Hear me, the race and posterity

Of Ilus the Great,

There comes a point when

Just war becomes genocide

And self-defence gives way to

Invasion and occupation.

They, the ensembled warring Achaeans,

Led by Agamemnon and his brother,

Menelaus of Sparta, the indignant husband,

Claim the reason for their

Current violent presence is to

Retrieve the beautiful queen Helen —

As if the apple of discord

Thrown by the goddess Eris —

And to teach my loafer brother,

Prince Alexandros, a lesson,

Although I suspect it is wicked Hera

And envious Athena who stirred the pot

Of war and wove…

Here you go, I give you a tiny

Slice of my life — sweet and sour,

Frosted with spicy savours,

Layered by the flavours of

Opioid and the texture

Of Bitter gourds.

I have observed the events of

My life keenly and chronicled

Them in my diary:

Like, that thin film of light

Shining annoyingly through

The gap between a

Set of lazily drawn curtains;

That particle of dust sneaking

Inside my eyes, or the

Falling eye-lashes

Creating the same effect

As the former.

My hiding like a bumblebee

Inside a flower’s soft walls,

And suddenly fleeing,

In the trembling…

I assume nature likes disproportion
For it has created huge animals
With tiny brains like those
Of rhinos and elephants.
And has created gigantic trees
Like ferns and firs with tiny leaves.
Conversely, it has crafted small animals
Like humans and rats with big brains.
And has crafted seven feet tall
Men and women, and little ones too,
Even dwarfs.
Similarly, it has made a few human beings
With all the faculties except
Humanity, love, compassion,
Understanding and consideration.
Some of these people are big as bears
(Like the Trumps).
But their heart is full of tiny
Poisonous leaves like the hemlock tree.
And if asked for any
Favors, they will shake
Their heads…

It has been said that

Measured calculations, and fastidious

It has been said that

Culture eats strategy

For breakfast.

Nowhere is that truer

Than on the battlefield

And in nation-building,

For the fog of war

And the tricks of politics

Disorients the most

Disciplined and fools

The most cunning.

It’s culture,

The slowly ingrained

Habits formed

In the household, among

Siblings and pets and families;

In schools, among friends and teachers

And administrators;

On the playground, with coaches

And cheerleaders and teammates;

In the prayer hall, with deities and

Priests and devotees;

In the market, while bargaining with

Sellers and…