THE CORPUS DREAMS OF A CORPSE

 

 

 My very first day at medical school , started on a horrifying note

 My huge ambitions though, for a split second,  took the rear seat,

 Never in my seventeen years, had   such a bad  nightmare quote,

 Thirty naked formalin drenched cadavers, all  in a pathetic plight

 These men and women, truly born somewhere   with a purpose,

 Might have their youth full of promises and wild expectation,

 Destiny turned a topsy   turvy upon each one of their life course,

 None to care their needs in old age, death, oft the best invitation.

 Years too rolled, these thoughts withered amongst the newer role

 Ailing men and women and their happiness all filled my dreams

 Bringing back the waning cheer, oft a never ending rigmarole,

 Sixth decade in my almanac   rejuvenated my withered screams,

 This news helped them to rekindle my cadaveric sympathy again,

 Here was a widower, leading a lonely life amongst riches all years,

 Lost his spouse early, the malignant fangs crippled her in all pain,

 He too had dreams, like the dreams of any parent all these years.

 Had a son, was bright in his teens, grey mater rich in knowledge,

 A scientist in offing, ending with a super medical degree for sure,

 Married and settled abroad for many years, forgetting the pledge,

  The old man day dreaming the sight of his son, his lips in murmur ,

 Chats oft ending on a futile note, son never heeded, paid no care,

 Old man dreaming, the son will do his final rites, to say the least,

 That day came, the call was sent, yet the son never heard the fare,

 Instead, he magnanimously donated the cadaver to medical  treat.

 Medical school cheered, the old man’s  dream all ended in tatters,

 The future of many of us may have such tales, humanity do suffer,

 Many cadavers might have had many unfilled dreams that matters,

 Untold, unheard, their solemn whispers, we can’t hear for ever

THE CHENNAI  DELUGE

Water, water everywhere, not a drop to drink, this quote so famous
Hearing this casually, you may not know exact depth of this chorus,
This month of December, Chennai taught us its true volume and fate,
What a lesson, a rude shock, scenes all gory, in an unrelenting spate.

The State encore, ever  lamenting that rain gods are often niggardly,
Never getting their due, year after year seeing draughts in regularity
This monsoon is their breadwinner on the fields, oft they too yearn,
Being on the eastern side, their monsoons always an annual sojourn,

Every ten years to be precise, their  rain gods  get irked, and  furious,
First of December, this city shook, despite the forecast so vicarious,
Nature at its furious worst, not rained, but poured with vengeance,
Havoc in pursuit, the normally polite and busy city now in shambles.

The rulers shell shocked both in office and of it, remaining in mute,
The state gasped, people pell-mell, water rising, an alarming chute
Transport services beheaded, on the road, rails, and on the air too,
Planes appearing as submarines, even the flyovers under the threat.

The busy Mount road, instead, floating boats for the rescue mission,
Cars, mopeds, autos besieged under torrential flow, swept in unison,
Houses lost their identity, people, penniless, hopeless and homeless
All modes of help, TV, phones, mobiles, power, dead and functionless.

The fury of the rains unabated, Chennai became an island of agony,
Pray the god to rebuild Chennai to the beauty it  beheld ,in glory
All the brains should use their cells to prevent this mishap again,
Shrewd planning the need of the hour, an eye opener for future gain

TREAD ON RED FOR YEARS IN STYLE….. 

                          DREADED RED NOW IN NEAR EXILE…..

      









 

My life a sad one indeed, alive, believe me, now dying a slow death,
My age, I crossed a century and a half in style, now in huff and puff,
Reigning supreme even in my last decade, was never short of dearth,
My  confidence brimming at times, spilling too much with my stuff.

The kingpin before the electronic era, thy needs I did in grand shows
Guess what, collected thy currency, thy curricula, thy heart and love,
Messages from the son and daughter, their merriment and sorrows,
The news of childbirth or of the departed souls, received all in score.

Choked and spilled aplenty when thy festive seasons were in galore.
The dawn of every new year, I conceived  with thy messages more,
Year after year I toiled in the sun and winter, thy mirth all in my core,
Rains hurt my skin, I rusted and disgusted, a new coat rarely in store.

Suffered all these insults for thy service, serving the country my  aim,
Lost my charm, I agree, do I deserve  an obituary note, thee proclaim
Days trickle by, the electronic  threats indeed manhandle my frame,
Desolate and depressed, my existence now  in jeopardy and in shame.

The last score of years I do hear my death knell, thy leading the thrill,
Decline gradual, my appetite declined, my presence just a standstill ,
Pen lost its charm, writing a forgotten art, my coffers never in spill,
Fears cloud my vision, my end near, I beg thy mercy for my second fill.

 DAY OF THE DEAD
  

The thoughts of childhood dreams flash with a scary nightmare
Wonderful or weird on day one, a fiery next with noisy shrills
Fear, an instant inborn emotion and a startling newborn affair
Fear of darkness still worse, fearing the demons and the devils.

Myths about devils are almost universe, no continent is immune,
Only the form and shapes differ, so too their basis or of text,
All centered around the devils, their spells of favors and fortune
Vikram and vedal of oriental origin, Halloweens of the west,

Orientals believe, the dead be cremated and their souls set free,
Appease them with yearly feasts on the star day of their demise,
These souls wishing them the best till they finally meet in spree
Also believe, only natural deaths have these desired privileged rite.

Untimely and unnatural deaths, unrecovered corpses and suicide,
Aren’t blessed with peaceful souls to a place of solitude forever,
Sojourn on earth unaccomplished, Oh! prematurely against the tide,
Hovering from trees to trees, in search of a haven secure and safer.

Though they are unseen till date, none refutes their existence either,
Yearly appeasement solve at best some mental unrest and undoing,
Traditions in the west aim the same, feasting, appeasing the ancestor,
Please them on all Saints day or Halloween’s day, indeed in rejoicing.

Dates back to Celtic myths of feasting the souls of the otherworld,
Pleasing these condemned and wandering souls happily in astray
For a stopover and stay, still groping in the darkness of our world
Jack-O-lanterns of the turnips and pumpkins showing their way.

Decorated and lit homes inviting them for the feast on the eve,
Mystic beliefs everywhere do exist, the message loud and clear,
We only live once, serve thy parents, kith and kin with love
Die peacefully, with no chains around your neck in your stopover.

WORDS THAT HEAL THY PSYCHE

 

Life is short, indeed the words written or spoken last for ever,

Smoothening ones, the solace and comfort they go a long way,

We, the humans’ fell out of bag of water, natures gift for sure,

 Are the tiny drops of rain to bid finally in the ocean in sway.

We, in the pink of health, all resounding and rejoicing in glee,

Surround us, is the canopy of viruses, bacteria, fungi and few,

Immune to all these awhile, then overpower us too in spree,

The dawn and moon were shiny, unmindful of their curfew.

These  evenings of ours amidst the setting sun, hours in glory,

Yet, fret and fume when our body s rocked oft by ills and frills,

There is enough time  dear friend, the sunset is still far away,

Recoup yourself, to bask in the evening sun, in all the thrills.

                

EVEN ALL GOOD THINGS  MUST END SOMEWHERE!

                ~ A TRIBUTE TO A GREAT SURGEON WHO TAUGHT ME

Surgeons  are a rare breed, they cut tissues mercilessly, sometimes the wanted too,

They are the  god incarnate roaming in white coats, ruling the operating theater,

They cut, they probe, they anastomose, or sever tissues, with such a surgical  motto,

Yet all will be well once the wound and psyche are healed with the healing fervor

The scalpel that saved many a life over the years, severed many a mass with disdain     

Left many a pile mass shrinking, bleeding within it, hernias concealed with aplomb

Many a thyroid  forgot their irk, many  goiters left guessing in disgust, routed in pain

Thy dedication, skill and penance, we, salute thy mastery, with unbridled enthusiasm

We ‘ll miss the witty sarcasm, thy  gracious presence  in our midst, and thy greatness

We pray almighty not to return  your passport to clarify His personal surgical  doubt,

We need your fatherly  presence here to navigate  the neophyte  surgeons in duress

The operating theater will bleed instead, in your absence, the aura missing, sans doubt.

We wish you all the best in health, even when you do not hold the scalpel in your hand

Heart warming human relations ...

 

Oft we think that we decide to warm the newly built house,
That thought kept ruminating my inner mind many a time,
Suddenly and strange indeed this flashed my hypothalamus,
Aren’t human relations too, intriguingly, like building a house,

Human body is a strong frame built with bones and muscles.
Many an organ designed to do certain functions many a time
Besides storing emotions, growing happiness and goodwill,
Hormones and blood doing the balancing act of expression.

So too a house, built with hard stones, gravel and soft sands,
Plastered and cemented well for smooth functioning forever,
The soul of the house remains in the kitchen, sans argument,
Fire burning inside to warm the milk.an augury for the future

The fire in you, the desires inyou, thy ambitions are lit there,
To march ahead in life, safely, soundly and for a secure sleep,
Like the body suffering ails and repaired, houses too at times,
Crumbling may be very far, depends upon how you care for it,

Some die young, some live longer, strong and healthy too.
Your good will like the house should remain warm forever
Building relations that swell with time, etching in memory,
Getting transcended generation after generation after you

TEARFUL BID ADIEU TO A COMPASSIONATE  JURIST     

 

                         

This poem is in memory of late Justice V.R Krishna Iyer, Supreme Court Judge

Nobody is above Law, this  idiom  always holds true to its word  everywhere
The law makers should realize that there must be a human element,as well,
Jurists should see the two sides of the coin while reading out the judgement,
Crimes still do recur everywhere  even when capital punishment is in vogue.

How many years we live is  secondary,how we lead it, is the query before us,
Quoting a famous poetic truth,if one can relieve others pain,it is truly divine,
Fighting for a human cause,even  for a convicts’ plight is, indeed  incredible,
We should adore and worship him,and try to emulate his legacy in principle.

Born to a jurist,became a supreme one,and a born fighter always to the core,

He lived on principles, stood firm for the downtrodden and for true justice,

Ruled the state with conviction,compassion was his forte till he breathed last,

Ever a crusader against injustice,  even if it’s to a capital punishment convict.

He was a great thinker, with sound memory ,and indeed  humane to the core
Truly a  family man,a loving  husband, a selfless social thinker par excellence  
In  his demise the state and the nation lost a pioneer ever ready to champion,
The cause of the poor, a jurist non pareil, and a  lofty politician  without bias.

TO A RESPECTED TEACHER WHO HAD NEVER TAUGHT YOURS TRULY

 

Still flutters my heart to ponder, with wonder,

Three scores years of teaching, preaching righteously

Proving that faculty has no death, only their cells tatter

Still going strong even though in ailing twilight years

With indomitable spirit, with unfathomable height

For the never silent, never say die attitude, all these years,

Ever in search of knowledge with an unending quest,

 In his eighth decade, memorising all with consummate ease

Making me blush before thee with profound reverence

For not having blessed to become your disciple

During your halcyon days of magical guidance

Fervently hoping a rebirth if one such exists in principle,

To be your pupil to simply enliven the radiant reverence

BIBLE  FOR GOOD HEALTH

 

The seven wonders of this universe ,we cherish with pride
The sweats behind those great monuments, we do respect
Man hours and the light years in labor and the creative tide
These wonders reveal the beauty, nature assures the rest.

They boast the artistry of mankind, truly, a love at first sight,
Mother nature goes a step higher, keeps them as monument,
Aids the mankind to keep them too for a long stay, fully fit,
Preaches everyone, the bible for good health every moment.

The glorious sun, oft not ones’ liking ,it is nevertheless true,
Awesome, yet true, the monarch and custodian of all health,
Scorching heat, purifies the air, helps to build vitamin store,
Darkens cuticle, helping to keep neoplasm away in stealth.

We can’t leave this to live a moment without its presence,
Vital cog isn’t it, the oxygen ,the mans’ source of strength,
The staleness and lethargy never in man, in its presence,
Exchange of gases, so vital indeed to keep one fit at length.

Water, Mother earth has indeed three fourth of this factor,
This vital cog, sans this, one cannot even think for a moment,
All the functions of the human body ,water forms the vector,
Cools the system, hydrates the skin and all cells with intent.

These will not make a man live, but help him build his base,
Sans diet, the base never lasts , indeed it provides the fuel,
The energy pump in health, to combat the stress in disease,
The immunity and the extra ammunition to fight the duel.

All food and no work makes you chubby and disease prone,
All work and no play, a sitting duck for many life style ails,
The earned fat be burnt and the rest stored in muscle tone,
Exert your muscles and exercise in routine never fails.

All said and done, body needs sound rest after a hard day,
To rebuild thy stores of proteins, to replace worn out cells
Sleep, indeed a boon and a magic potion, wise man’s say ,
These six angels keep you fit and live without many pills.

THE LAMENT OF A CAMERA(in camera)
                                     ~ A tribute to a dedicated photographer

                

Oft I  wondered  how I would indeed feel when I was sidelined,
As a boy, as a student, as a professional, my ego got undermined,

Anguish and disgust, soon prevailed  my psyche in total disdain,

I saw myself in a photo, alas! I consoled myself again and again

The Invention of a camera suddenly  flashed my mind in privacy,

Till then anything worth was etched in a draw or in our memory,

Both oft were a transient sojourn, buried in the pages of history,

The advent of this  camera revolutionized one and all in mastery.

This invention  by Eastman  caught everyone in awe and in delight,
Sheer thrill of seeing one in black and white, indeed was a sight,

Time rolled on, color films overruled, digitals, a spectacular sight

The camera is changing daily in its design, yet in lamenting plight.

Imagine, thousands of  thy photographs, of your own kith and kin,

Thoughts were not spared for that manpower or the machine,

A machine that recaptures thy moment of glory or of profession,

Or the ever lasting sights of beloveds or that of the departed one.

Here I enter as the camera in despair, a thought for introspection,

Many a moment in delight or sadness I was truly your companion

To err is human, you in turn forgot my presence, till the next event

Till then, yours truly, the silent camera, be left lamenting( in camera).

WITHERED TRUTH  AMIDST WEATHERED MINDSET

                                                 ~ Remembering my medical college classmates

 

                   

Nothing is eternal, the golden truth till date, even the giants should fall one day,

We the humans too can mastermind our arrival, always the final bow uncertain,

That Day indeed unknown, yet  we build castles in air, on earth or everywhere,

Nurturing hopes, ambitions to scale new heights and to fathom greater depths.

We, all in whites, the nine score plus novices assembled, pledged amidst cheers,

To serve the humans in despair, expectations all in brew and awaiting a hatch, ,

Task arduous, yet the aim was noble ,thoughts of eternity loomed large in plenty,

Reality began its discourse soon, Alas! The nature injustice to some in our batch.

The count down has begun, a few left abode even before the harvest was in sight,

Nipped in the bud, a few had premature calls, the reality did wash our shore,

Of late few had their senses in disarray, the aging neurons on their farewell fight,

A plight one cannot behold, yet the gruesome act has more surprises in store.

Twilight of the career and of the lifespan in sight, let’s all face the music now,

 We live once, be in touch with all of the rest, meet oft and do commute

 Many of us never seen once before and never will see once fifty years hence

 Rejoice, as tears do roll over the departed names of our everlasting register

WEDDING WISH

 

With a biology in the saddle you ignored arithmetic,   
Indeed nature is a great leveller when you read this,   
Science is too big to ignore maths altogether forever  
Human body, the most intricate science, so too maths,
Ignoring arithmetic altogether, one can’t live forever,
Never can one get away from it, even in a  marital life
Getting married, here you really, begin to learn maths.
Arithmetic and married life are closely intertwined.

Happiness is the sum of your expectations everyday,   
Adding more things from today over what you have,   
Plus sign is an important mathematical score in life,   
Perplexed? forget, I’ll release your confusion now,  
You add Nelson to your life, your greatest addition.
 
Man Friday, that he is, to join your hands in real life,   
A big plus, for your interests will multiply many folds   
Reaping great success, your life with your better half
Ringing bells in the church solemnizing this very day  
Interesting life is in store, invigorating arithmetic too,   
Enid weds Nelson, Man and WoMan, now two in one,
Definitely, maths deceives you, one plus one is one.
   
Life, post wedding, a great plus adding more thrills ,
Interesting life ahead, our prayers are with you two,   
Finally, adding ,multiplying the family, avoiding riders
Enid, join the first letters for a disguised wedding wish.  

THE SINGING PRAISES FOR MY BETTER HALF

 

Wishes do bring cheers, rejuvenating the hearts without fail
Many a time, the sender, the receiver share the same thrill,
Occasions differ, yet the intentions often are truly unselfish,
These wishes, in print can convey volumes than spoken wish

We build castles in air, dream many, sometimes weird ones,
Yet the charm lies, finding the right partner indeed a boon,
Share our thoughts, pair our plan, repair our bloated egos,
Marriage, the bond between two different chemistry on debut.

Thou art the bliss from the divine, stock has no more glossary
Act of wisdom when I err, an act of a tutor when words go awry
A gentle kiss in appreciation, a warm hug in delightful mood,
A miser for self in general, not in love, never so for the general.

Fervent wish is, this chemistry should go on for more decades.
The reign of almighty should bless her with a healthy life ahead,
The bliss of god to whisper me to wish her for greater evenings
And allow me to bask in the shower of her glory till the night.

THE KINETIC MESSAGE FROM THE KITES

 

The sky, crystal clear in glitter, in all its bluish white splendor,
Sun in an encouraging mood, speeding for its evening flight.
Entertainment of the summer, an annual event in grandeur,
Thousands in steady flight, a carnival for the kite flying sight,

All in gather to witness this treat , truly cheerful, and vibrant,
Kites, countless beyond our dreams, designs, all spectacular,
Tails, vacillating in rhythm, linchpin thread shining in sunshine,
Ah! a flash twined in my brain watching this great evening fun.

Ruminating the next few minutes over our schooling days,
Teachers, infuse the basics, we the kites fly nonchalantly,
Small or big, colorful galore, they mold us to fly lofty ways,
Groomed from the available sources, enduring hardships.

Our successful leap, their aim and sky was the tallest target,
Painstaking devotion their assets, as we drape in our pink.
Some flew high, soared and peaked , a few became the rear
They stood in silence, correcting the weak and their chink.

Schools differ in ways ,but medical schools are truly better,
Impart knowledge selflessly, implant in us, the skills in turn
Instilling healing touch, brings smiles on the ailing faces,
To the delight of kith and kin, the best reward in return.

Nobody is born great here, truth will remain so for ever
Keeping head aloft and flying high in the sky of adversity,
We need teachers, yes, our parents included, in top gear,
Playing a stellar role, in shaping the kites in us in integrity.

Our personal pinnacle once secure, rarely do we look down
From our exalted heights, forgetting the strength of thread.
As kites, the life is short, wind and rain all halt our ascend,
We live only once, make the best , be humble and selfless,

Seeing only the heights ,but the humble teacher forgotten,
Amidst the new threads of knowledge, there he stands tall.
Counting still and making new kites with mounting hunger,
His appetite never in satiation, aiming them greater heights.

Teachers nonpareil, respect them all, alive or dead forever,
Molding our psyche, for any giant leap for a lifetime game,
On this very day, we, the kites do worship them and revere
Indeed with our heart and soul, for divinity is their surname.

SYMPATHY -THY EPONYM OF GREATNESS

Benevolence is indeed, truly divine, source or routes irrevelant
Its expressions never clamorous, sighs and signs all in grace,
Thrusting hands in sheer instinct, when a fall is so imminent,
An arm or a word in solace when the emotions set ablaze.

You may be a poor in rupees, yet riches aren’t measured in tolas,
After all sympathy expressed in any form exceeds above all riches,
Your ATMs will never show, the heart that beats for others’ solace.
When in distraught, just a smoothening smile is worth and priceless.

Watching the nature one gets worthy lessons on sympathy in plenty
Observe an ant injured under your excessive and unnoticed sway,
In no time a healthy ant caresses it, then trips now and then,
Minutes later it meets several healthy ones on the hurried way,

A swarm of ants is seen later shouldering and carrying the injured
Friends, you live only once, your friends, enemies and others too
Wear the golden glove of kindness, show it at the needy second
Shun the mask of hatred Sow sympathy in you, , harvest greatness

SENILITY THY NAME IS FRAILTY

This poem is dedicated for my 1970 MBBS BATCHMATES

All things aren’t big as it seems, nothing in this world is, big either,
Look at the moon, from your balcony, everyday it differs in shape,
We too are changing everyday, certain things aren’t noticed either,
Change is the rule of the nature, ageing one never willing to take

Youth and health like other things tiny to begin with, sans ambitions,
Adding wealth of knowledge, the mighty thought in retrospection,
Searched more wealth, losing health to gain these unstable emotions,
Forgetting health for wealth, we oft do in quest of ascendancy option.

We add habits which once sticks, gets stuck for ever, goes the saying ,
Remove a letter from habit, it will be there till the end of it and life
Aging is a big process, the word seems so tiny for any human being,
Goes unnoticed from second day of life till the end of your strife.

Where to begin, from the end of ossification or the onset of grey hair
For those who learnt this four decades ago , indeed a tall order query,
Giving little key in latin as a clue this bilateral bone, a strut to be fair,
Betwixt the humerus and sternum this bone, either side not a low key.

That was also the same time we left our medical school in total ecstasy,
From then on the graying process took over grudgingly from outwards,
Parting ways for an aspiring morrow, the better grays for a better assay,
The less fortunate’s had their jobs cut out for a decent pay standards.

Through work and study both started counting the grays within and out,
Years passed, the grey on the surface got painted for sustaining outlook,
Then the need for the reunion started, gaining momentum out and out,
Good thing that we all appear getting younger and energetic in face book.

It’s time of another reunion in the horizon, mostly all in seventh decade
Oh God! Fervently praying no loss of this group, their spouses, any more,
May be as a medical man ,a stupid request, we know it’s a wrong façade,
As the saying, if all pray for a noble cause, it’ll extend our group more.