By Indranil Ghosh
(Twitter: @indraghosh314
IG: @indraghosh314)
The Choice
A hummingbird tattooed its wings,
and the applause followed.
Motivated,
it decided to direct a film
criticizing the social stigma
that surrounds piercing and tattooing.
It prides itself of being studied film
under the tutelage of Satyajit Ray.
It denounces moral policing. Sure,
it is tiny and hates conflict,
but it is well aware of when to
voice its concerns.
The plot will tell the story of a kiwi bird
which pierces its beaks, gets kicked out
of its family, learns to hold on to
its choice and self-respect, and
ultimately teaches itself how to fly.
All while carrying its piercings boldly,
the whole time!
The hummingbird jotted down
the script,
and the applause followed.
Tea Party
On getting invited to Gluttony’s tea party,
Guilt got smeared with insecurity.
“Your tea tastes like mud”,
complained Guilt.
“Says who?” asked Gluttony with
a smirk on his face.
Guilt knew he had been defeated
for the umpteenth time by
Gluttony’s wily.
Guilt beat himself up thinking
there was no point in getting
the lion tattoo.
Guilt was embarrassed.
Rubbing salt on Guilt’s wound,
Gluttony revealed the viper tattoo, painted
just aptly on his tongue. Guilt could hear
his mini-heart pacing like a stallion.
“At least my tea tastes better”, screamed
Guilt in agony.
“Says who?” asked Gluttony without
exhibiting an ounce of remorse.
Guilt stormed out of the party and
decided to get himself a fire tattoo.
Meanwhile Gluttony started repainting
his tongue.
He understood that the ocean
is not an easier piece to capture
on the muscle.
Moreover, planning another
imperfect tea party isn’t
as plain sailing as it seems.
Post-expiration Whimsies
I once met Sukumar Ray
during my journey to the Neverland,
post-expiration.
He asked me what my profession before
the unfortunate event was.
“A mathematics grad student” I said.
“Could you formulate poetry
with equations?”, he enquired.
I was left speechless at the query.
“If I were you, I would name
a mathematical theorem
after Andre Breton”, he continued,
“and award the Nobel prize in Physics
to Dostoevsky!”.
I was all smiles. But again,
what better ways to denounce
the oppressing social norms
than with wit? Growing up,
I have always looked up to
the surreal works
he demonstrated through his
nonsense verse in HJBRL.
“Would you want to join us
on discussing our new project?”,
he asked with utter humility.
I nodded in agreement.
How could I ever say no
to one of my literary idols?
I got down at the same
destination as Ray’s,
only to find Luis Buñuel
waiting to receive us.
I knew what pride
actually meant
at that very moment!
Reflections
The moth completed writing
up the final draft:
“A hundred ways to steer clear of the fire”.
The mirror never fails to remind
it of its fallen wing;
the one that got burned
to ashes.
A flickering candle misguided it;
the trap unanticipated.
Compiling a book was the best way
it could profess with.
It does not consider itself
a fauvist yet, although
craves for the tag.
The emotional transition
wasn’t a smooth one.
Flying/wandering all over
the place was what it
lived by.
The moth sighed!
A couple of tear drops smudged
the fresh ink on the page,
revealing to it its own
reflection.
It ended up editing the title
of the draft:
“A hundred and one ways to steer clear of the fire”.
About The Author:
Indranil Ghosh is a Ph.D. student in applied mathematics from India, currently living in New Zealand.
Highly inspired by Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, and Robert Frost, whenever he is not working, one may find him either reading classic poems or listening to music from the 70s and 80s.
His poems appear in the Aphelion webzine, The Unconventional Courier, Roi Faineant Literary Press, etc.
His Twitter handle is @indraghosh314.
Comments