Dog

My friend Joy, came up with a small poetry challenge for me. Here is what she asked me to do.

Write a piece about a stray dog, no rhyme and no more than three words in each line and the third line in each must only be one word. Like this:

Bla bla bla

Bla bla bla

Bla

So, here is my quick response to it. Just a few lines; there is nothing noteworthy about it, though. What made me happy is that she really liked it! So I thought I should make this blog post to express my gratitude to her. So here goes:

There he sits

Staring at me
Eagerly

A lonely dog
His watering tongue
Hungry

*  *  *

That's my master

Look at him

Fatty

He teases me

Savoring juicy steak

Animal!

The Lost Symbol

Having read The Da Vinci Code seven years ago, I thought I should pick up the next one in the series: The Lost Symbol. Many said and I also agree that the narration is very similar. The sequence of events is also similar. The portrayals of two characters: Inspector Sato and the madman-villain Malákh, are truly remarkable. The way Brown details the madness of Malákh is gruesome. Every time you read about him, it makes you real sick. The tummy starts rumbling and you begin to feel nausea. The rest is as usual - Robert Langdon always showing up in the right place and at the right moment.

I am not familiar with Masonic history or symbols associated with it. So my mind did not work when the symbols were decoded. I found it interesting to learn about Freemasonry and its relationship with prominent monuments of Washington DC. The one idea I found really intriguing is the mystery surrounding Ancient Wisdom, where Brown connects most of the religions by giving references to each one of them in their respective works of art. I have to admire his dedication towards the study of holy books of different religions, art and architecture across the world, and also on modern science and technology, which laid the foundation of this novel.

The book is very entertaining and a gripping read. There is a thrilling twist in the climax. But the ending of the story is a big letdown. It lets you think: Why did all the fuss start when there was nothing? The loose ends also don't connect well. I felt the same thing when I read The Da Vinci Code, but that was conceivable to some extent. This one ended as a complete disappointment for me!

What is poetry for me?

I have read few poems in some online magazines of today. And I am not totally disappointed to observe that my poems are not a good fit for those magazines. Mainly because my poems rhyme while most editors prefer free verses. They want to know how far a poet can go on playing with the language; using singular words in the verses which I find difficult to understand. Often I end up using a dictionary to get the meanings of the words and thereby losing the context of the poem itself. Having said that, I don't mean any disrespect for poets who compose free verses. I have written few verses myself; but without any words which you need a dictionary.

To me, a poem should be a tiny story, a small journey taking you through subtle time and space, and it should make you sing along (rhyme). The way the poem flows, is also very important; every stanza is a small leap forward. I believe the poem will have the same intensity if the idea is good. So the words I use are very simple. A good idea is the one that provokes a reader's mind; it should shoot a bullet right through his brains and make his heart throb. Then no matter what the level of vocabulary is, I am confident that my work is good. I am aware that not all of my poems are good, but I have small list of poems which I believe are my best. I know I sound conventional or old fashioned to some, but hey, that's the way I like it.