Dozing Dove

18/09/2019

The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo

Edward Lear - 1812-1888

On the Coast of Coromandel
Where the early pumpkins blow,
In the middle of the woods
Lived the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.
Two old chairs, and half a candle,
One old jug without a handle--
These were all his worldly goods,
In the middle of the woods,
These were all his worldly goods,
Of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo,
Of the Yonghy-Bonghy Bo.

07/04/2019

Are you on a different planet?
Your messages seem to take forever to reach me..
I can quite easily imagine you cruising in a spaceship ..brows creased with determination..pursed lips..small hands on the throttle..
Baby I don't know when I will see you again..
Earth is decaying..it's a dead place..fire, smoke and smog everywhere..the sky melts over our shoulders everyday..I can't wait any longer to come to Mars..it's been...I want to come visit you..I cannot tell you how much I wish to see you..

Excerpt from "Letters from Earth to Mars"

16/03/2018

18/07/2017

A short poem on Indian general class trains in Hindi.
Author: anonymous.

Bharati rail ki general bogie
Pata nahi apne bhogi ki nahi bhogi
Andar aa kar ke dekhiye shrimaan
Dibba tha ki pura haldi ghati ka maidan
Kuch log baethe the kuc lete the aur kuc khade the
Kuc hanuman g ke vanshaj aese v the jo ek dusre ke sad pe chade the
Itne mein khidki k raaste se ek bora aya aur ek ganje ke sir par gir pada
G***a chillaya "yeh kiska hai bora"
Uus bore mein se ek ladka nikla aur bola
"Yeh bora nahi yeh bara saal ka chora hai
Dibbe ke andar aane ka yehi tareeka hai
Jo hume apne baap se sikha hai
Aap toh abhi ek hi bore mei ghabra rahe hai
Aap ko kya maalum ki gadde mein lipat kar ke
Humare baap andar aa rahe hai"

03/07/2017

TOO MUCH SCHEMING WILL BE THE SCHEMER’S DOWNFALL!

03/07/2017

“I don’t know what a house is;
Is it a coat?
Or an umbrella if it rains?
I have filled it with bottles, rags,
Wooden ducks, curtains, fans,
It seems I never want to leave it!
Then it’s a cage;
That imprisons whoever passes by,
Even a bird like you, dirty with snow.
But what we told each other
Is so light that it cannot be kept in.”
---Tonino Guerra

12/06/2017

Diplomacy is balance of character. Balance between being passive and aggressive, talkative and reticent, wise and fool-hardy, agitated and calm. Diplomacy is the first quality of the most efficient survivor.

13/05/2017

the inmates looked bemused
almost horrified at the sudden chaos
they are used to the imprisoning silence
the jailer was now old and feeble
Time has robbed off the sharpness of his teeth
time is opportune to break free

27/04/2017

19/04/2017

An off-beat adventure about a young man who took on Sikandar’s army.

19/04/2017

17/04/2017

The guffawing crow rants.