundungi toye " ~ kabir

[ kabir ~ devotional poet from medieval India - A.D . 1400 - 1500 approximately ]

you keep kneading me
says the clay to the potter
BUT THE DAY WILL COME
when i would be pounding you
and the day will come ~ kabir

/ naisaiku / translation / z.g. ©

elimination
a logic of existence
DARWIN IS LAUGHING
a logical existence
elimination ..

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

naisaiku week 16

2009-06-04T00:28:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry - 9]

" Lagta NahiN Hai Dil Mera Ujde Dayar MeiN
Kiski Bani Hai Aalam-e-Napaidar Mein " ~ Bahadur Shah Zafar

have no more heart left
in this forlorn barrenness
BUT WHO HAD HIS WAY
in the momentariness
of this fragile world .. ~ Bahadur Shah Zafar

( zafar - urdu poetry )

[After a mock trial in Delhi in 1857-58 Bahadur Shah Zafar , the last Mughal Emperor of India, was exiled and banished to a prison in Rangoon Burma ( now Yangon ) by the British .. He died in jail and was buried there ]

/ naisaiku / translation / z.g.©

you got to survive
so you got to be living
GOT TO BE LOVING
so you got to be living
you got to survive ..

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

naisaiku week 15

2009-05-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry - 8]

" dekh to dil ke jaaN se uthta hai , yeh dhuaN-sa kahaaN se uthta hai " .. Meer Taqi Meer

where does it come from
is it from this life oh heart
SOARS SOMETHING SMOKEY
( oh heart , is my life burning )
something like smoke , soars..~ Meer Taqi Meer.

( Meer Taqi Meer..~ urdu poetry - legend )

/ naisaiku / translation / z.g.©

the children squabble
but patch up in a jiffy
THAT'S THE WAY TO GO
so patch up in a jiffy
squabble like children ..

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

yours truly

2009-05-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

' friend '

your summer shelter
in the morning a tooth-brush
a disinfectant
that open-air village school
this simple neem tree ..

~ twaicoo- 42 /original/z.g.© .

aids

2009-05-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

aids

she's a prostitute
and he is a truck-driver
on the road to AIDS
and richard gere plays his part
in aids-awareness ..

[ AIDS - india -richard gere-actor /

- prostitutes and truck-drivers are the high risk groups ]

~ twaicoo- 41 /original/z.g.© .

prison

2009-05-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

' chains'

no more slavery
dreams were created equal
a maid servant toils
looks at the television
and feels like a slave ..

[ 2009 ad - india - the plight of maid servants is sad ]

~ twaicoo- 40 /original/z.g.© .

naisaiku - week 14

2009-05-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry - 7 ]

" ug raha hai dar-o-deewar pay subzah ghalib
hum haiN veeranay meiN aur ghar meiN bahar aayi hai " ~ ghalib / {a different citation reads -

' Hum biyabaan mein hain ' instead of ' hum haiN veeranay meiN '- needs verification }

' green growths on the walls
i am in the wilderness
FOR SPRING HAS COME HOME
flaunting green sprouts on my walls
wilderness has me ' .. ~ ghalib

( urdu poetry ~ ghalib )

/ naisaiku / translation / z.g.©

what melancholy
torn by vibrant agonies
A FLOWER INJURED
vibrant with the agonies
was melancholy ..

{ to diana princess of wales - }

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

blemishes

2009-05-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

' stains '

the dhobi washes
the punditji chants mantras
the cleansing is on
ablutions and laundering
who would wash the mind ..

~ twaicoo 39 / original / zg

[ the dhobi - the washerman / the punditji - the priest ]

learning

2009-05-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

' education '

it's unflowering
a tree eats up the flower
almost like cancer
the hand of the guru moves
on the child's body ..

~ twaicoo 38 / original / zg

[ news report - teacher molests kids - india ]

why

2009-05-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

' ? '

worshipped goddesses
harbingers of happiness
flowers unblossomed
why female infanticide
is it not murder ..

~ twaicoo-37 /original/z.g.© .

[. female infanticide - india ]

possessed

2009-05-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

' anopheles '

blood sucking creatures
she shivers with the fever
call the exorcist
the simple mosquito-net
keeps away the ghosts ..

~ twaicoo-36 /original/z.g.©

naisaiku week 13

2009-05-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry -6 ]

' aye ree mai to prem -deewanee mera darad naa jaane koye ' ~ meera bai

me gone mad in love
none can see or understand
MY MELANCHOLY
can see or understand none
mad me in love , gone ~ meera bai

[ meera bai ~ the beautiful princess ~ devotional poet of the 16th century- - in a time and age when regality was 'divine ' and a commoner could lose his eyes for an offensive gaze -'meera bai' of mewar rajasthan wandered like a minstrel from street to street, singing the praises of her lord ~ ' girdhar gopala ' lost in his love-renouncing a kingdom ]

~ naisaiku / translation / zg ..

matter of a breath
inhale to be exhaling
THE LIFE & THE DEATH
exhale to be inhaling
a breath doth matter ..

~ naisaiku / original / zg

TC

2009-05-12T11:28:00.001-07:00

' TC '

your right has been sold
he thrives on your discomfort
the ticket babu
gulps a bribe to steal the chance
of someone needy

~ twaicoo-35 /original/z.g.©

[ the railway TC (ticket collector )-openly accepts bribes to alott a railway berth (illegally )-and makes it look like an act of kindness-anyone who cannot / will not pay-must suffer ]

feedback

2009-05-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

' the news '

a soap opera
the girls and women gather
at the village well
just nothing is forgotten
in the back-biting ..

~ twaicoo-34 /original/z.g.©

ageing

2009-05-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

' enemy '

the season of rains
like a black-hole in the sky
sucked by a pot-hole
an old man has to struggle
against many odds ..

~ twaicoo-33 /original/z.g.©

[during the rains many roads in several indian cities are submerged under water (clogged drains )-the sick,the old & the children are especially vulnerable ]

the chai-wallah

2009-05-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

' tea'

wooden plank comfort
a road side tea shop abuzz
with philosophy
and politics and cricket
and ofcourse rumors ..

~ twaicoo-32 /original/z.g.©

[ the shade of a neem tree,two small boulders to spread a plank on,a pushcart (on four wheels) with a stove and a milk pan,and the tea shop is up and running! ]

railways

2009-05-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

' without ticket '

ticket or WT
stuffy,crowded and stinking
the general coach
a far cry from the AC
on the train of life ..

~ twaicoo-31 /original/z.g.©

[WT - without ticket ]

lullaby

2009-05-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

' lori '

no bed time story
nothin' would get me to sleep
then came her lori
turning my nightmares to dreams
a mom understands ..

[ lori ~ it means lullaby ]

~ twaicoo-30 /original/z.g.©

alive

2009-05-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

' work '

it would get to you
the ten headed demon will
get to it instead
your ten fingers are magic
so remain alive ..

~ twaicoo-29 /original/z.g.©

[ravana-the ten headed demon-symbolizing badness~ from The Ramayana ]

krishna

2009-05-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

' matha'

the toddler krishna
what a vanishing artist
with the butter gone
the skimmed butter-milk is left
to face all the heat ..

[indian mythology ~ the young krishna loved to steal the butter, from his own house or the neighbor's, mattered little./ today 'chaach' aka 'matha' ie skimmed butter-milk is regarded as a potent antidote to heat ]

~ twaicoo- 28 / original /z.g.©

naisaiku week 12

2009-05-05T01:19:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry - 5 ]

" dil- e -nadan tujhe hua kya hai
aakhir is dard ki dawa kya hai " ~ ghalib

my heart so unwise
but what is your affliction
WHAT CURE FOR THIS HURT
(for you are the affliction)
oh my naive .heart . ~ ghalib

~ nasaiku / translation / zg ..

life of confluence
a rock flows with the river
PARADOXICAL
a river flows with the rock
confluence of life

`~naisaiku / original /zg

Disclaimer/Sr. No. 10 -gotcha babble! /Twaicoo

2009-05-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

[ NOTE:-Disclaimer/{IRO The Post dated Tuesday, April 15, 2008 gotcha babble! Sr. No. 10 on this Blog}
- _ To the best of my knowledge and belief the Term " Twaicoo " ( devised by zoya gautam )-noun for a poetic form as described herein above was never in use prior to april 08.2009-wednesday for the purpose(s) of defining / describing or employing the said poetic form mentioned herein or for any other poetic form , of any nationality`~

The use of the term " Twaicoo" for purposes other than this poetic form should not be confused
as being the same,and could tantamount to be misleading

Till april 08.2009-wednesday The Google Search For ' twaicoo ' yielded Nil /. No Matches Found.
as well as @ © 2009 Yahoo! / Search stated that -We did not find results for: twaicoo.-.zg / Tuesday May 05.2009]

one meal

2009-05-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

' cutlery '

it remains so green
unjaded and unrusted
the banana leaf
holds a very modest meal
better than nothing..

~ twaicoo-27 /original/z.g.©

[ in the south of india food is served on a banana leaf ]

happy

2009-05-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

' the walk home '

the rythm of life
reaches a happy tempo
tit-tha-tirkit-dha
speak the tabla syllables
as a dance unfolds ..

~ twaicoo-26 /original/z.g.©

[ the tabla - a pair of indian drums ]

out worn

2009-05-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

' worn out '

at adolescence
a lil' girl fantasizes
of a red sari
the one that you see brides in
but the dream wears off ..

~ twaicoo-25 /original/z.g.©

[ the sari-2 ~ the well known dress of the indian woman ]

blurred

2009-05-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

' clad in thoughts '

the moon is hidden
behind a foggy fabric
draped in a sari
of cloud and mist and pure haze
intrinsic beauty ..

~ twaicoo-24 /original/z.g.©

[ the sari ~ the well known dress of the indian woman ]

serenade

2009-04-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

' ordinary things '

a mundane routine
melodious with her walk
the payal jingles
and the earth serenades me
with the song of life ..

[ payal ~ trinkets worn on the ankles by indian women ]

~ twaicoo-23 /original/z.g.©

naisaiku week 11

2009-04-29T13:31:00.001-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry - 4 ]

" unka joh hai farz woh ahle siyaasat jaaneN
mera paiGham muhabbat hai jahan tak pahunche "

( ~ Jigar Muradabadi - a voice from urdu poetry )

here to wherever
politics its duty knows
MY MESSAGE IS LOVE
( left to itself politics )
here to wherever ~ Jigar Muradabadi

/naisaiku 4 /translation/z.g.©

{ loosely interpreted so as to conform to the naisaiku format-
- - paraphrase_ those that indulge in politics / politicking , would know of their duties-mine is a message of love as far as it would go // cited for educational purposes only.}

the teacher teaches
as it's ever unfolding
THE MEANING OF LIFE
as it's ever unfolding
teaches the teacher ..

/ naisaiku 4 /original /z.g.©

fever

2009-04-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

' april '

igniting april
soaring with the mercury
a summer frenzy
every petal is burning
on the gulmohar ..

/twaicoo- 22 /original/z.g.©

[ the gulmohar tree has flaming reddish-orange colored flowers / Delonix regia / Royal Poinciana - Caesalpinioideae ]

no answers

2009-04-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

.. ' a question of love '

what is this traction
why do the tides rise and fall
does it not happen
that a moon waxes and wanes
and the chakor weeps ..

~ twaicoo-21 /original/z.g.© ..

[ ~ a popular indian belief that the chakor (a bird) is an eternal lover of the moon ]

mehendi

2009-04-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

' the bride '

a heart is aflame
reflecting the soft twilight
with her mehendi
she holds the hues of first light
in her bridal palms ..

..
~ twaicoo-20 /original/z.g.©

[ ( mehendi ) -henna / please see the previous post for more info ]

beauty

2009-04-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

' mehendi '

burgundy or brown
on her palms the mehendi
elevates beauty
but a heart broken lover
imagines blood stains ..

~ twaicoo-19 /original/z.g.©

[-as per popular indian belief, the darker the color of the mehendi, the greater is the love / mehendi is deemed to be a color of auspiciousness, of good omen /an intricate part of indian wedding ceremonies / ( mehendi ) -henna stains the skin in some color between orange, red, burgundy, brown or coffee./source:www ]

the night

2009-04-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

' kaajal '

anaesthesia
blacking out the suffering
this night's a respite
away from a burning day
the kohl of her eyes ..

~ twaicoo-18/original/z.g.©

[ref:: ' kaajal `aka surma-( kohl ) applied by indian women on the eyes / Eyeliner ]

dance

2009-04-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

a whirlpool of love
the sway of green foliage
dancing the kathak
a torrent comes to a freeze
and so does my breath ..

~ twaicoo-17/original/z.g.©

[kathak~ an indian classical dance form]

traditional wear

2009-04-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

' does she find a shade '

red watermelons
forty degrees celsius
she looks for a shade
of green or yellow mangoes
on ghaghra -cholis ..

~ twaicoo-16 /original /z.g.©

[ ghaghra -choli- traditional indian skirt and top ]

let the love grow

2009-04-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

it has rained flowers
in shades of the moon and sun
harsingar petals
carpetting the earth below
for love to walk on ..

~ twaicoo-15/original/z.g.©

[harsingar~ aka parijata- shephali-the stem of the flower is saffron /orange in color and the petals are white.( botanical name is nycanthus arbortristis) ]

village urchins

2009-04-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

it's all about ice
in the blistering hot sun
the kulfi-wallah
village urchins celebrate
the summer season ..

~ twaicoo-14/original/z.g.©

[kulfi-a form of icecream indigenously made in india]

naisaiku week 10

2009-04-21T04:01:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry - 3 ] ~

" huyee muddat ke ' ghalib' mar gaya par yaad aata hai
woh har ik baat peh kehna ke yun hota to kya hota " ~

long dead is ghalib
had ' what ifs ' for everything
WHAT IF THIS WAS THAT
his thoughts they keep returniing
( but ghalib does not ) ~ ghalib

[ ~ ghalib~ urdu poetry ]

/ naisaiku / translation(draft) /z.g.©

raise the spirits high
this vodka whiskey and rum
THEY SEND ME FALLING
this vodka whiskey and rum
raise the spirits high .

/ naisaiku / original /z.g.©

priestess

2009-04-21T01:40:00.000-07:00

rajanigandha
cloistered priestess of the night
embracing darkness
in the scent of her silence
rajanigandha ..

/twaicoo-13 /original/z.g.© // [Monday April 20 .09 ]

[rajanigandha~Tuberose bulbs-growing white flowers with a night time fragrance]

earthenware

2009-04-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

surahis of clay
the terracotta pitchers
to quench all those thirsts
a potter always at work
digs out the parched earth ..

/twaicoo-12 /original/z.g.©

an insomniacal moon

2009-04-18T02:19:00.000-07:00

strikes a different chord
that flute fragrant with malkauns
half way through the night
an insomniacal moon
melts into a trance ..

[raaga malkauns~ a specific melody structure in indian classical music]
[ED-line 4:the trees,the moon and the stars / line 5-melts replaces 'goes'/go ]

/twaicoo- 11 /original/z.g.©

water

2009-04-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

' drops'

welled up in the eyes
would she spill a drop or two
fetching the water
but the blister on her sole
holds some water too ..

[-girls and women walk long distances in the scalding heat to fetch drinking water]
(post edited-april 18.09)

/twaicoo-10 /original/z.g.©

hearts / naisaiku week 10

2009-04-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

my proposed 'naisaiku' entry for week 10 was-

" infatuation
breaks circadian rythms
A LITTLE GIRL'S HEART
breaks circadian rythms
infatuation "..

[ but coincidence had other plans / overlap ]

'naisaiku' /original/z.g.

the commoners

2009-04-16T01:24:00.000-07:00

' the british raj-'

looted and plundered
a civilization robbed
the commoners know
done by a queen it's conquest
otherwise plain theft ..

(snapshots of indian history)

/twaicoo-9 /original/z.g.©

environment

2009-04-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

' governance '

searching for a shade
this sultry scorching summer
what do the birds do
no cooler and no ac
where do the birds go ..

/twaicoo-8 /original/z.g.©

' thirst '

2009-04-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

' summer '

a taste of water
colorful ice ball candies
this season of thirst
but when nothing does quench it
just taste the water ..

/twaicoo-7 /original/z.g.©

naisaiku week 9

2009-04-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry 2 ] ~

" Poochtey haiN woh keh Ghalib kaun hai
Koi batlao keh hum batlayaiN kya " ~

' ( for i am ghalib )
and who is ghalib they ask
PRAY TELL ME SOMEONE
when they ask who is ghalib
what does ghalib say ' .. ~ ghalib

[ ~ ghalib~widely considered to be the ultimate voice of urdu poetry ]

/ naisaiku /translation /z.g.©

'nother love affair
'tis quietly building up
ONE SIMPLE HEARTACHE
'tis quietly building up
'nother love affair ..

/ naisaiku /original/z.g.©

summer

2009-04-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

' indian summer '

say the mango groves
the haunting fragrances talk
in burning whispers
the sweltering breezes speak
of a koel's call ..

~ twaicoo-6 /original/z.g.©

ganga

2009-04-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

' ganga '

do i poison you
for you are so forgiving
oh holy ganges
for washing the sins of man
should i poison you ..

(~a dip in the ganges washes the sins -the scriptures say)
[effluents flow into Ganga at approximately 1.7 billion litres each day out of which -1.4 billion litres is untreated.]

/twaicoo- 5 /original/z.g.©

a bulb

2009-04-11T04:48:00.000-07:00

' little girls '

a little girl reads
her way out of the darkness
a bulb is aglow
simply electrifying
the lives of the little girls..

/ twaicoo- 4 /original/z.g.©

the rickshaw

2009-04-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

' babu u no sit i no eat '

the rickshaw puller
pulling his own crucifix
just how can that be
something surely crucified *
the rickshaw puller ..

[in my country india man pulls man on a cycle rickshaw- the puller says:-
' babu u no sit i no eat ' ]

/ twaicoo-3 /original/z.g.©

[ED-could something have crucified * ]

farmers

2009-04-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

' what harvest '

a harvest of words
cannot reverse a suicide
the farmers suffer
political bigwigs reap
a harvest of words ..

[ Over 16,600 farmer suicides in 2007 -ref:-
http://www.indiatogether.org/2008/dec/psa-16k.htm ]

/ twaicoo-2 /original/z.g.©

carousel / twaicoo

2009-04-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

'carousel'

"cannot figure out
who's ahead n who's behind
on the carousel
the cops and the robbers play
a cat n mouse game" ..

[twaicoo-a common central theme_ on the carousel- with two different (or opposite) perspectives /5-7-5-7-5 syllables/ the last line may or may not echo the first]

/twaicoo-1 /original/z.g.©

naisaiku week 8

2009-04-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

[ echoes of indian poetry 1 ] ~

"aami jene shoone beesh korechi paan "_tagore r .n._

' consciously,with awakened senses i've partaken of the death potion '_

no he's not talking of suicide here_he could well have used the word_which he avoids doing _it is the 'beesh'-the poison of life that he is talking of _ the hemlock that he willingly & knowingly consumes- out of free will ..

'alive i remain
with the senses awakened
SIPPING THE HEMLOCK
that puts me to sleep each day
but never kills me ' ..

/naisaiku /translation/z.g.©

~ ~
keep the stars burning
brighter on a moonless night
AGONIES TWINKLE *
brighter on a moonless night
keep the stars burning

/naisaiku /original/z.g.©//ref:-cmnt 1-!nversed Poignancy! /

[POST EDITED-the verse 'carousel' was deleted & replaced by the above-after cmnt 3/ED-AN ABSENCE TWINKLES*]
(Clickthis to find the deleted verse 'carousel' at Sr. No.10- )

naisaiku week 7

2009-04-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

(as jeeves would say)
dear all,

unable to find my cmnt posted yesterday @ 'pretty prats' repeated it today as follows_
--
" hi pretty prats,
was my cmnt as under unable to reach u _

"tears dark with smoke"_
is really expressive-

[_ ' hazaaron tarah ke yeh hote hain aansoo-khushee mein bhi aankhein bhigote hain aansoo-
_nahin jaan sakta inhe yeh zamana ' _ & a crude translation could be -
tears of a thousand kinds_even in joyfulness wet the eyes _the world cannot fathom their depth -
from a great song by 'mukesh' * ] "--

-followed on to the 'naisaiku challenge' & the writeup of 'Andy Sewina aka Danny Wise '_

{& hence this first attempt / kindly forgive the liberty taken with the ' form ' working out with six lines instead of seven}

thousand kinds of tears
the eyes wet with joyfulness
UNFATHOMABLE
the eyes wet with joyfulness
thousand kinds of tears ..

[ credits- original lines from a hindi movie song rendered by the late mukesh kumar mathur */cited for educational purposes only]

/ translation /z.g.

existence

2008-09-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

in the shadows
& silhouettes drowned
the moon was a moment..

/original/zg

flowering

2008-04-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

..burns the sun
it spins and spins
rainbow petals,flashin' grins![to teri's drawings]
/original/z.g.

glory

2008-04-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

akin to the sun glory
sometimes mourned
sometimes celebrated!
.....................................
seas to sail
hearts to conquer
my empire is elsewhere!
......................................... /original/z.g.
..

a green umbrella

2008-04-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

seven continents,seven seas
seven heavens and
seven green spokes
on this umbrella
my dear li'l fellar
with a dash of pink
and you'll never sink
into the abyss of
a burning,scalding field or fallow
if the earth is not stripped
of this umbrella
with a green green halo!/original/z.g./

..with a li'l bit of a flashback

2008-03-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

i know you beka rebekah the blonde
i've been forever a frog in a pond
of mani and pedi are you not fond
ah! flowers and stars to gaze beyond "

you visit the church to say a prayer
the good ol' mayor should also care
for dogs 'n cows 'n cats or the mare
'cause in your wish list they all fare

seen you cruise on your roller skates
as a li'l kid brother tries 'n imitates
you knew he would fall 'n all his mates
would burst with laughter that irritates!

and your directness could always stun
those old timers that were on the run
in the quiet hunt for the moon 'n the sun
they forgot that the fun had just begun!/original/z.g.