The earth felt flat as the plains stretched endlessly
The moon painted silver shadows on the dark canvas of the solid earth
The clouds shimmered and the stars dazzled
My eyes looking upward at the sparkling celestial abyss, reflected their brilliance
But within they were as empty as the plains.
I casted a long ward glance out of the window of my eye waiting, waiting
as always...
For the soft thud of the silver stallion, riding like the wind, with its silvery mane framing its silhouette with a halo
For the rider of that stallion, with his cloak flying madly behind him
For the rider of the wind, galloping eagerly through the Savannahs
For the rider, whose eyes brim with silver light, and whose teeth gleam in virgin white within the velvet like pink lips.
For the rider, weaving in like a summer bee, through the scant trees strewn over the canvas.
I casted a long ward glance out of the window of my eye waiting, waiting
as always…
For firm hands to whisk me away from the silver earth beneath my silver slippers
For tender hands to mount me on the stallion
For soft, sweet breath over my neck comforting me when the wind slaps me across my face
For those eyes, embedded in silver to gaze at my head and untangle the sliver threads of my emotions
For my heart to race with the steady pace of the stallion.
I casted a long ward glance out of the window of my eye waiting, waiting as always for my rider, who rides in the silver Savannah's of my mind.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Episode 2: Fiddle -de- dee ride!
Now… now… bus rides can’t be all that bad! It is the life line of the city. And once you become a regular, the conductor becomes your great friend, and as a sign of he bond you share he will stop the bus even if it’s not the stop. This is especially a blessing when you are running behind a bus at a speed that would put Marion Jones to shame (sans doping!).
It used to puzzle me as to why they call this man who issues the tickets a conductor!?I figured that since he conducts people into his bus he is called so!
I find most of these conductors astute possessing a variety of talents. One is his mathematical ability, where he does all the arithmetic in lightning speed that too amidst chaos and confusion and the other talent he is endowed with is his musical abilities. The soprano parts especially enthrall the audience so much so that the bus halts in awe, and the serendipity of it is that the place where it was pulled to a stop is the exact same place you need to alight! Now if you don’t call that your good fortune what else would it be! And he is so kind that he uses his musical talents each time some one needs to dismount! Bless his kind soul!
The sights and sound that you chance upon when traveling in a bus makes it a very worth wile experience. The encouraging part is that, no one really cares if you are eaves dropping! And I shamelessly indulge in it and amuse myself, sometimes stifling a laugh or slapping my head at their stupidity or letting my sinews wrench in their troubles. Half the time I am half tempted to offer advice, but I know better than that, unless I want to be looked as something as dirty as a plumber’s fingernails!
By the way, always be on the look out for the dark corners in bus stops! There will always be a couple, cozily tucked in a corner, often holding hands and looking left to right from time to time in case of curious onlookers. If you notice, the girl’s back will always be turned towards you making you all the more curious! My heart goes out to these couples who can’t be exhibitive about their love!
Now, when the bus is stuck in an awful traffic jam, your only solace can be books or music because a bus is boring when it is static. But the others definitely don’t think so. Just when you are nearing the climax of the book, the neighboring fat aunty already encroaching into half of the seat will want to pick a conversation! And most often it starts off as a mumble about how late she is getting! And for being polite if you nod your head in agreement, she ll take that as a cue and go on! Not even giving you a moment to tell her that a fly went into her mouth!
In my last post I told you why it was of great importance to have a seat in the bus.
But I excluded the reason as to just why it was so (marketing reasons!)
If it’s a crowded bus, and you are standing, you will have your air supply shut off. Or you can be sautéed among the standees whose smells will make your face crease like a bull dog! If its long journey, you can even consider varicose vein a possibility. But most of all, there are some men depraved of sexual activity, who lurk around in crowded buses, targeting the unsuspecting who think “pavam he doesn’t have place...”!
This is where my trusty back pack comes into play! Any time I have to stand my back pack is my armour; any funny stunts…throw a cold stare and make sure the iron rod in your backpack gets him right there!
But there are also the ever so gentle gentlemen, who will relinquish their seat for you! But being the woman I am, I would never accept that offer! Unless I m going to be pregnant,an amputee or an 80 year old.
I can’t understand these women! They want to be treated on par with men, but they want reservation too, they harass the men to get off the seats, and place their derrières comfortably! Gleaming within with a sense of satisfaction! While the poor man who probably is back from work blasting rocks in a quarry willingly makes way for over grown squats! Sorry again boys!
But other wise, bus rides are a really pleasant experience; especially if a dashing (no pun intended) young man giving you enough attention to bring a little pink flush over your tanned cheek. So, if you have no other choice of transport, better learn to like the poor man’s rolls Royce, and indulge in the luxury it offers!...Bon voyage!
It used to puzzle me as to why they call this man who issues the tickets a conductor!?I figured that since he conducts people into his bus he is called so!
I find most of these conductors astute possessing a variety of talents. One is his mathematical ability, where he does all the arithmetic in lightning speed that too amidst chaos and confusion and the other talent he is endowed with is his musical abilities. The soprano parts especially enthrall the audience so much so that the bus halts in awe, and the serendipity of it is that the place where it was pulled to a stop is the exact same place you need to alight! Now if you don’t call that your good fortune what else would it be! And he is so kind that he uses his musical talents each time some one needs to dismount! Bless his kind soul!
The sights and sound that you chance upon when traveling in a bus makes it a very worth wile experience. The encouraging part is that, no one really cares if you are eaves dropping! And I shamelessly indulge in it and amuse myself, sometimes stifling a laugh or slapping my head at their stupidity or letting my sinews wrench in their troubles. Half the time I am half tempted to offer advice, but I know better than that, unless I want to be looked as something as dirty as a plumber’s fingernails!
By the way, always be on the look out for the dark corners in bus stops! There will always be a couple, cozily tucked in a corner, often holding hands and looking left to right from time to time in case of curious onlookers. If you notice, the girl’s back will always be turned towards you making you all the more curious! My heart goes out to these couples who can’t be exhibitive about their love!
Now, when the bus is stuck in an awful traffic jam, your only solace can be books or music because a bus is boring when it is static. But the others definitely don’t think so. Just when you are nearing the climax of the book, the neighboring fat aunty already encroaching into half of the seat will want to pick a conversation! And most often it starts off as a mumble about how late she is getting! And for being polite if you nod your head in agreement, she ll take that as a cue and go on! Not even giving you a moment to tell her that a fly went into her mouth!
In my last post I told you why it was of great importance to have a seat in the bus.
But I excluded the reason as to just why it was so (marketing reasons!)
If it’s a crowded bus, and you are standing, you will have your air supply shut off. Or you can be sautéed among the standees whose smells will make your face crease like a bull dog! If its long journey, you can even consider varicose vein a possibility. But most of all, there are some men depraved of sexual activity, who lurk around in crowded buses, targeting the unsuspecting who think “pavam he doesn’t have place...”!
This is where my trusty back pack comes into play! Any time I have to stand my back pack is my armour; any funny stunts…throw a cold stare and make sure the iron rod in your backpack gets him right there!
But there are also the ever so gentle gentlemen, who will relinquish their seat for you! But being the woman I am, I would never accept that offer! Unless I m going to be pregnant,an amputee or an 80 year old.
I can’t understand these women! They want to be treated on par with men, but they want reservation too, they harass the men to get off the seats, and place their derrières comfortably! Gleaming within with a sense of satisfaction! While the poor man who probably is back from work blasting rocks in a quarry willingly makes way for over grown squats! Sorry again boys!
But other wise, bus rides are a really pleasant experience; especially if a dashing (no pun intended) young man giving you enough attention to bring a little pink flush over your tanned cheek. So, if you have no other choice of transport, better learn to like the poor man’s rolls Royce, and indulge in the luxury it offers!...Bon voyage!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The great Indian bus ride , Episode 1: Ticket to ride
As every other morning, I was waiting for the bus at the stop where the ride begins. This is of great importance to the chronic traveler. At the first sight of the bus, people brace themselves in various strategic positions to get a head start to enter the bus.
The men and little boys don’t do this, because they have an uncanny knack of jumping into a running bus, it is only the ever so gentle ladies who push and block and nudge you out of your way while they barge into the bus!
With years of practice, I have managed to nudge back and push all other blockaders!
And place myself somewhere as comfortable as a long legged person trapped in a seat like contraption can be!
You may wonder why one has to sit in such uncomfortable conditions, but those who travel by bus frequently will know just how important it is to get a place to sit. I will explain to you just why it is so important to sit in a short while.
As you settle yourself for the oncoming journey, and if you have flashes of guilt about being a selfish person, here is a chance to prove that you have a large heart.You can offer (else will be imposed) your lap as temporary cloak room where others can unburden their belongings which an be anything from a bag to a child, a word of caution there: If the child is sick, it is better you relenquish your seat to the child or its proud owner! I am not saying this out of empathy, but out of an utterly selfish motive! Unless you want the child blowing its nose all over you or resting its oily head on you’re new white cotton kurta...or still worse…a travel sick child!
Buying a ticket is as exciting as investing in stock market! You pass the money through a sea of people, anxiously craning your neck to see if the person passes the money and doesn’t bungle with the destination’s name!
And when the conductor does pass the precious ticket with assorted change, you are doubly anxious to receive the ticket and change! Well all this can be very conveniently avoided if you decided to give this ticket buying affair a pass, BUT there is always an omniscient presence of khaki clad, enlarged belly men waiting as eagerly as a frog would for a stupid fly, to embarrass and harass the innocent to check if you’ve got a ticket
If you are a man,and you fumble in your pockets to find the elusive ticket which you probably had scrunched up among the other contents of your pocket, the frog man will catch you by the collar,if you still don’t find your ticket, he will shake you until all the teeth in your head rattle.
But if you are a pretty looking, well groomed woman, you definitely receive better treatment.Even If you havent got a beauty contest winner looks (which is not much these days!) you can try purling the same look your dog gives you when you deny a chocolate to it, you will be let off with a reprimand as soft as one used to scold a new born!
Sorry boys, we are definitely a superior breed than you!
The men and little boys don’t do this, because they have an uncanny knack of jumping into a running bus, it is only the ever so gentle ladies who push and block and nudge you out of your way while they barge into the bus!
With years of practice, I have managed to nudge back and push all other blockaders!
And place myself somewhere as comfortable as a long legged person trapped in a seat like contraption can be!
You may wonder why one has to sit in such uncomfortable conditions, but those who travel by bus frequently will know just how important it is to get a place to sit. I will explain to you just why it is so important to sit in a short while.
As you settle yourself for the oncoming journey, and if you have flashes of guilt about being a selfish person, here is a chance to prove that you have a large heart.You can offer (else will be imposed) your lap as temporary cloak room where others can unburden their belongings which an be anything from a bag to a child, a word of caution there: If the child is sick, it is better you relenquish your seat to the child or its proud owner! I am not saying this out of empathy, but out of an utterly selfish motive! Unless you want the child blowing its nose all over you or resting its oily head on you’re new white cotton kurta...or still worse…a travel sick child!
Buying a ticket is as exciting as investing in stock market! You pass the money through a sea of people, anxiously craning your neck to see if the person passes the money and doesn’t bungle with the destination’s name!
And when the conductor does pass the precious ticket with assorted change, you are doubly anxious to receive the ticket and change! Well all this can be very conveniently avoided if you decided to give this ticket buying affair a pass, BUT there is always an omniscient presence of khaki clad, enlarged belly men waiting as eagerly as a frog would for a stupid fly, to embarrass and harass the innocent to check if you’ve got a ticket
If you are a man,and you fumble in your pockets to find the elusive ticket which you probably had scrunched up among the other contents of your pocket, the frog man will catch you by the collar,if you still don’t find your ticket, he will shake you until all the teeth in your head rattle.
But if you are a pretty looking, well groomed woman, you definitely receive better treatment.Even If you havent got a beauty contest winner looks (which is not much these days!) you can try purling the same look your dog gives you when you deny a chocolate to it, you will be let off with a reprimand as soft as one used to scold a new born!
Sorry boys, we are definitely a superior breed than you!
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