Shadow

It is fascinating,
the way you follow me all the time.
What is more curious,
is the rare times when i need you,
you are gone.

Vanish into thin air,
as The Bard would say.

I shield you from the scorching heat.
I guard you from the biting rain.
All you do is hide behind me-
you pathetic, selfish mirage.

You, my dear shadow,
are utterly and completely loathsome.

An Ode to Mr.Greene

For all the “reading” that I do, it is a pity that I had not attempted reading Greene earlier. I happened to be idly shopping for books, something of a pastime now, when an interesting title caught my eye.

“May we borrow your husband?” Err.......take a guess......

I was standing there wondering what the hell I would say to someone who asked me that. I did not miss the “we” either. Well, of course I bought the book. It turns out to be one of Greene’s travel writings. It is a cluster of isolated stories, his observations of people during his visit to Antibes. And curiously, most of the book deals with homosexuality. So, when the “we” borrowing the husband turned out to be two men, the book had my undivided attention. Not much of a plot, though, just a compilation of random incidents.

His style of writing is gripping. He calls the book a comedy. The humor, in my opinion, is very subtle and underplayed. There isn’t a quick repartee thrown in here and there. The tone is one of a simple conversation. All the same, he smoothly leads the readers into the layers of his characters, a difficult task to achieve, given the brevity of every story. By the end of each piece the reader is left with a little something of each story.

It was a welcome novelty, reading Graham Greene. At a time when we are bombarded with writers losing themselves in a web of words, a simple narrative is all it takes to hold one’s attention.

So, there it is, my little token to a very interesting writer. I sure know what to look out for on my next book-shopping excursion.

A refreshing breeze,
A sense of freedom-
Of getting rid of a clutch.
A rusty door,
Shut finally.
Or was it opened?

A reckless, unintimidated spirit
Out to cruise on the soaring waves.
A queer sensation creeping in-
The last I heard,
they called it happiness.

A tangy twist,
Being freed and caged, all it once.
Being courageous and timid, all at once.
And living life, all at once.

The last I heard, they called me mad.
Unleashing insanity, all at once.