Ode to Sarkozy and Bruni

I love the way Sarkozy and Bruni love each other !
it shows in every picture, every moment
an amorous convergence
in full public eye
even the black lace of her inner wear
shows above her low-waisted jeans !
it's love afterall
not hatred , the world is so familiar with.

The two are the stuff
Hollywood gods are made of
they together exude something sublime
however ephemeral
and what is not shortlived in this life ?
But why is the world going crazy
about they being together ?
why is the green-eyed monster
spewing silly expletives ?

Hey guys ! just let them be
this crescendo will die soon
in it's own dissonance
this acrimony will fade out
against the melody of their love.
I have an idea !
let's invite them to the Taj, Agra
for, what could be better
than two beautiful people
to come together
in a tribute
to the monument of immortal love ?!

Dealing With An Evil Giant

In my childhood, I had heard a story of an evil giant who would ransack homes of people living in the nearby village, eat all their food and take their belongings away, even toys of children. The 'toys' bit must have been added by a clever parent to make us do our homework! The villagers were petrified of the giant’s wrath and thought of devising methods to protect themselves. My mind also worked day and night in support of the villagers. I hated the giant and went around asking friends if anyone had a gun bigger than mine. A boyish romance with even a toy-gun seemed realistic then. At times I was tempted to befriend the giant for the simple reason that he would by now have a truckload of toys!

A hoary headed villager suggested a wise plan - make homes on top of tall trees and around them make a huge ditch covered with thorny bushes, with a secret path to come and go. Everyone hailed the plan and found merit in it. I don’t know whether the giant ever came or was ever captured. Time passed by and almost five decades later today, I still feel the presence of the giant. Metaphorically, our desires and insecurities about life, belongings, position, power and relationships are collectively the evil giant.

Living atop the tall tree suggests rising above the worldly desires and distractions. Creating a ditch around us signifies keeping ourself safe from the ills of pleasures. The secret path to come and go is symbolic of the fact that as long as we live in this world we cannot completely cut ourselves off from it. We do need a to and fro passage between attachment and detachment. You cannot remain stagnant at one end of the spectrum; it’s all about getting the right mantra that works for each one of us. Attachment upon breaking causes sorrow and detachment alone cannot run the affairs of the world. The right balance lies somewhere between the two.

An old fable has conjured up a fine recipe for a more meaningful life. I don’t know how to thank the wise old man.