L'ampleur des choses

Un zouave se colle vers un mûr glacé qui roule dans un train
Le patron lui demande pourquoi ne travailles tu pas
Parce que l’envie n’est pas en moi, répond-t-il
Et qui fera le travail? Demande-t-il ensuite, M. Deetil
Ben, dans la grande ampleur des choses, les choses roulent toujours, non ?
Et il s’assied agenouillé sur un banc et allume une cigarette
Tu es viré ! Les joues d’une couleur rouge rouge sanglante
Mais pourquoi me vires-tu angoissé ? Sourit-il d’un air de plaisance
Les montagnes sont belles, il faut vivre dans les montagnes, ajoute-t-il
Ayant ras-le-bol, le patron rentre dans la voiture du train
Quant à lui, il fume toujours.

Ortus - prayer to self

Remind me not to live like I am immortal, but like I will die,
And help me make choices by living like I will die, while considering circumstances and ensuring not to cause harm to any other.

Teach me to be bold, confident, and assertive in my actions while keeping humility to the fore
And teach me to see and use humor at all times without affecting pain to another

Teach me to appreciate myself in genuineness with no vanity or conceit
Remind me that I am worthy of love
And when love comes knocking on my door, teach me to welcome it

Help me to not get affected by the negativity of society
And teach me to trust my conscience which will guide me justly

Teach me that I don’t have to prove anything to anyone
Teach me that I don’t have to prove anything to myself
And teach me to do all deeds for the sole purpose of doing them, because I want to, for the joy of doing them, and help me find elation in carrying them out
Remind me that practice and perseverance are a cure to failure
Remind me that I don’t need to defend myself against anyone, and instead
Question myself – am I righteous, truthful and kind?

Remind me to uphold freewill as the most sacred element of humanity
And help me never to enforce or influence anyone into doing something for me
If someone wants to do something for me out of love or kindness, teach me to accept it graciously and with humility

Remind me that patience, kindness, laughter and humility are no sign of weakness
And that these are my priced weapons against a many times aggressive, manipulative and ingrate world
Remind me that I should not use anger, shouting and violence to achieve an intricate end
For I have chosen the steepest mountain to climb

Remind me that we are all, in reality, good-natured but egotistical beings
And that overcoming my ego is my purpose and will be my biggest victory.

*************

Invictus - William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Bean Bags 32668802

The colorful flags by the window flap gently with the sea breeze. All is calm in this tiny room which will be “home” for the next few months. The calmness within is innate. Outside, it’s utter madness. The traffic, the heat, the sweat, the smell and the swarms of people everywhere… dirty fingernails. Rohinton Mistry refers to it as the city by the sea. Near a major part of the sea are the sum dwellers. The rich are buying out these lands, and constructing 20 storey buildings. "Home" is in a twenty storey building, a five minutes walk from the Arabian Sea.

Mumbai lives. It is frantic and intense.

The actors, the crorepatis, the jadhuwallas, the rickshawallas, the wannabe actors and models, the millions who come here just to make it, the Indian mafia, the eunuchs, the beggars and their business, the people, people, and more people. BOLLYWOOD, Indian television, pani puris, malls, signals, unending traffic jams, chowpattis, the endless rows of slums, the mega five star hotels and very fine dining, the shops, the constructions, the artists, the fading black and yellow fiats, the newer black and yellow omnis, the saris, the mini skirts and mini tops, the gluttony for food, the need to be in, the infatuation with the six pack abs and bulging biceps, the gyms, the plays, the concerts, pav bhaji, IT IS CRAZY.

The energy here is tremendous. And you can feel that the Mumbaikars, living in this city, with all its difficulties and intensity, absolutely love it. And one can feed off this energy. It can engulf you. And you can begin to love it. Mumbai is the monster of India.

And then there is capoeira. Capoeira to me, and to some extent basketball, is like submission to happiness. The music, the physical challenge, the singing, the game, the playing, its message and non violence have made me fall in love with this amazing Brazilian martial art. Three times a week, for a rigorous two hours each. My body aches, but my spirit soars.

Bean bags anybody?

caterpillar bludgeon

joke, lying around a corner
sipping a drink on a straw
lemon in a darkened alley
my hat fits me again
strawberries find me falling
downward in a raisin way
wine for everybody but the poor
the poor shall whine
as the rich shall make merry
anger in a cocoon of balloons
boredom alleyway
just about time to end time
a lollipop a day sends you to the dentist
fathom a thought
in a space of void
sobriety for the literate
literacy for the vinegar
car car bang bang boum boum
sex in a candy shop
at six o'clock on a broken branch
verily trusted truthified
all humility is let loose
party like an ant
a simile in a box
is like twenty one to two
at the nth highway
you shall find God
and God shall disappoint you
gradually
my grand-mom likes morons
but the truthful as well are liked
sometimes
in a small word we think big
not knowing we pull on the strings of time
sweet is not salt and pepper is not cheese
a light shines in the dark
but no one gets enlightened under it
forever moving to find stillness
stepped out of imagination
into reality
why does climbing hurt
and sleep relaxes
truth be told a lie can go miles
the tango of drinking salt water
tap water for the shoes
a scrub and an itch makes a fart worse
as long as we go, we can't stay
if we stay, we can't go
sing with no voice
dance with no wings
and you shall be barren
dance before you think, he said
and your world shall be right.