what a strange word:
toilet...
as if one must toil -
really work hard at it,
all toil and no rest -
when one is there...
Ah, surely whoever
coined this word
must have suffered
of chronic constipation...

restroom...
that's more like it
rather than a word like toilet...
I mean it's really cool
it's a place where you rest;
so here I go
to this ample restroom
newspapers in hand
pillow and blanket
a mattress as well
and a milkshake...
ah, this feels so good...so restful...
a restroom anytime
rather than a toilet

The people waiting
stare when I come out
and I say:
"What are you staring at?
It's restroom, right?
So I had a good rest, a sleep
and so on..."
Oh, those strange people;
they're too stressed out
to have a good rest...
maybe they should queue outside a toilet...

I told my mind
(using the principles of creative bidding):
"All right;
let's two write
some nonsense verse
O Mind of mine, be silent awhile
and draw from the deepest recesses
of your profundity
some short nonsense verse"

and the Mind answered
with desperate urgency:
"But what have we
been doing all this while?"

floating and moving
said the light cloud
to the sun:
I love you, I love you
And said the cruel sun:
Yeah, and who loves you?


dancing and swaying
said the bee to the
lovely flower:
I love you, I love you
And said the cruel flower:
Yeah, and who loves you?


and the moon,
the observer of all hearts,
sang:
*Oh there is love for all
and love for each;
for each is precious indeed;
so don’t mind the cruel hearts -
there is love enough, sweethearts

can anybody see
poetry in paperwork?
(You can?
You work for the Tax Department,
don't you?)
Well, I can't see
beauty or poetry in paperwork
especially that which has accumulated;
but I'd better pretend
to see beauty in the paperwork
or many departments here
will rear an ugly face each at me

so beauty, O Paper Beauty,
no, not you multi-dimensional origami
but piles of paperwork,
here I come...Bury me.

may each find the peace within
and may each see the stillness
as love embraces one;
let the peace fill all hearts;
let the quiet embrace
nurture the life within
the mind and one’s being

and may one’s love flow
with no preference
and embrace all;
and may that love bring calm
and clarity
so that
all beings delight in their life,
all life radiant in joy

goodbye, my sweet angel
you and I now must part;
the sun sets gently
and so it does too in our love


goodbye, my sweet angel
the ocean waves come
to play along the beach
but soon they retreat;
and so too now we go in our love

goodbye, my sweet angel
the gentle breeze comes in the grove
and cools and kisses
the birds and the earth
and soon it is gone;
and likewise,
O gentle love,
we have done
with each other

goodbye, my sweet angel
you see the clouds merge
and play in the sky
and gladly we two have mingled
but now we break like the clouds

goodbye, my sweet love
we’ve seen the merry bird descend
on a fruit tree branch and rest awhile
and feed itself
and then it flies;
ah, so we have been each to the other
and now we find time ordains
it’s the moment to fly


even the stars
that generations use
come to cease one day
and so we too must –
O goodbye my sweet angel,
we too must go like light, like the stars


goodbye, my sweet angel
you and I now must part;
the sun sets gently
and so it does too in our love

would you believe?
my parents told me
they brought me to this world!
Now, would you believe that?
and wait, it gets better -
my sister and my brother,
they say we three are related!
And hang on, hang on -
there's more;
my wife, she says
she and I are married!
And what's more, there are two boys
who live in the same house
and they look like me
and they call me 'Dad'!
Amazing!
And hang on, hang on -
what's wrong with you, gentle reader?
why are you so impatient?
there are more astounding things
yet in this world
than your pea-brain can fathom:
strangers
( you know, people I've never met before ) -
would you believe? -
they reckon my name is "Hi"!
I don't know about you,
but I think it's an amazing world,
for want of a better word to describe the world...

with a lilt and a tilt
Ha, I shall go the while
roving over bush and meadows

with a hop and a jump
like a kangaroo
I’ll be away the while
avoiding the roads

with a zzzzz and bzzzzz
like a busy bee
I’ll fly the while
over flowers and gardens
and the free open space

with a bounce and a quiet look
I’ll crawl and hide
in quiet burrows the while
like introduced rabbits
chased by farmers

and with a swing and a flip
a light somersault in the air
I’ll be back before you can say:
“dolphins and whales”

with a lilt and a tilt
Ha, I shall go the while
roving over bush and meadows

there’s this gum tree
that stands alone
its skin and bark white as bone
and its leaves
quivering in the wind
shimmering
in the sun;
and it’s so pretty
and tall and proud
the blue sky says:
“I'll come stand
guard over you
embrace you
full of blue love”

I was going on my walk
random and with no purpose
and I walked down the path
when this gumtree said:
“Hey, look at me! Look at me!
Don’t you dare ignore me-
Just look at me!
Don’t you think I’m pretty?”
I laughed and I said:
“Yes…yes…I’m sorry I ignored you…
Now that I look at you, yes, you’re certainly pretty –
and I’ll do better than look at you;
I’ll take a picture of you
and I’ll write words to go along”
And the gumtree stood straight
and gave a wide smile;
and then the cheeky gumtree looked
at the image in my camera and it said:
“You’re not a good photographer;
I hope you turn out better as a poet…”

see our skies
are wide, immense
and expansive;
and our skies point
to the open, to the all-inclusive
and yet
we cut ourselves off
we confine, we restrict and narrow
and lock ourselves
in manufactured identities, in dogma
in barriers
in differences
and squares, in boxes, in stifling corners

sleep gentle mother
sleep in the public dump
that is your grave;
and the child in your womb
you shall be its grave
O sleep sinful mother
the wise Taliban gives you rest
for we think it’s best for you

I was walking in the area
when the elders made it known:
“there’s a woman here
a widow of years
she’s enjoyed the body of a man
and she should answer for adultery”

and so we called for the woman
and I made things out clear to her:
Bibi Sanubar
48 years old
woman, and guilty of adultery;
justice gives you
over 200 lashes
and bullets in your body

and so we took the accursed
Bibi Sanubar
to public view
and let the whip kiss her over 200 times;
and as her illicit lover put his seed in her
we put bullets in her chest and head;
and this accursed Bibi Sanubar
we dumped in government land
******* with *******
dirt with dirt


sleep gentle mother
sleep in the public dump
that is your grave;
and the child in your womb
you shall be its grave
O sleep sinful mother
the wise Taliban gives you rest
for we think it’s best for you

let’s love the lawn
sweetheart
let’s trim the lawn;
let’s get it cut
and neat and fine;
let’s do the groovy lawn dance
baby
so the neighbors will be
green as nourished grass


let’s feed the lawn
sweetheart
all chemicals and fertilizers;
let’s read the warnings first
baby:
keep away from eyes
wear a face mask
and spread generously
on lawn


let’s keep the lawn beautiful
and pleasant
like the ancient fields of Albion,
sweetheart;
it’s time for the ****-killer sprays
and conscientious as we are
we use only enviro-friendly
so let’s read the instructions
baby:
Keep spray away from drains
and eyes and skin
and do not spray before rain


Ah, come on
ladies and gentlemen
of our distinguished
blue ribbon suburbs;
out all with your chemicals
and all our pesticides
to **** the grubs and such pests



come all, Old Ken
and newly-weds Lily and Peter
and new-arrivals Tan and Goh
we’ll show you how;
come sweethearts
come let’s dance in the fields of cherished suburbs
and let the earth yield a great big burb


this is the way
we spray chemicals
this is the way we **** our weeds;
this is the way we fertilize our lawns
this is the way we spray pesticides
early morning
every Spring and Summer
this is the way we do it
early morning
every Spring and Summer

so let’s love the lawn
sweetheart
let’s trim the lawn;
let’s get it cut
and neat and fine;
let’s do the groovy lawn dance
baby
so the neighbors will be
green as nourished grass

on Planet Urrrgh
they don’t go: Burrrp!
instead it sounds: Sluuurp!

there are no people there
just plain blue shadows
that enjoy media discourse on
when the light will bring back
the substantial bodies they never knew

and on Planet Urrrgh
they don’t say: I love you!
they say: I love I!
they don’t wake up
they crawl and creep
and never go to sleep;
they don’t say: Good day!
they just mumble: Oh, no - not me again!

on Planet Urrrgh
they don’t have fancy words
so they call a ***** a *****
so the females and males don’t make love
they just enjoy ***

on Planet Urrrgh
their vocabulary consists
of just five words:
Sluuurp!
Iiiithnuu
Urrrrgh
Prrrghhhjjuu
Dooohnttrtrre
whic­h loosely translated in earthling language are:
Burp!
I love I!
Oh do that again, baby!
And again!
O ****!

and if you ask me
how I’d know all of this
about despicable Planet Urrrgh
that’s cos I’m from adorable Planet Trrrrkkkik;
and if you dispute
what I say about Planet Urrrgh
then I say unto you: Trrrrkkkik!

…uncertainty, my friend, I see uncertainty…
there are dark times,
though light comes first…
let me see: there are happy moments
and all things seem to fall in place
and desires gain momentum
and all things seem to come to fruition…
one reaches out, and grasps at what is before
and all round
and yet things that seemed so corporeal, so physical,
they melt and unravel like phantoms,
like images in the fog…
and I see uncertainty…a darkness moves over the screen,
as say shadows over a stage…
as shadows behind a puppet-show screen…
and there are smiles, friend…there is laughter
and joy and happiness…
and days of merry-making,
and love-making and fortune….
and uncertainty…there is an image of growth
and then death…
like growth in the fields and
then night and completeness
and brownness in the lands
which were green the day before …uncertainty, I see….
…there is uncertainty… do you see it too?
or is it brightness and radiance
always and always that you see?
it is like wading into a lake
to reach those edible plants that grow
a little towards the center
still close enough to reach without a swim
and one walks on firm land
and one is nearly there;
and then the mud and soil are soft
and break below one
and one falls and struggles in the water….a sudden fall...
...a sudden uncertainty…
I see uncertainty, dear friend…
but what do you see, dear friend…?
…there is uncertainty… do you see it too?
or is it brightness and radiance
always and always that you see?

let the days of ease begin
days of love and longing;
let there be grace in the heart
and the spark of life in one’s eyes

let us dance
in the elegant halls;
and let us walk leisurely in the shade
of willow and cherry-blossoms

let us seek
peace in the self
and offer this to who would want;
let us have minds as clear as water
that shows one’s form

lets us make love then
below the cypress that lines the lakes;
and when we sleep, let us dream
of nations and multitudes in peace

let us go, you and I,
let us walk these days given us;
let us walk this earth
revel in this energy in us;
let us walk hand in hand
as we live in
truth, justice and peace

let the days of ease begin
days of love and longing;
let there be grace in the heart
and the spark of life in one’s eyes

Ha, ha, humanity, you clowns
why do you repeat things you don’t know?
you create authority, you stop thinking
you lean your elbows on fat books
you fill your young with dogma
and truths you yourself don’t know to be true
but drummed into you
and you have visions of God
and scriptures passed down from antiquity
and for good measure you have updates
and the latest revelations –
and you say,
“Oh no, God just changed His mind -
This is the latest! This is the latest!”
like some street urchins selling tabloids in busy streets;
ah, you have so many articles of faith
and repeated so often you claim it to be sacred
you learn to repeat on your mother’s laps
and the teachers brainwash you
and fill you with assumptions you are taught never to question;
and you hang death threats on people who question
and you become so narrow you only see what you want to see
you only see what you are taught to believe;
Oh, you won’t think
(though you’ll be happy to allow your Masters
to tinker with the Holy Text)
and you won’t let others think…
Ha, ha, humanity, you clowns
why do you repeat things you don’t know?

come, sun rays
kiss my naked feet
bite them, if you think them ****;
put your warmth
in every toe
and re-kindle the flames in my blood;
**** the fungus if you find any there
under or on the nails -
and Oh, I so love your touch
and the way you bounce off my feet;
but you’re really greedy
sun rays -
you kiss and you bite…
Oh I’ll go now, sun rays
you’re turning too hot;
I’ll come back later
at my own pleasure
if I like
when I need more

as it's commonly said,
an apple a day
keeps the doctor away…

a song a day
sung or heard
keeps boredom at bay

a poem a day
written or read
fires up the brain cells

an art a day
created or viewed
keeps brain numbness away

a view of trees each day
keeps the mind fresh
and steady

but love
not love of particulars
or specifics
but love of all
love unconditional
keeps the whole being radiant
every minute
every day

a strange day
it was full of strangers
when I went for a walk
with my spouse by my side


past the junction
a stranger shouted out to me:
“Help me!”
and I said quite readily:
“But I need help myself –
so how can I help you?”
and I continued on my walk
wondering at this strange world


past the 100-year-old tree
an octogenarian stopped me
and he said:
“Son, can you tell me which way
to Harvey’s Street?”
and I said to him:
“I don’t know Harvey
and so I don’t know his street;
and by the way, maybe you don’t know,
but I’m not your son….”

and past Kangaroo Point
a cheery stranger all teeth
he shouted to me:
“Good day!”
“Oh, great!” I shouted back.
“You may be having a good day
but I’m having a strange day,
I’ll tell you that!”

And past the Greehimn River
a helpless old lady said:
“Ah, kind man, could you pick up
that walking stick for me?
it’s mine and a young man
just now kicked it off my right hand”


And I said with no second thought:
“Oh, old woman
pick it up yourself;
your back is already bent
so half the effort is already there -
and you think I walked all the way here
so I can pick up a walking stick
for a strange old woman I don’t even know?”


and I turned to my spouse
who was with me
all the while and I said:
“Hmmm…what a strange day
with all these strangers…”
and my spouse answered speedily:
“Who are you, creepy stranger?
Why do you talk to me?”
And straight my spouse
walked off from me…


Hmmm…and indeed a strange day it was
with all these strangers one meets
and who walks so close beside

The wandering beggar is invited in to rest a while…While the women work, he is given some warm soup and food…After eating, and ready to move on, the beggar thanks his hostess and sings her a song in appreciation of her kindness..*




I wander
day and night
in the woods and hills
and I lay my weary body to rest
in cave or below trees

I eat berries
and fruit and drink water
of the free rivers;
for meat I am content
with what I may scavenge
in the bins after
market hours

Ah, the homeless
are my friends
in the streets and gutters;
and I compete with beasts and bears
for shelter
in the forests and woods

One might say,
I am like a hermit
or recluse
except those are quite free of misery
and choose to go that way
whereas with me
this is my condition

But for all beings
the sun does shine
and chance does
provide sustenance
and time offers kindness
as I found in your heart today,
dearest lady;
and so I take my leave
with a poor man’s blessings
for you, your man and your children


and so, kind soul,
I take my leave now
and where I go next I do not know;
but may Time keep you well
as I wander
day and night
in the woods and hills
and as I put my weary body to rest
in cave or below trees
remembering always
your kindness today

O come
gentle persons all
and listen to the woeful tale
of an unfortunate lover

1
I pitied Cinderella
and knocked at her door
when everyone was away
and I sang:
Come, run away with me
and I shall look after you -
all the days of my life
all the days of yours

Get lost,* she said.
I’ve a premonition
of glass slippers
and Princes and castles

2
And so I went to fair Verona
to see if Juliet would
give me her hand
but it was her father
who showed me the toughness
of his servant’s hands

3
And ah, I went to Rapunzel
and I said:  Oh, let down your hair
and I’ll come to you;
and I’ll find a way for both of us
to run away to better lands


Get lost,  she said
You don’t look like a man
who can afford to get
me the best shampoo
and golden diamond-studded hairclips -
new ones everyday
for my hairdo

4
And so I waited
for Cleopatra
till Brutus and the conspirators
stuck their daggers into Caesar
and I went to her mansions
but the guards seized me and they said:
You ever heard of Cleopatra’s needles?
Where’d you like us
to stick them in you?


5
and so, desperate,
I went to **** myself
back in Verona
in the family crypt of the Capulets
and woe is me -
I really don’t know why -
but I’m thrown into prison now
*‘for the ****** of two’

Sir, I do not see the necessity
of this your classroom exercise that
I should calculate numbers
and perform addition and subtraction feats
all in my head;
this is really too much, Sir…
and while I have always thought you kind and benign,
I see now you have a sadistic streak
Perhaps, Sir –
your childhood was likely not a happy one,
and you now unleash all your anger on us
poor young things and demand we use our heads.
Ah Sir, what did they do to you in your childhood
that you should inflict this counting in heads on us?
It might help you heal to talk
about your childhood travails, Sir –
rather than use this form of torture on youth and so perpetuate this…
For truly, Sir - this counting in my head
which you require today
is really too much;
I mean I have used my fingers and my toes
and I have used pebbles and beads and shells to count
like 1 bead to represent the number 10 and so on…
And when all else have failed
I have even used other people’s heads to count!
and so I can do it all that way
but to use my own head, Sir, as you demand
now that causes in me a severe headache
Sir – really you should not inflict this on us
for I predict now, Sir –
there will be a day when
someone will invent some form of tablet
as in tales of magic and fairies
in which one will be able
to touch numbers on the tablet
and the tablet will be powered within
and the tablet will do all calculations for one, Sir –
and then what need this calculating in one’s head?
Ah Sir, enough of your old age and ancient theories
and ready yourself for the brave new world
for really
this counting in my head
makes my head spin round…

one comes from
the noise and clamor
and walks in solitude
and with no claims on one
one might see the clarity
…one sees one’s conditioning, one’s upbringing and the
beliefs put in one…one observes one’s mind and all the
goings-on therein…..one observes all that…and one does
not make a judgment of any thing or any thought, but one
observes - for to observe is to see, and to judge is to continue
the conversation and construction of complexes in the mind…
one observes
all of one’s identity
all assumptions
since one’s coming
into this world
…a name is given; one’s race and nationality made
explicit; one learns one’s group and one is even taught
of the true religion, and the true way – and one is
taught of the truth, and the falsehood, and the superior
and the inferior…and one is taught one’s traditions and
ways and beliefs…one is taught the ways…and one is
conditioned and defined by this…
and one becomes that…
and one’s self hardens
and one’s identity is fixed…
and then if one observes all of these, all these
the goings-on in the mind and the construction of the self…
and one observes the mind,
the thoughts and the feelings
and all the goings-on
and all the whole chaos
and the continual formation
and the ceaseless construction…
and one sees all this and one sees all this is
a construct…all this is the world constructing its history
in the mind…and seeing all this, one lets go of one’s
construct, and one’s identity and all the beliefs and
all the hopes and the thoughts put in one…one drops all
dogma and theology and ideology and revelation…for all
this is but wishes, but how we wish things were… so one
sees all this put in one and one drops them…one drops
the idea of what one wishes were and the faith and the
beliefs – and dropping the crowd of thoughts and the
beliefs and the ideas put in one, and not creating new ideas
and not clinging on to new ones, and not exchanging
new ideals for old – one drops everything and one sees
one’s nature…
one sees clarity,
and there is quiet
and there is stillness and silence…
there is a stillness…one can see then what actually is
there rather than what was put in one; and one sees
all the architecture of the group’s history and projections
in one’s mind…
one comes from
the noise and clamor
and walks in solitude
and with no claims on one
one might see the clarity

now I, Anton, eldest and wisest,
I, nature-appointed leader by age and time,
I call this our first meeting to order
and each shall stand in silence as I read
out the rules and regulations
of this our BOYS ONLY order of OLD RUSSIA,
which I, as my first act as leader, shall name
the Anton Boys Only Group, the name obviously after myself…
And now, Artem stand still and stand at ease as Vladimir here is…
This pose with legs like a soldier's
and with hands at back, back in palm,
this is the way of the obedient follower
though I fear Artem may have a bit of Napoleon in him…
But Anton Boys Only Group we shall be
and in the streets we are destined to meet…
Now for the rules:
I am the leader and I’m always right;
you are the members of the group,
and you will always follow…
now, girls will not be allowed in this group
and no one is to come with any girls
here except me, with Galina once in a while
as she has recently been winking at me in class,
when I do attend class, that is,
and she has sent me notes
to meet her in the old shed past the fields
and once in a while, as I say,
she might be here on our way to said
location during which time
you will all keep guard
and remain as still as the Kremlin guards
or, as I’ve heard, the guards outside
****** England’s Buckingham palace.
Now, Viktor and Georgy, you are hereby fined five coins
for taking a casual attitude while I speak…
Artem, the tallest here after me,
you will be my bearer and cleaner
like carrying things I might have to carry
and dusting my coat before and after meetings
and for which I shall nominate you successor
should I run away with Galina to America…
We shall, however, always remain faithful to Mother Russia
and send you back information as and when necessary;
and also at each meeting, from hence,
each of you will bear gifts for the leader
(who, let me remind you, is myself)
like an apple, a tomato, eggs and sweets
and chicken pieces and such
as and when possible
but always at least one gift each
at each meeting as payment for the privilege
of my leadership;
and meetings will start promptly and be canceled as I wish;
and Vladimir and Bogdan and Andrey
you shall before each meeting, finish such field tasks
as my mother may have assigned me
and which I may then justly apportion to each one of you…
I do not anticipate any questions at this stage our first meeting
and so I announce this meeting over…
And Artem, you might want to dust the coat on my back…
but kindly do ensure your hands are clean first…

is one capable of observing with no projection of one’s mind and thoughts
and ideas onto the observed? can one actually observe? or does
one see what one wants to see? does one look and see what is before one, or
does one drag what one observes into one’s belief systems
and one’s vision and preconceived notions and philosophy?
one is conditioned
by beliefs and documents
and is shaped by culture and religions
and revelations and dogma
and one sees everything merely
in the shape of what one believes in;
but can one merely observe what stands before one?
is that possible? is it possible for one to stand before
the sky, before the colors, before the setting sun
and the trees - and to see what is before one? or must
one always interpret everything one sees, so that one
never sees what actually is?*
can one see beyond one’s beliefs
and one’s faith and one’s conditioning
and beyond the forms
and beyond the shaping words of revered Holy Books
that the leaders and organization put into one?
can one see with a free mind?

let the calm of the evening
let it descend in our hearts;
embrace
its coolness and its quiet
its invitation to thought and reflection;
let its peace
let its power come in;
and perhaps let us put aside
all our concepts and vengeance
and perhaps in this quiet
see the anarchy in one’s heart,
and leave all tension, all misgivings
and see the stillness within oneself
as in this evening;
and perhaps then one sees all the calm and peace
and the love
and the oneness
and may that be in one
all days and all nights

the evening comes in
and the sun sinks, the sun goes
and says its goodbyes in radiant colors;
and the night comes in
and envelopes the trees
and it will go up and kiss all the earth
and it will kiss me too
(and you too, if you behave)
and it will say:
*Good night, darling child;
sleep well and you’ll see Sun again
tomorrow morning

I cut an avocado in half
and give one half to the visitor;
and I carefully scoop
the avocado
gently, gently
with a teaspoon
(the Aztec records show
this is, ahem! the fertility fruit)
and I savor each scoop
and eat like a pig
(ah well, like a graceful pig);
and at last
I have the skin left
in the palm of my hand
and it’s tough
and shaped like a boat;
and it has rained
and there’s a puddle of water
on the lawn
and an ant that’s been irritating me
wandering about on my naked foot
and I put the ant
in the avocado boat
and I set the boat in the puddle
and I give it a gentle push
and I say:
“Bon voyage, Monsieur!”
And then I look at my visitor,
and that silly guy is still staring at his half
and I ask, ever gently,
“Do you need help
with your fertility fruit there?”
The visitor replies, “No" –
and I wonder if I should get him brain food
or perhaps set him off on another avocado boat…

It’s the same
here as always;
centuries on
since my last report
these earthlings are
still killing themselves


It’s the same
here as always;
they’re still telling lies
to one another;
and as before
they’re good at disguising
their intentions
so good they cheat themselves



It’s the same
here as always;
they’re eating so
much of their earth
and rubbishing
the space round their planet;
they learn but they’re too slow
and when they’re smart
they’re too smart for their own good



It’s the same
here as always;
they’re imagining
things and the things they imagine
are always more real
to them
than the reality:
please refer to my earlier reports
on their religions
and their ideas of good and evil


It’s the same
here as always;
they’re still messing up
things and they think their messiahs
will come and fix things up for them;
they never think for themselves
but must always rely
on revelation and authority


It’s the same
here as always;
they still think I’m a lobster
hanging over them
in their polluted sky.
Can I come home, please? –
it’s really boring watching these dumb guys!



It’s the same
here as always;
centuries on
since my last report
these earthlings are
still killing themselves.
I wish they’d do it a little quicker
so I get to go home!

how far gone
gentle breathing partner
how far gone from me
are you in your sleep?
how deep in your dreams
and away from each other?


how far are you
gentle living partner
how far gone within
far, far, far within
such unmeasured distance
are you gone from me
from you
even in waking
and walking and living?
how far are we gone
from ourselves?

O gentle breathing partner,
how far we are gone…

the world’s so unpredictable
so different, difficult and uncomfortable often
that I wish everyone were like me
just like me, or better still, exactly like me…
you’ll see, this is the only solution, logically –
beyond the shadow of a doubt, as many are inclined to say,
which expression in itself I find so inconvenient …

you see
because you and you and you are not like me
it all becomes such a waste
with all the negotiation and adjustments
and time spent and funds depleted
in persuasion and information campaigns

but just imagine:
if everybody were like me
and I had to attend a meeting
and of course everybody had to attend the meeting
how convenient and efficient  and quick that would be
cos it’s all just
me, me, me and me
and yet more me, me, me, me and me…
Indeed need we hold meetings at all?
since it’s all me? Just me?
Cos if you are me, and everyone else is me
in my Brave New Me World,
all me know what each me thinks
and wants, than we need not meet me
and one me wherever one is can initiate,
conduct and finish the me meeting…
You get me?

and think of it on a national scale too…
if everyone were like me,
exactly like me –
so that all we have is
me, me, me and me
and yet more me, me, me, me –
imagine the nation in all its simplicity and convenience;
there’d be no need to argue with me
because me agrees with me
and me is one religion, me is one will, one thought,
one language (gibberish, but still one language)
and everything in the nation
will just have to be planned for me.
Simple:
satisfy me and satisfy all
for it’s all me…
for me is the Nation

I leave it to you
to think more of this Me Nation
(or do you need some animation?)

And that silly United Nations -
do you think if everyone were like me
or better still exactly like me,
do we need to have all these delegates and dignitaries flying around
(and sometimes shoes flying too)
and eating half the UN funds in dinners and perks and sightseeing?
Oh, think about it –
if everyone were like me
just as in the Me Nation
you won’t have all this waste in Me UN…
You don’t even need the UN;
just Me is enough
the Me UN…


And what about the world?
have you thought about it?
with me all over the world
and if everyone in the world
were me, me, me, and me and me –
you know, a Chinese me, and an Indian me,
an American me, a Russian me
black me, white me, Christian me, Muslim me, Hindu me,
or atheist me - whatever me is, all is -
and so on
native me and foreign me
just me, me , me, me, me
(Oh, I just love this me!)
everywhere me
and then if I were the President of the world
which I will surely be
cos every me will choose me
cos everyone will want me to be the President
and with President Me
no one will disagree
and there’s no waste
and the word will be so pleasant –
cos I’m no *******
(will me want to hurt me?)
And everything will be so easily arranged
and every me will be in a happy world society
as me is the best me to become every me
One me will be the same as me
and me happy is all happy
And President Me need not worry about
Opinion Polls and votes and what the people want
and President Me need not give lies
and Me People need not listen to ****
cos it’s all just me,
me, and me -
and as if I don’t know what I think,
and what I want, and as if I’d want to kick my own ****
and so it’ll be a Presidency where everyone will be happy
because all things are made for me and planned the way for me
and it’ll be a perpetual everlasting Presidency
for with everyone like me, everyone being me
it’ll be always me coming
new generations or old or dying or single moms and dads
always
me, me, me and more and more me, me, me, me
for perpetuity

and so how about you, what do you think?
Wouldn’t it be all more efficient
and the world a better place
if everyone were like me?
No, no…I don’t mean like you!
Not like you, but like me, me, me,
me, me, me, me…
What do me think?
But since you are like me, you are me
I don’t need to know what you think
*Me no need to know what me thinks…

imagine
you are walking in the cool night
and you turn round the corner
and Behold! before you is the open sky
full of glowing punctuation marks
the commas and semi-colons
and the full-stops and exclamation marks
O all so brilliant, so brilliant
O the question marks
and the dashes and the hyphens and the ellipsis
and the dots and the quotation marks double and single
and all marks floating and brilliant in the night sky
Imagine!
O Imagine!
And then what would you do -
O what would you do
when you see these brilliant marks?
these quirky marks...

Would you be astounded
and shout:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
or would you feel confounded and go:
????????????????????????????
or be silent and say:
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
or be philosophical and muse:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


O what would you do
when you are before the Punctuation Sky
Vincent van Gogh never thought to draw?

The ellipsis
was sulking and
in a pensive mood….

And so I said: Well?

And Ellipsis said: What?

I said: You’re sulking…


And Ellipsis erupted
like pimples on an adolescent’s face:
You wrote poems on every tribe of my race;
you wrote of the full stop and the comma and the dash
and about every other freak that jumps up
on a printed page…
And now you ask me, why I sulk!

So, I said cautiously,
what do you want me to do?

So, write me a freaking poem on me -
The Ellipsis!

And I scratched my head, and I said:
*A poem about the Ellipsis?
Hmmmm…

the hyphen
though not as huge as an elephant
still does gargantuan jobs
for amongst a host of things it does
it can bring words together
to make them one
as in “face-to-face discussions”
or “three-point turn”

“Americans” prefer two
and then one within;
The "British" think one is splendid
and two within –
as for the rest of the world,
I think,
we’re pretty easy on this

’
there was a comma
which was so light
it started to float;
the other down-to-earth commas
ganged up and banished
that comma that dared to cross the line
and so that deviant comma stays there in mid-air
like a feather
and you can see it if you
keep your eyes open



’ ’
and since its fall, or rise,
it’s been called the apostate -
I mean, the apostrophe
Mind you, it’s not to be taken lightly
for it can settle legal cases
as it indicates who things belong to
(like if it is John’s money
or Nicole’s )



’ ’ ’
and in matters of communication
it can abbreviate things
and make the style more conversational



’ ’ ’ ’
But I'll tell you when it’s not so happy:
if you say, for instance: “Its Monday”
or “The dog wags it’s tail” -
ah, then the apostrophe hates you
and it really wishes it could land on your head
like a bag of lead

it would appear the semi-colon
has an identity crisis;
it might appear
it can’t decide if it’s a dot
or a comma
and so does an acrobat act;
but really the semi-colon does more than that
for it does
complex listings the comma can’t manage
and can say things quite cleverly, like:
“All things are expensive; life *****.”
So really this semi-colon
is not a semi - but indeed a full-blown device

the full stop
was quite irritated
with the colon
and he said to the colon:
“What are you doing?”

And colon said: “What?”

And full-stop said:
“Can you tell me what you doing
imitating me like that
and doing a double at that?
You look such a poor imitation of me
floating one above the other!”

“O,” said the colon, and continued:
“It’s plain to see, Sir –
you’re quite drunk;
you’ve had one glass too many
and you’re seeing double
like all drunks do…”

the comma
a most prosaic-looking fellow
never gets into a coma
though he’s useful enough
to give you a pause or break;
the comma separates and lists
and where the word-traffic may be in danger of crashing
into one another, bumper to bumper
the comma comes in like road markers
and ensures smooth flow:
don’t kiss bumpers; kiss your commas

don’t be dashing round
oh you so young and dashing dash;
so energetic –
you just bewilder us all

O dash –
what a dash you make for it;
O dash –
what surprises you have in store

O dash –
you’re not connective tissue
like the hyphen;
but dash -
you are a more dramatic fellow

I did use you once, dash -
but my sentence tripped and fell;
so now when I call on you
I ensure I’ve got you tied –
like a dog to the leash


don’t be dashing round
oh you so young and dashing dash;
so energetic –
you just bewilder us all

Oh noble exclamation mark!
I expel! I exclaim!
Oh most excitable exclamation mark!


Oh, to see you
sends blood racing
in my veins!
Oh, I love you
once!
twice!!
and I love you thrice!!!!
- oh, was that four times????
Oh, be not jealous
I brought in your
distant relative
the crooked and deformed question mark
for I not only love you
!
!!
!!!
!!!! –
but I love you forever, most excitable exclamation mark!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!.......and forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..............


Oh noble exclamation mark!
I expel! I exclaim!
Oh most excitable exclamation mark!

Say "Hello"
to the Full Stop
before it shuts you down

Say "Hello"
to
the American period
the definitive full stop that says: "That’s it, folks!"
in other words
it says: "Enough!" "That’s it!"
" I’m done!" " I’m finished!"
But some people never get that, do they?
they just keep going on;
but now I’ll take my cue
and say no more.
FULL STOP.
PERIOD.

one must wonder
if the word “Punctuation”
is a relative of “Punctured’;
for, as you must have noticed,
a prose passage
with no punctuation
is as good as punctured…
poetry is cunning;
she uses punctuation as she wishes
and still remains pregnant
with meaning, if you know what I mean

sometimes I wonder
in the loneliness of night
where you are
and then I see you
bouncing off the moon;
*ha!
she rejects your advances

I think
you’re one hot blonde,
Sun babe;
on this side of the universe
no one’s as hot as you

see
the creatures of the earth
burrow deep
and go to sleep
in your absence;
and they come again
kicking and hungry
when you shine

sun crazy sun
very disobedient and ill-tempered
unwilling to listen
to shine not too hot and not scorch the earth
and bad-tempered with its flares

O setting Sun
do not drag my
heart down with you;
for it’s known in nations
where you do not shine as often
you bring cheer and smiles away
till you come again;
do not let then
my heart
dear Sun
sink with you