I Used to Know a Boy

I used to know a boy,

His name was D.

His favourite pastime,

Was to make fun of me.

I used to know a boy,

His name was D.

Thin as a stick,

Tall as tall can be.

He used to be funny,

He used to be smart;

We became great friends,

Right from the start.

I used to know a boy,

He was my confidante.

But then one day,

He broke my trust.

I used to know a boy,

I thought we were best friends,

We used to share everything,

 Even our deepest secrets.

But things went wrong,

And he abandoned me.

My deepest darkest secrets,

He lay bare for all to see.

I couldn’t forgive him this,

I couldn’t let it go.

He said he was sorry;

But I wasn’t sure.

Then I had two options,

To give him a second chance;

Or ask him to be on his way,

Without a backward glance.

But friendship is strange that way,

It’s not easy to let go;

They say a tear can never mend,

But breaking up is a bigger blow.

So  I let it go,

And we were pals again;

And since that day he’s never

Given me a chance to complain.

So I guess what I’m saying,

Is to give up the strong stance;

To trust somebody once again,

To give friendship a second chance.

DARK AND STORMY NIGHT RELOADED

It was a dark and stormy night...

No, it wasn’t; I just wanted to get your attention, alright?

Besides, I didn’t want you to be mad,

And get slapped with suits of copyright.

So, it was a bright sunny day,

When I met two young men.

I didn’t add a rhyme there;

Figured they might for it not care.

Two young men in some ways alike,

Their characters to me as funny did strike.

They had a way with words;

They swore and they cursed.

They called each other names,

But mutual admiration they shared.

A poor outsider like me, couldn’t be

One of them even if I dared.

One named the other a looker,

The other called the former a…

Both loved weird cinema;

Watching them discuss it was an operatic drama.

Poor little me

Was stuck in their company.

One was blatant in his mockery, while the other’s

Subtle sarcasm made me want to flee.

But it was late at night

And I couldn’t go home,

So I stayed on,

And held my own.

One a joker,

The other a philosopher;

Amidst them me,

A novice drinker.

They wanted to get me drunk;

Buying me drinks one by one.

But alas, their evil plans did not succeed,

I was high; not dumb.

Then the stormy night

Turned into day.

(I lied; when I met them,

Sunlight indeed was away.)

The night had been interesting;

During its course we discussed,

Issues of movies, women,

Politics and trust.

As day emerged from the night’s loop,

One’s eyelids did begin to droop.

The other still trilled on like a flute;

He was excited about his shoot.

The first time I met them by the river;

This time, I said goodbye on the street.

Both times dusk gave way to dawn,

And I went home, stifling a yawn.

Yes, so hang me, it's in defense of Sachin!

A friend suggested I read this post, not without good prior warning. The warning: not something you will like, but check it. So check it, I did. What was the post about? It was pretty much a question mark about Sachin Tendulkar's greatness. Yes, the author does say, "This isn't a criticism. Though it probably should be. This is more like a plea," but the question that he raises remains the same. Why did Sachin fail us at Lord's?

Now, yes, I am a self-confessed psycho Tendulkar fan who doesn't understand how or even why anybody can have anything against this man. But that aside, I can read a negative post about him (after much hemming and hawing) if it is constructively written. This one, though, I believe isn't constructive at all. It mentions that Sachin has the ability to block out everything else and concentrate on his game. A commendable quality indeed, the author agrees. But, he argues, Sachin should have taken the energy at Lord's and allowed himself to be driven by that energy to play better than he did. So does that mean, in effect, that the author wants the God to give up his perfection to garner the energy at Lord’s? Give in this once, to achieve what the author might think is a more desirable result, just to give in every time? And had he done so, who’s to guarantee it would have helped?

Yes, Lara won the Windies that game against Australia, but hasn’t Tendulkar not stuck around irrespective of his personal health to provide support to a side? One may argue about the validity of this claim, but I am certain if asked, a lot of the Indian players will agree that having Tendulkar stand opposite them provides a sense of reassurance unlike any other. Is that any less of an achievement that Lara’s? Lara won them that one match. Again, I do not mean to detract from Lara's achievements. He's one of my favourites too. But Tendulkar won us countless by just ‘being there’. Just let it be known that the man got a century in the first innings at Lord's while suffering from a fever, and I rest my case.

Again, I have nothing (other than complete dumbfoundedness, if it’s a word) against those who are opposed to Sachin. And this author seems not to be one of those men. Pray why, then, this post? You are looking for one Tendulkar moment of glory at Lord’s, I just look forward to the moment when it comes, no matter where.

TIME MENDS

It starts with 'hi',

Moving on to a joke;

Before you know it,

You're a gone bloke.

The friendship deepens,

The ties grow strong,

You feel like you have

A shoulder to cry on.

And even though that's true,

You're misreading it my dear,

For of breaking their heart,

You should have no fear.

For they never loved you,

At least not in the way you thought,

And now you're just someone

With their nerves fraught.

But that doesn't really matter,

For you're still a friend,

And every other sorrow,

Time will mend.