Handicapped

A knot in my throat ,
so I'll let him speak ....

The Last Word

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Creep into thy narrow bed,
Creep, and let no more be said!
Vain thy onset! all stands fast.
Thou thyself must break at last!

Let the long contention cease!
Geese are swans, and swans are geese.
Let them have it how they will!
Thou art tired; best be still!

They out-talked thee, hissed thee, tore thee?
Better men fared thus before thee;
Fired their ringing shot and passed,
Hotly charged -and sank at last.

Charge once more, then, and be dumb!
Let the victors, when they come,
When thy forts of folly fail,
Find thy body by the wall!

-Mathew Arnold

From the lovers of 'buried life'

Mimi, the darker one

She knew it for a fact, her younger sister, Lily the monkey, was definitely far better looking than her. Lily had almond-shaped eyes and her eye brows formed those happy arches over them like they were a gateway to heaven itself! Lily had a lithe body and was high-spirited and had the longest tail, which among the monkeys meant a great deal of appeal and strength. I mean, you've got to be a monkey to know what am talking about here. In comparison, Mimi reflected, she was bushy-eyebrowed and she hated it even more as it covered her own almond-shaped eyes. Mimi's tail was long too, but definitely not as long as Lily's. But this wasn't entirely about the eyebrows and the tail, it was her skin, she was dark, darker than the night, very very unlike Lily who was in total contrast, as white as the snow that capped the mountains at the far end of the forest during winter. On most nights Mimi would cry herself to sleep and promise herself that she would paint herself white the first thing next morning. And the whole night long she would dream of herself running wildly among the white lily pots by the garden, choosing the flowers that went with her skin. It wasn't the same dream each time, there was this other time when she would dream of wearing Lily's lilac gown, in which Lily often shone and outdo Lily in the running race. Or she would dream of Baba, her dad bringing her lots of silver feathers from the north, like he did the last time he visited them. Baba had got her feathers too, golden ones, but its like an idea that once gets planted in your mind, tends to gather all thoughts and desires about it. What I mean is, Baba loved Mimi just as much as he loved Lily. He got Mimi golden feathers and Lily silver ones. But Mimi, with her irked mind, chose to believe that Baba got Lily the silver feathers because it went so well with her skin. Oh yes, thats how fixated she was about her skin :( It happens to all of us you know, we get so fixated with things that we reason things in a weird way after that!
Coming back to Mimi, well she loved her Baba, just like how all little girls love their daddys. But she believed she loved him because he was as dark as her. Yes, Baba was darker than the night too, but that was in a weird way his biggest appeal. In fact her Moma was drawn to him the very first night at the bar because she was deeply drawn by the strength of his dark appeal! Anyways, thats quite another story. Moma was fair, fairer than the snow-capped mountains by the far end of the forest. And Moma was the best Moma in the whole world, but Mimi never told her how badly she wanted to be like her, fair and creamy and ice-cream like. With the passing years, Mimi's fixation with her dark skin grew bigger and bigger. Moma grew worried as Mimi started showing bigger and bigger signs of withdrawal from the whole world. Mimi went on walks alone and cried into the woods, sometimes she would be strong and just pray for things to change.
Finally Mimi touched the age of reasoning, but with her fixated self it was a disaster. She tried to work out patterns as to why Lily was not dark, why she could not be fair and creamy too, why she could not be like Baba or why Moma couldn't paint her white as well. Soon these gentle wonderings grew scary, sometimes Mimi would be able to curb her evil ideas and run back to Moma for a reassuring hug but those times grew fewer and fewer.... until one day when she worked out how Moma had ruined her by marrying a dark Baba. It was sad indeed that she reasoned so stupidly, but remember what I told you about a fixated mind... Within a short time this was a strong idea in her, stronger than anything else she believed in, it seemed to explain and justify everything and in a funny way, calmed her irked self. She hated Moma, she hated Moma to have married dark Baba, she hated that Moma should be so fair and creamy and she hated that Moma didn't kill her when she was born dark... Mimi still lives hating Moma and I believe she is going to hate her forever...

So to speak

He was long, very long, and he was thin, very thin. He almost flowed around, actually slithered would be more appropriate given his nature. He was a snake after all. Nanda, the snake had very typical snakey habits. He un-intermittently flicked his tongue in and out, a habit which humans would describe to be poking his nose into all else's business. He did exactly that, flicking his bi-forked tongue in and out, he spoke about almost everything, giving his expert opinions, views and ratings of absolutely everything one could think of and one could talk of. There was this one phrase which he so often used that it soon became synonymous with flicking of a snake's tongue, it was 'So to speak'. It isn't easy putting up with folks who have such a never minding one's own business nature, am sure we have all met folks like this? Nanda was precisely that, extremely tough to put up with. As if his mindless talks weren't enough, he saw to it that everyone followed that he had the last laugh in every conversation. How he managed this was to whip out the person being spoken to with his rear. Getting lashed with a snakes slithery rear isn't a pleasant experience at all, ask anyone in the jungle out here and you'll know how it irks them all!
Irked as everyone was, it should not come as a twist in the tale to you if I tell you how everyone championed imitating his ways. It wasn't tough one bit. All you had to do was give your expert opinion, here you've gotto be creative, squeeze several 'So to speak's and end sniggerring and thumping your pal on his back! There you are, you revenge your agony of hearing out Nanda! I thoroughly relished this and the more I did this, I realised putting up with Nanda got easier. Huh! You must have had something similar happening to you. I mean, here you have an absolutely unbearable creature to put up with and there you go imitating him, stressing on his worst faults, getting a good laugh out of everyone, and finally find yourself able to put up with that unbearable creature. I know, its a strange remedy for a problem like this :) Off course there are a few of us who dont do things so politely. They abuse the unbearable creature to no end and finally find themselves satisfied. Needless to say, Nanda got heavily abused by several he taunted.
As time flew by, the Nanda imitations grew on everyone. From afar it appeared like a virus... yikes! But today we just can't start, continue or end sentences without using 'So to speak'. I just returned from another crazy conversation with Nanda himself...
'Hi Nanda, So to speak, we seem to be doing a thorough job of covering your arse, which, So to speak, is not doing much...' Oh did I forget to tell you, I report to him occassionally!
'So to speak, Its a good job done there but So to speak, I hate to tell you this, that you must improve your Inter-personal Skills, which, so to speak, is not at its best what with habits of using 'So to speak' all the time.' Zapped, thats me!

Gif's album

Gosh, did she actually put her hands around silvian, the monkey. She instantly recalled the strong puke-inspiring, odour that always emanated from him! She remembered joking and putting across to him the need the world felt for his use of a deodorant :) She let out a small laughter before she flipped over to the next photograph... Huh, was this a rare masterpiece in the world of symmetry or what? 4 giraffes with their heads together and their butts standing out, she couldn't help laugh aloud at this one. And this one, hahahahaha, the princess trying to look severe and yet smile, in her most ridiculous boy-est looking hair cut. The princess never looked funnier :) She looked up from the photograph and smiled about how for years later she had joked with the princess about this particular hair cut of hers. How over coffee they had for several hours discussed the necessity for a hair cut such as that in the Camel land and how much the princess had transformed ever since she let her locks show their true beauty. Then she recalled how the Princess once decided to revenge her bad hair cut days with overdone hair and had gone for that burgundy shade of hair colour. Pathetic you say? She'll agree with you, but the princess, well, she tried her best to hold her laughter tight and say, oh she looked alright in it! Those were the days really... And yeah.. she had that photo where the princess had tied a scarf round her head and really looked like a princess. Where was it? she flipped through the album quickly and then once again, had she lost that one!? No!!! She tried those family photo albums, nope no luck there either. The princess... did she secretly remove that photo from her collection. Her brows knit in eager recollection... Nope, the princess had never got to touch this album. Did it fall off in the shelf? She franctically pulled out the entire contents of the shelf, alas, no use! Where, where could it go... she almost could cry at her loss. That was the most magnificent form she ever found the princess in! Now she had lost it, or... had she? For it safely lodged in her memories, only in her memories, out of reach from the princess even, never to be ever lost from her... Somehow she felt, that she remembered that picture even more now that she had lost the photo, she remembered every detail, every expression, almost everything about the photograph! Maybe we'd rememeber moments more if we didnot have photographs, she thought. She smiled a tired smile, arranged the shelf back, put the albums back and got on with work :)

Inspired by this piece of Griz!

Princess can't care for a three-legged race

Gif(With a big hopeful smile) : Would you, princess, participate in the three-legged race, with me?
Princess(With a faraway look and embracing herself) : It is indeed windy today, I must be wearing my fur coat, but I wont, for the rabbit has taken my warmth away.
Gif(Not to be outdone tone) : But if I got you a fur coat, would you, princess, be my partner in the three-legged race?
Princess(An uncaring, tired look) : A fur coat, what fur coat? A fire is what I want and a fire is what I have burning though, inside my heart.
Gif('Oh! is that it' tone) : Is it a fire that you want dear princess? I shall arrange for one, would you then do the three-legged race with me?
Princess(a mock smile on her lips) : You will arrange for a fire? A fire in the woods, dear Gif, would, but, burn the woods away.
Gif(Lips pouting in dismay) : Burn the woods away I cannot. If not for which, would you not run the three-legged race with me?
Princess(The faraway look returns) : You cannot, I cannot, nobody can, nobody can hush these fires away...
Gif(Hoping again) : Hush a fire, Oh I can do that smart. Tell me princess, shall I hush a fire and you'll join me for the race, the three-legged one?
Princess(the faraway look turns wild) : Gif, you'll hurt yourself hushing this fire, for it burns deep into my soul and takes me over there......
Gif(hoping and hoping) : Over where princess? Shall I come too? And then we can go to the three-legged race maybe?
Princess(lips set together like the all-knowing) : Over there dear Gif, one must journey alone, seek one's truth and return afree.
Gif(Sad at how its not working) : You are going alone to seek the truth? Why wont you take me with you? We can stop by at the three-legged race maybe...
Princess(passionately shaking) : No Gif no, this sorrow is for me alone, not for you to share.
Gif(sad and tearful) : You were never like this dear Princess, so many a fruit you've shared with me. Now, the three-legged race...
Princess(with finality) : Those many fruits bore not a pungent bad taste as this and this is for me alone to finish.
Gif(amidst her tears) : Finish it princess, finish it, am waiting for you to go for that three-legged race...

Belongings

Golden fields, blue skies still,
Rivers run when forests weep.
All that breathes, all that sleeps,
Is not of mine, nor for keeps.

The fur coat and the fancy hat,
I leave aside for thieves and such.
The finer things I held in hand
I throw up in the air tonight.

The traveller

Reckless dreams and marching bands,
Leave behind a dusty trail
Of yesterday.

Silenced by the drums that beat ,
This Godless soul,
Hums a prayer just for you.

What we learnt at school today

Hi GrandMa,
Guess what we learnt at school today? It was in Ms. Gladys's class. We thought it would be the usual hour of rhymes and the likes. But today she taught us a new song. Its called the Duck song, hehehehe... The lyrics went something like this _
"The Duck Song (original lyrics by Maggie LLI)

I'm a duck and I like the pond
Swim and play, all day long
All my ducklings swim along
'Quack, quack' they sing my song

quack, quack, quack, life is fun
Search for food under the sun
See some snails, they can't run
They taste so good, yumm..

Dad, the drake, he found slugs
Then there were the water bugs
Called to us to share his luck
And we gave him a big hug

Together we swim along
In and out of the reeds we play
We live a life that's happy and gay
Tomorrow's another day "

I can teach you this, its really really fun with all the actions. Off course you've got to be a duck in this song. So all of us had to bend our knees and hips and squat with our chins between our knees and flap our elbows out, looking like the ducks. The ones who did it the best, got webbed feet kind slip-ons from Ms. Too bad I had a problem getting to be a duck with my structure. Lets see you try it... But I want a webbed feet kind slip-on too :( Can you get me one? Ms Gladys asked the princess to do her dance facing the whole class, because she did it just right, she is a real duck after all! GrandMa, today am going to draw a picture of a duck. Not the wood ducks which we have near your cabin, but a duck which looks like the princess :) hehehe...
With lots of love,
Gif

At the 65th Annual Ball Dance celebrations...

Gef and me were the first ones to arrive at the 65th Annual Ball Dance celebrations of the jungle. Gef, dressed in his regular formal Grey striped tuxedo, managed to have that same regular effect of throwing me off my feet! Everytime I saw him in it, I had to draw a deep, a very deep breath infact, to stabilise myself :) Actually no matter what he wore, if I wasn't particularly upset with him, he always had that effect on me :D
Soon the prince and princess from our jungle and lots of others trouped in. Some of the princes' did look really handsome and sauve, yeah thats the right word for them! Some almost majectic, infact there was this tiger who held everyone's attention while he alighted from his helicopter. He gave this huge merry making growl which kinda shook through me. You must see tigers when they are all set to drink and dance the night away, terrific! Gef and me were on our way to get a drink when we spotted princess Duck walking in. Everytime I saw her magnificently dressed, she seems to have an effect on me too! Though entirely different from the way Gef does... I ran over to give her that cheek against cheek kiss. I always get scared that we might rub off our make-ups on each other's cheek doing that formal cheeky thing. Has it ever happened to you? 'Gif, you looking so pretty!' she squeaked ammidst all the noise, the dance was about to begin you see! I retorted with a formal, 'Thank you Princess, and you are so magnificent as ever!' It was a formal occassion you know and we love to play our parts formally at times, hehehe... But she couldn't help blushing to a deep pink at my compliment! If I kept her blushed, I suppose it'd be alright to rub off her makeup onto my cheeks!
The dance was about to begin and everyone was talking of this and that. Gef and me were betting on which prince the Princess would dance her first with today. Gef was sure she would go for that tiger, I earlier mentioned. Bah! not upto her class I felt! That new actor from the movie 'Alice in wonderland', the one who starred as the rabbit, was more like her choice. Suddenly there was a 'snort snort' from behind us, we turned about to face Griz in her cute, skimpy gown. I've often told her that with her figure, she ought not to wear anything that doesn't show it off! She had her arms in GrizzleTed's and together they reminded me of Archie and Veronica dressed cutely for a formal occassion!
......
Hmmmph... boy was I tired after 3 dances in a row!? The DJ announced a prize for the best dancing couple to the song the 'Call of the Wild'. Its this fast jazzy number and was one of my favourite. In fact, its a damn good song to dance to. You must try it sometime. The princess and that actor chappie seemed to have hit it off damn well, am sure much against the King's wishes. The King usually liked her to dance with only the Princes... before I could think any further, Gef had dragged me to the dance floor and we were swirling about to 'Call of the Wild'.
There could be no dispute about who danced best to it, Griz and GrizzleTed almost created magic with their most unbelievable steps! Man, you missed it! They swirled and hopped and twirled and jumped, all in perfect co-ordination. There are advantages to being short and swift and maneuverable! Whoa!!!
Heres to Griz and GrizzleTed... Cheers everyone!