Tuesday, March 27, 2012

He's Back!

 Image1: All smiles now

 Image2: The Classic Finish

 Image3: The Tiger punch in the air upon victory

Image4: The Champ at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, March 25,2012
Picture Credit: Courtesy of Google images

He drew first blood again at Bay Hill
After 923 days or a 30 month drought
Not a biggie, not a major but it was a big show of skills
‘certainly feels really good’ in his own words

There was a scare at Doral
Tightness of his Achillies heels
Forced a midway withdrawal
But the Arnold Palmer Invitational he won!
And that all 4 rounds were under par
Not since the 2010 Masters this happened

Now the 2012 Masters beckons
Just 2 weeks away, April 05, Augusta is bidding
His first major to add to the 14 majors he had secured
Just 4 short of Jack Nicklaus’ record

The near term is looking good
Endorsements galore in the offing
Eat your hearts out Accenture, Tag Heur & Pepsi
A commercial gem once more
Is open for business

For d'Verse OpenLinkNight week#37 and Poets United: The Poetry Pantry

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sentimental Me

                                                                             Image: Duane Michals
Picture Credit: Courtesy of Tess' Magpie

I cannot have you
I cannot touch you
The most I can see
Are two reflections
How cruel fate can be
Can I be set free?

I can see you in my reflections
I can see you in my dreams
I can see you everywhere
But my choices are limited
My yearnings are beyond reach
My emotions are beyond reasons
My wants are beyond redemption
I’m vulnerable

Help!
Save me!
Sentimental me.

Submitted for Willow's Magpie#110

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Endurance

The conquerors of Everest - Sir Edmund Hillary (left) and Sherpa Tenzing
Image: Courtesy of Google images

Note: The feat was accomplished on May 29, 1953, a fitting coronation present to Her Majesty the Queen of England who was crowned on June 02, 1953

A punishing pace
Battles on sweating it out
Like Pheidippides

Marathon runners
That endurance is foremost
Pulling on taut veins

Sweating profusely
Glistening pearls in the sun
Grunting and panting

Because it was there
The Hilary Tenzing duo
The pull of challenge

Acclaimed as heroes
A fitting endurance feat
Coronation joy

Submitted to Haiku Heights #112 - Endurance

Friday, March 23, 2012

A Limerick



Image: Courtesy of d'Verse

I like to write verse and create
I like to tempt luck and obviate
A humdrum
Of a likely fun
Just to provoke and tease fate


Submitted for d'Verse FormForAll - Limerick

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

KidZania

The KidZania is in town! It opened recently at the Curve. An indoor family edu-tainment centre, it provided entertainment of real life situations in a make believe world. It is fun as the kids get to do activities like adults. Upon paying the entrance fee (of an USD 17 equivalent) each kid would be given a cheque for 50 KidZos.

They would then go to the bank to open an a/c, and got issued with an ATM card. It was a taste of the grown up world in a ‘city’ built for kids. The kids could pick from nearly 90 activities while in the ‘city’ They earned KidZos currency while performing the tasks, and the money was kept in the KidZania bank for them to spend at the gift shop and on non-free KidZania activities. (Wiki)

 First opened in Mexico in 1999, it is now available at 9 locations in 7 countries around the world.

KidZania, Oh boy!
What real fun being adults
We are big boys now!
(A haiku for the occasion)

During the recent school holidays, Norman and Kimie (read: grandchildren) got the fun of their life when we brought them to experience what KidZania was all about. Since the attraction had just been opened there was a bit of a crowd. Queuing up took a lot of time and they could only 'play' a few of them.

Image:1  Kimie (on the left) and Norman got their first taste of the KidZania phenomena. Here they were at the computer at the CSI working out on their case

 Image:2 Those who got to play the CSI role lining up for instructions
Image:3 At the CIMB Bank, Norman (foreground) and Kimie (in the background) to open their bank a/cs. This was one of the first acts to do upon arrival.

 Image:4 At the Marrybrown Fast Food outlet making their own burgers

Image:5 A snapshot to remember their first visit with the KidZania sculpture in the background. Certainly this would not be their last visit. They had seen it and liked it and wanting a second visit, so they said!

More on the KidZania at Wiki's!

Submitted to d'Verse OpenLinkNights week #36

Sunday, March 18, 2012

A Handler

                                                    Image by by Robert & Shana ParkeHarrison


Picture Credit: Courtesy of Tess' Magpie

Get on with it man, do your job
Bring out the big wrench
Hurry with it man you are no flop
You’ve shown your good sense
You’ve been at it for a long while
No muddle no fumble
You’ve been good with your guiles
And don’t stumble, What?
The cog and wheels’ on the ground
Who could have done that!
Those with no qualms
With whom did you last  have a spat
Got to be aware
And be prepared
Rivals can be nasty
They play dirty
Your efforts in tatters
Make matters worst

Ok, not to even things
Act nice and prim
Always seek and procure
Providence is an equalizer

Submitted for Tess' Magpie#109 

Having the Blues

Listless and tired
Lost and groping in the dark
In the wilderness

Not coming your way
Devoid of a direction
In a dreamlike stance

Like clouds in the sky
Figurines of many hues
Drifting and timeless

Am having the blues
Semblance of a soulless being
Renders one helpless

Rise, search your conscience
Tranquil and serene yonder
Ask and be informed

Submitted to Haiku Heights # 111 with prompt - Blue

Friday, March 16, 2012

A Jam

Photo Credit: Courtesy of an RF (Royalty free) Google image

Sitting there upright, not moving
The seat was damp, warm and tender
But it was not how I felt, far from it
What had it been, a better part of the hour
My limbs were tired with anger and frustrations
The blaring had ceased
For a time the din was unbearable
Staccato blasts of different musical tones
Disturbing to the normal smug of dust and dirt
The mid afternoon on a clear weekend
When designs of comfort and quiet
Playing in the yearnings of wants
Of the security and warmth of family
Typical of urban living
From a 15 minute visit to the Mall
Where we were and now this!
Longing to be home
Where we would have been
Yes, I should be home
If not for this irritant
To be in this predicament
In the evil pincers of a traffic standstill
To test the patience
You couldn’t win them all
Just a slight indiscretion, knicked at the side
But oblivious to the cold stares
Two angry souls ready to even the scores
Out there arguing next to coming to blows
A cheeky few from vantage positions
Cell phone at the ready gleefully in anticipation
Should go viral on YouTube
An insignificant accident and it caused the jam!

This happened following a slight accident but it caused a standstill as the the road at that point was narrow. The situation could have been saved if both the drivers had taken their disagreement further down the road where there was some space on the kerbside. The traffic flow would not have been blocked had they done that.

 Submitted for d'Verse Filling in the Gaps

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Limericks 10


Submitted to  Madeleine Begun Kane's Humor Blog who provided the first line and we were to continue..

kaykuala says:
March 4, 2012 at 7:32 am
A man who was partial to gin
Wouldn’t change but just grinned
What do I care
This is my fare
No one’s bother of how I’ve sinned

kaykuala says:
February 2, 2012 at 10:24 am
A fellow was trying to lead
A gang wrought with misdeeds
Tried his best
In his quest
But realized he’s ill equipped

kaykuala says:
December 11, 2011 at 7:30 pm
A man who was terribly high                                     
Often got very randy on the sly
Stalked his conquests
But at his own behest
He got more than just a black eye

Submitted to d'Verse OpenLinkNight week#35


Monday, March 12, 2012

Longings

                                                             Image: Uzengia Aleksander Nedic
Picture Credit: Courtesy of Tess' Magpie

Rue to the one who thinks
there is light at the end
What apparition, playing tricks
my being is being put to test
My eyes are seeing things
There is someone, is there?
Ruefully..
Check !

A special one beckoning in the distance
An uncanny resemblance
I can make out
Looks like…yes, it is her!
My, how she had transformed
Sultry in the shadows
My wanderlust is over
Squinting in the dark
I ask, is it for real?
Stagnant in thoughts
Check again!

Undaunted I surged  forward
I called out her name
I waited….

There was no response
Just the cool of the night
There was nothingness
My stomach squirmed
My head was  spinning
My mind numbed
I yearned  for her
I reached  out
Nothing!

My senses malfunctioned
In the dark I was alone
I cowered in solitude
Lost in thoughts…
She had been long gone
Reality is not easy to accept
But dreams linger on...

Ruefully…
A quiet prayer….solace in silence!
There’ll be someone…

Inspired by Tess' Magpie #108

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Childhood

Childhood innocence
Picture of exuberance
Never to repeat

Wants unlimited
Centered  around home and love
A great time of life

Pandemonium
And be readily forewarned
Boisterous and loud

Trespass into teens
Fun and laughter love beckons
Is fast and fleeting

Mirrored in sweetness
In a flutter, adulthood
A new nest begins

Submitted for Haiku Heights #110 - Childhood

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Wickedly Blessed


The wayward painted wickedly with his mind
Evident in the nature of weird stiff forms
He wandered off  in shadows of designs

The wayward painted wickedly with his mind
Pitching its right in the wealth of creation
Emblazoned hues of kaleidoscopic  abundance

The wayward painted wickedly with his mind
Evident in the nature of weird stiff forms 

Submitted for d'Verse FormForAll - Triolet 

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Grossly or Grotesquely


 Image1:  The young papaya tree a few months old (pic taken on Mar 15, 2011,about 1 yr ago)

 Image2: A well developed fruit on the left. A deformed fruit in the foreground (pic taken on Dec 12, 2011)

 Image:3 A matured tree with fruits ( pic taken on Feb 26, 2012)

 Image4: The fruits are menacingly elongated. The deformed fruit was discarded ( pic taken on Feb 26, 2012)
 Image5: The harvested fruit measuring 14inches / 36cm (pic taken on Feb 26, 2012)

Image6: The succulent fruit freshly cut at the dining table (pic taken on Mar 01, 2012)

It had all started many months ago
Fate had played its hand,
That I was at the local farmer’s market
Spied a papaya seedling in a basket
Among many it held its own
It appeared somewhat taller than most
Why this was so I asked the vendor
 ‘ A special breed’,  he could only utter
If it can be so special, it’ll be a treat
So I bought it anyway

In the backyard to fend for itself, alone
Against vagaries of the weather
I did follow what the vendor had said
Doses of organic fertilizers to be made
Not too much, not too little
To be done at regular intervals
The first flowers appeared for a spell
Some remained, others fell
Tiny fruits emerged in sequence
Dainty little, making their presence

What do you know!
Progressed development slowly but surely
Turned out to be a ‘special’ eventually
Grossly or grotesquely elongated
Neither? But it was extra  long  by normal standards
Plainly excited, or rather  flabbergasted! 
Two weeks ago the first fruit was harvested
Decision made as it showed spot s of redness
There were also 2 squirrels seen in readiness
Gallivanting, running up the trunk
Every so often
Eying my prized possession
I decided it was time
To pluck it for good measure
At  14 inches or 36 cm it was a treasure
And it tipped the scales at 2.5 kilos
It would be kept for a few days well packed
To allow ripening to take full effect
It may not win an award
But the succulent richness, a just reward!

Submitted to d'Verse OpenLinkNight Week #34

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

I'm At Odds

Note: I choose to re-post this oldie from my other blog, 'birdhouse'. This was inspired by prompt no. 29 for 2010, of Writer's Island -  Quandry

Saturday, November 13, 2010
Image: Courtesy of Google images

I’m in a Quandry

He swore he was not going to lose sleep over it,
After all, it was such a trivial matter
He didn’t expect it could come to this
Others had been guilty of far worst
Couldn’t  we just let bygones be bygones?
To ere is human and to forgive is divine
Let us trace how it began
It happened innocently enough
She bumped into her
Whom she hadn’t seen the likes since they went separate ways
Dictated by her father’s transfer
The vagaries of the job of a law officer
Ever changing house,
ever on the move
What was it, 10 yrs ago?
Yes it was that long.
That was when she was abandoned
She was a bother then
Now she came back into her life
It’s not going to be easy for me
It’s going to cause strife
There’s now someone
Vying for her affections
So demure, so loving so warm
How she had missed her , her favourite
Longingly looking at her
With dreamy eyes so sincere
If we hadn’t turn into that corner
We may not have met her
Now there she was
It had been a long time
She couldn’t resist
It was not going to happen again, not ever
She could not pass this over
I gave in

She went nearer , looked in her eyes
She swore this was it
The moment of reckoning
The one she had missed
Beautiful , tender and warm
We paid for it,
we brought home
A Siamese cat
for a pet!

Submitted for Poetry Pantry #90

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Eyes Can Kill

                                                                      Image: Sarolta Ban
Image: Courtesy of Tess' Magpie

The look in your eyes
Young lass you are at high risk
Piercing eyes can kill

Right in the middle
Surveying the horizon
Through a middle road

Worry not but strength
Pitting your sensuality
Mind the weaker sex

Haiku inspired by Magpie #107

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Life's Directions


                                                                           Walter Smith's Abstract 02
Image:1 Courtesy of dVerse as hosted by Sheila


Note: Toyed around with my dashboard with intention of not having word verification forthwith. Is it still there? Thanks for feedback.

Perfection at its best
Spherical in nature
Can never go wrong
Commence at one point
Anywhere on its surface
Gets one to the other side
To meet at its beginning  again

Life tests along the same lines
But life presents alternatives
As it allows change of directions
That enriches life’s experiences
Commencing from one point
But with planned alternatives
Brings joy if taken in many directions
One meets life’s challenges
Attaining success and recognition
But not always
Only the sphere is perfect
Human failings, greed, dishonesty
Amongst others ensured the downfall
Sadly of good intentions
Of muddled priorities

Inspired by d'Verse - Poetics Awareness of Experience

Thursday, March 1, 2012

IT'S WHAT YOU SCATTER

Image1: The corner store grocer
(Picture Credit: RF Royalty Free image from Google Images)


SO TRUE AND SWEET.......... IT'S WHAT YOU SCATTER

Note: A Very good friend of mine Mr Hal sent this little story through to my email. I couldn't pass this off just for myself. You may have received  one in the mail from time to time but this really moved me. I thought I'll share this with everyone. I don't know the source but does it matter? Please  read on!

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes... I
noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean,
hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas.

I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh
green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.

Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation
between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

'Hello Barry, how are you today?'

'H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure
look good..'

'They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?'

‘Fine. Gittin’ stronger alla’ time.’

'Good. Anything I can help you with?'

'No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas.'

'Would you like to take some home?' asked Mr. Miller.
 'No, Sir.. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.'
 'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?'
 'All I got's my prize marble here.'

'Is that right? Let me see it', said Miller.

'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'

'I can see that. Hmm mmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of
go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner
asked.

'Not zackley but almost.'
 'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip
this way let me look at that red marble'. Mr. Miller told the boy.
 'Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller.'

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With
a smile she said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community,
all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain
with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever..

When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he
decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a
bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on
their next trip to the store.'

I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short
time later I moved to Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this
man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.

Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just
recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho
community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They
were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted
to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we
fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer
whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform
and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white
shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller,
standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket.

Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke
briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes
followed them as, one by one; each young man stopped briefly and
placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each
left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes..

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded
her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me
about her husband's bartering for marbles.. With her eyes glistening,
she took my hand and led me to the casket.

'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you
about.They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded'
them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or
size.... they came to pay their debt.'

'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she
confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man
in Idaho..'

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased
husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.

The Moral:
We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is
not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our
breath away.