the village rises

Circuits
Light up paths
House-fulls
of guests.
The Gramadevata's summerfest.
Nine urns for the twists and turns
of the lanes that wind through the foothills
A unique spirit binds us all
-from the swords of power to the plough that tills.
Current institutions, contemporary culture
Justified manifestations
-the Past the filter.
From each according to their capacity
-their mite.
Legends, mediums, beats of drums
Not to be dispossessed
The Cosmos is
this osmosis.

perceptions

From fine print
and words on Tao
back
to fiction.
Trod the Red Carpet
to southern lore
-liked-
the style, selection of themes
and the cultural stance of the narrator.
Would read more.
Had stowed away Nadine
-went through the palette
of her masterpiece
marvelled at the subtle shifts of narrative
-raced on, tanned by late hours, maybe fading light
captured by the sunbathers of Tamarisk bay!
And then a book with thick pages, hard-bound
nice colours, large font
never heard of it
but tossed it into the basket at an annual sale
Turned out to be interesting
-a tale of immigrant farmers who also work in mines;
the little girl wants to be a teacher;
ends up being a mill-worker;
life, with the usual phenomenon of unlikely
or at least inconspicuous
scenes
remaining etched
in memory
-the book as the viewer recalls it....

April's Frills or An Interlude

Landed well before 'twas dark
And rushed off for a walk to the park
Then hurried to dress up for a family function
Where the ancient and modern might be in conjunction
Methinks the contrast was strikingly stark

Another day was a tossed-up mix
Of shopping, mourning and salad tricks.
Marvelled at the gracious mourners
Later, raised a toast to worldly sojourners
-Talked of veils and worship, of what crashes, what clicks

Dragged resident spooks to the thespians' ground
Djinns, nostalgia, riots, music did abound
Alas, i'd bought tickets to the farthest benches
Three hours or more, watched from the trenches
Just as well that it was ear-shattering sound

Hurtling past, a global village stops
Flying by a flyway, lots of shops
Reminiscent of the enchanted woods
Folk from faraway lands with goods
Except that it's by a river-bank with crops.

Forest ladies walk this town
Some wave the quill, some wear the gown
In solidarity with their counterparts
Seeking remedies, toppling applecarts
Causing some to cheer and others to frown

UP IN THE AIR or HUNG ASSEMBLY

Infusions.
In the air
or in kettles
Shoals to the bait
-Whiffs
-Whips
and diffusions.
Sprays of mist
and tales that twist
to a brand new line
-Ensemble de Confusion

loadshedding

Boiling points
power cuts
turkey, turnkey
melt.
Sweltering
crucible
smattering of tongues
words bubble to the brim.
Posted, roasted, grilled, toasted.
Static crackles
cutting edge through sizzlers in the air.

cricket today

baleful
wicketless
over and out.
no cup.

no knowing what's shielded
as questions are fielded
on the other side of the boundary.

and the squad of trumps
down in the dumps
in the wake of hype
and designer yarns

technically in
but otherwise gone....
unless... bermuda's shots
and just one slip
between the cup and the homeward ship

applique

patchwork
trendy worlds
stitch by stitch
counterpane
fibrous mix
the roughage
the adage
the check-in cabbage.

races with a finish line
ribbons with a cutting edge
zigzag by these highways.

other vacuums:
reined-in strays
seek desperate validation
of present ways.

Surround Sound

voyage
into the unknown
007.
-scapes:
land and liquid
airborne, ether.
inbound, outbound
neutron dance.
scrutinize microbes
telescope stars.
prevail, unveil
emit.

point in time

cruising
at a neanderthal pace
a sledge, a chariot, a mean machine
the reindeer, the divine
navigators
are we
fogless roads or misty trots
hooves that click
or a mouse that walks
essential beings
i am everywhere
immeasureable
of pace or space
God-speed.
One sees it all
-the highway
and the express-way.

rough cut

cut to
the undercurrent
blunt, steps
or just a trim.

worn halo
shiny surfaces
sometimes mirages
sting rays in the deep.

trends, waves
two mirrors
watchful of
split ends.

-hawkers of lotions
sprayers of mace-

meanwhile
medusas that were
catch strains
of parseltongue
a dialect
apparently far-flung

gallery view

navigating
through minstrels
scores
a carol at the alley

a gap at the synapse
sheer
epistles spun
filmy webs
barks, trees
snap up
some other valley

encore in the air
season's greetings
and, of course
on course at the hustings

oft' beaten path

Eccletic
for a passion
or a whim
or for real
Driven, flitting, or
driven
Or when
as is where is
is esoteric
Obscurity
tagged with a footnote
of length.
Reams determine realms.

before the diet (adjourns, bowing)

recipes
for starvation
or to travel light
herbs and spices
delicate
hear-say
shake, bake and a tester
done but rare

crucible
for elixir
or for worse
bits and pieces
optimistic
petri-dish
read, weed, and indeed,
the penguin's almost there

"Calendar"

trance-like
of borders, of migration
Mystic muse
descends
Spells bind souls
All's well
saarey jahan
till infinity
Tunes 'n spirits
-Familiars
from an aeon to the next
The sufi gait
the archway
to the milkyway....

this blog

Do a tap-dance
while on your beat
or slither through,
scanning.
Or knock, register, stand in queues
come in peace.
To know what's on
to catch a whiff
of shells of grey
no pearls in the sea
no oyster
no ostrich
no proclaimer
no-one
just me!
Monologues, these clauses
No questions, no answers
just what's plausible.
For the
curious, spurious
or simply
close.

'ships Sail In

exquisite craft
the house, the bench, the rags
the treasury
skilled mix
of sequins, skeins
jute.

Stalls.

others snack
or skimmed milk
for the Constitution.

Layers of silk- stoles and cats
Forum plays
out of the bag

litigate to mitigate
and be tangled by wigs
mangled by the cement hammer
be the spammer on the street

While away at dilli haat
'gainst backdrops
pages turn
with them, the nations doors
swing to the tunes
of the malady
the unaccountable wing

smell the coffee

instant causes
cafe air
smooth
beans from plantations
talk
evoke, shake and stir
crushed hope, despair
frothy, foaming
sweet dreams and a straw
a muffin a huff and a puff of smoke
convinced
of messiahdom

and what a mess
there is to mop
when shutters roll
to close down shop
espresso concoctions, spring chicken filters
miss years and seasons
of strong decoction
fermented, decanted, distilled
invented
for days of wakefullness
the order of the day

in concert

fusion
bites
the air
transfusions
of
sound
moss-covered
limbs
auras
shield from wings
that drone
tune in
to peninsular sounds
oceans, bays
wash turtles, knights
music pre-empts coils of smoke
jangles through
the changing clime
dengue-filled
the Ocean rises
beats of hearts and beats of drums
nations watch
and platelettes plunge

rally at the mantlepiece

Boost
the energy:
Cigarettes out
tapers drawn
Strike
matches
Marshal
the forces
Unmist
the fog
Attention!
Squads
of bees
and weaverbirds
of ants
and sweets
and installation
art.
Forces
meet
For what is cricket

detour

enthralling beams, trendy greens
- flickers
of lit-up woods.
grappled with a dappled light
-showcased
someone's cause.
Time was.
Awoke from the slumber
with thoughts that outnumber
the millions who stir through the hills.
Waded, persuaded. Repeated, defeated
then found new armies to wage with.
Who's who, who's where
who's in who's out
- points of conjecture
points of doubt.
Towering over the teeming wits
past fields that grow
and land that slips
A vantage point
that sees it all
Frame-to-frame
and mall for mall.
Free to swoop and free to weep
-closer to the goal we creep.