Saturday, February 14, 2015

A Basketful of Plums

What Ho!
Here's my tribute to The Master, which was a few days in the making. I might be able to improve it a bit if I work on it a bit, but then, I might not. So I'll let it be. It is not a romantic poem or any stuff like that. It is just an idea which came to me when I went to my friendly book shop and found an unexpected treasure. I let the idea germinate.
I started off by putting down a few words, then I assembled them into small groups, the I tried to make the whole thing sound good. There was a bit of humming and hawing and tweaking and chopping and, in the end, I said enuff! I shall now post.
I am a great disciple of The Master and simply love, among other things, his style of writing.
I hope you like my effort. Thank you.

A BASKETFUL OF PLUMS
Holiday morning, lovely day
To the bookshop, I’m on my way
The bookman called and said “come, quick,
Come a-running and take your pick.
A bunch of ol’ books have arrove,
A big crateload, a treasure trove.”
I wade in, my wish list in hand
Books all over, I can’t see land.
Dark grim tales to the left of me,
Sob stories to the right of me;
Pah! Bah! And Tchah! Far away be,
I want books which guffaw make me.
Melodrama, romance, forsooth!
Stuff, no sense in the bitter truth.
Yes, ribbing prose, tickling poetry,
But no science nor geometry.
Clarence, Freddie, Threepwood clan
Sir Galahad, the Pelican
Empress, Baxter, the angry swan;
Plum makes you chortle, that’s his plan.
Psmith the name with the silent P,
Sometimes dotty, always natty!
Ukridge the get-rich-quick schemer,
Out, looking for his redeemer.
Anatole, chef extraordinaire,
He cooks up a superb French fare;
But when he expresses his ire,
His English is simply hilare!
Come and meet Mr. Mulliner,
Angler’s Rest’s own story teller.
Or, the golf club’s Oldest Member,
Who many tales does remember!
Roderick Spode, Sam the Sudden,
Uncle Fred, Pongo Twistleton!
Sally, Gussie, Bingo, Catsmeat,
On my bookshelf you all I’ll greet!
Ah! There I spy a Bertie tale
With his antics he does regale.
By himself he’ll be in a bind
Thankfully, Jeeves isn’t far behind.
Wodehouse Omnibus, just you wait
Till I pick you up from that crate!
Plum’s the word for the humour stuff
Reading once is just not enuff!
A holiday morning well spent
Time flew, so fast, it came and went!
Now to curl up in the arm chair
Read away, come up only for air!

© Shiva Kumar 2015

Friday, February 13, 2015

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Brahma Kamalam!

 Cereus! Brahma Kamalam!
Its botanical name is Selencereus grandiflorus (or is it Epiphyllum oxypetallum? Or Saussurea obvallata?) We in India know it by its Indian name of Brahma Kamalam. It is commonly known as Night Blooming Cereus.
Last year, on 13th June to be exact, the Brahma Kamalam bloomed late in the night and we were treated to a rare sight which lasted for just a few hours. After that, the blooms closed up. Soon, the plant went back to being an ordinary, anonymous, cactus-type pot dweller.
The plant was taken care of along with its other potted neighbours and watered every day. It remained in anonymity.
Last night, close to midnight, this once-a-year night bloomer chose to open up and give us a repeat performance. Fourteen days short of one Gregorian calendar year.
The plant is of the cactus variety, with narrow, elongated leaves. The blooms are large and pearly white in colour and their stalks grow out from the leaves. The flower starts to bloom late in the night. When in bloom, the flower gives off a heady aroma.
There were four of them and all bloomed at the same time. It took about 3 hours for each bloom to open up fully and the flower was a sight to behold. Their fragrance filled the air. This spectacle lasted for just an hour or so before the petals started to close up. By morning, the petals were fully closed and the flowers were drooping as if they had never opened!
Au revoir! Until next year!