Learn to Say
Language is not inadequate,
you and I are am.
Have you heard elephants trumpet?
Or lions roar, in the wild?
Have you heard the jackdaw caw,
Do they not unequivocally make their point?
It is when we embellish
a cheap plastic suitcase
with genuine leather trimming
that we inevitably flounder
and clutch at erudition
borrow wisdom from slippery fools.
Listen to the tree,
you will hear it breathe.
Stare up at the crescent moon,
you will see the black orb.
Listen to the silence of the gecko
when it hunts the buzzing giant fly.
Listen to an army march,
all clash and din,
a military band to hide fear,
a bugle at the last post.
Listen to Beethoven,
language will help you then.
Neighbor
He is mentally challenged,
his dog is not.
They are a familiar pair.
Shopkeepers help,
some cruel ones laugh.
He insists on shaking hands
and enquiring about my general health.
He knows my answer, ‘I’m good,
and you?’
He nods and smiles,
his eyes light up,
I suspect he is playing games
with this mentally challenged world.
Ashok Niyogi
bravenet.com