once upon a time
there happened to be
a desert oasis with a population of three-
Mr A, Mr B and Mr C
no one really knows why
but they were all enemies
and then one day Mr A and Mr B
decided-quite separately
that Mr C should die -
he shouldn’t be allowed to stay alive
and so they executed their plans dastardly
Mr A poisoned C’s water with evil glee
knowing that when C drank eagerly
he would drop dead quite suddenly
but unknown to him Mr B
poked little holes in C’s canteen
knowing that without water to drink
C would soon be on life’s brink
so all the poison dripped away
with all the water , one would say
that with the double treachery
Mr C would be a dead man anyday
and so it did happen
that with no water in his canteen
and none to refill
Mr C did drop dead of thirst
But that did beg the question-
who did him in?
A and B play the blame game
A says C never drank  any of the poison
So how is he to blame?
but as B points out that his puncturing the canteen is irrelevant
for C would have drunk the water
and still met the same end
so it really is a contest of means versus the end
the end is the same and the question remains-
whodunnit?

-Vijayalakshmi Harish
  05.10.2012

Copyright © Vijayalakshmi Harish

Be still my heart, why dost thou turn?
Thy beat is fast, thy passion burns.

Thy flame dost strike within my breast,
And now I cannot find my rest.

Thou fillst my head with hopes and dreams,
Yet naught can come of lovesick schemes.

Alone I rest my head at night,
And still thou beat, to mock my plight.

When the sun went away and the moon turned his way, I hope he thought of me.
When his sense flew away and his mind became crazed, I hope he thought of me.
When he stopped praying and wishing for his Juliet to come, I hope he thought of me.
When she broke his heart and his life burst apart, I hope he thought of me.

When his mother was widowed and he cried in his pillow, I hope he thought of me.
When the thunder and the lightning wouldn't go away, I hope he thought of me.
When her boyfriend decided to come and beat him up, I hope he thought of me.
When his sister closed her eyes for her very last time, I hope he thought of me.

Because I thought of him all the time and wished only for him to be happy.
Because I loved him more than anybody in the world and wanted always to be with him.
But now its too late. Now its too late. Now it is just simply too late.
He didn't think of me when he took a deep breath and killed himself.

I had a question burning on my mind
And I thought maybe to pass the time
I could write it down on a sign
And ask the passing souls.

My intentions were pure I wanted to know
I would discover whether from above or below
And with the answer I then would know
The fate of the passing souls.

I took my sign to the busy street
Where there are many hands and many feet
And with my question I did greet
A many a passing souls.

The answers did differ I can tell you that
Some laughed while others answered back
Still some just stared as though words they did lack
Oh the many a passing souls.

I was taken aback by the answers I received
With some I implored and with some I did plead
I cried “listen to me, won’t you please!”
Oh lord save the passing souls.

Not all accounts were bad, some were quite good
I received a hug from a man in a hood
Although by the end I understood
The hearts of the passing souls.

So at the end of the day, I folded my sign
I gathered my things and with tears in my eyes
I turned towards the street and I said good bye
With no love from the passing souls.

Do you remember anything from last night,
It was all a blur,
Maybe I did something right,
But wrong is what I do best,
I don't think you really know,
Just how lost I am,
I'm reaching for hands,
But there's never anything to grasp,
There's never a end.