untitled 53

winking at a broken mirror the Lord
combs a steel-tipped beard;
the Lady desires a shaved chin;
in a fit, the Lord
--- part atman,
--- part boson,
--- part bureaucrat,
--- part politician
--- camping in thermals on Himalayan ice,
still,
fashions a benarasi thandai,
chews time,
turns tipsy,
breaks a jig,
to an offkey ouch,
leaving the annoyed Lady filing
for divorce;
the Law declines the suit, prefers arbitration;
stay split, stranding creation.

untitled 52

lakshmi was born in a government hospital,
for free;
her mother said so.
the lane and its garbage pile were hers;
a carrom-board with more than 4 pockets;
a chess-board sans king and queen pieces;
a cricket bat without an arm;
some flat stones for hop scotch;
a few upset stray dogs;
remains of Lakshmi, long missing.

untitled 52

suresh joined the office as attender;
after 35 years retired as attender;
licking a limited, Udipi lunch thali,
his boss diced snakes and ladders;
suresh left for Kudal;
boss for somewhere.
unkind citizens of a kind city.

untitled 51

an old man stood a wooden crate
at the street corner;
covered it with a white cloth;
arranged three boiled eggs, salt, pepper;
customers did not oblige;
he became his customer.

untitled 50

every morning a queue faces Ganga  ---
an unwashed cow, chewing plastic waste ---
for her holy piddle at 50 paise per plastic cup.
turns restless as Ganga gets irregular with the
auspicious secretions;
sometimes, Gangaram, her owner,
tickles her for a sumptuous leak;
the light brown-white skinned lady
with a gongless bell round her neck
(presented by a devotee), cannot help;
squirms and giggles;
Gangaram adds three more cows, on a bank loan,
to enhance supply;
the crowd prefers Ganga leaving
Gangaram loan-stuck.