The Poet’s Ruse

As masks go down I see Two-faced masters Tell you, Good dog Go! Fetch the ball Come here, sit, Come on! Take a seat It's your last and final call Come, grab your treat Once bruised, a neck Almost healed, Collar mark concealed What the heck! There's no leash, no more, Not even remote All day you scratch, piss, snore, And play Sometimes, you moonlight In broad daylight Barking dogs seldom bite, In a dogfight Having forgotten the trade, you trick You've gone stray, In the bargain You ain't listen, Come what may The masters now feelin' the prick First, they threaten, Then they bribe, then they pray But, hey... Batman returns Superman returns Jedi returns Jesus returns Postman returns Laundryman returns Kabuliwala returns Sinbad returns Nobody else returns. /* WFH is what they want. WTH is what they get. */ Written by: Rupesh Mandal Hashtags: #Corporate #WFH #ReturntoWork #RemoteWorking #Covid

Over the counter Waiting For my turn A tickle Tops my nose On a slow burn My eyes meet Hers, up-close My finger Swipes my nose Catching her Mirror me On the same beat Mimicking me… You are, are you? Did I enter the secret Door code; a cue? Temme… hey! A sheepish smile Was her only say I get my gate pass It was time, alas To go Oh, damn! How lame All I could ask, Was her name… #missedopportunity #human #connection

Hey, hello... hi While sipping chai A thought seeps in, my-my AI's the new samurai The new high A, and I The parade behind stirs a cry Ew! OUch! Why leave us dry Before bidding bye-bye Let me tell you with a sigh These words are mine, aye-aye Not written by AI. /*The rise of AI has left behind a hue and cry, amongst humans and vowels alike.*/ Credits: Written by Rupesh Mandal. Performed by AI voice of Eminem on Uberduck. Rap Beats by 'Behind Barz'. 👊🤘 Hashtags: #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AIArt #AIMusic

There is a child in all of us. The true us. We need To get in touch with. Reimagine. A new world. Together. Reimagine opportunities. Reimagine possibilities. Reimagine true change. Reimagine childlike. Tags: #HappyChildrensDay #Imagine #Childlike #ChildrensDay

Some people like to think they are entitled without having done nothing their entire lives. This is someone I know. A fool.

A lament of the times. #India.

Dedicated to BoJo. Prime minister of Great Britain. Last seen on a bulldozer in India.

India is in the throes of fascism. Violent, state-sponsored thuggery and hate; the order of the day. Free speech and dissent are brutally curtailed. The poets are chained. The people voiceless. The great nation bereft of a happy hum.

A deep desire to start afresh, gain understanding, focus on self improvement, be caring, helpful, selfless and tolerant and, give something back to the world.

NPAs keep piling up but Indian Govt. is obsessed with NPR and NRC. If implemented, we'd be asked to put papers to prove citizenship. Instead, I put my pen to paper.

An encounter left the nation divided. Truth walks on no man's land. I rest my case.

Hope is the last thing ever lost. Profound.

An ode to embracing your inner child.

All I wanted was to be in her good books. Today, she is a lost bookmark in my life.

All we seek is permanence in impermanence.

Take a chair. Listen. Now stand up and offer a two-minute silence for our democracy. Indian Politics is nothing less than a Musical Chair.

In the wake of the Me Too movement, giving a voice to women against consumerism, advertising objectifying women, eve-teasing, sexual harassment, workplace harassment, gender pay gap, gender inequality, domestic violence, cultural suppression of female sexuality, power dynamics in the bedroom and ending with new product ideas for humanity.

A bird who flew away would come back home, someday. A flight of thought on brain drain, H-1B visa denials and more.

India isn’t the same anymore. We need to find our voice.

You think before you speak. You think before you act. But are they the same?

They say, only the 'truest of friends' and 'fiercest of enemies' come to Leh. Back in 2013, I spent a month in Ladakh to volunteer at a remote monastery teaching the little monks.

When it gets excruciatingly slow...

No pain, no gain.

God has gone to the dogs. Man has taken him there. Religion is a pet peeve of mine. Some stray thoughts.

Neither by hook or by crook; I went by the book. She didn’t get it.

A good relationship is like sitting by a campfire. Neither too close, nor too far away.

A shoe bite hurts more than a heartbreak.

Love makes my world go round. Enter with an open heart and eyes closed.

When the longings are few and far between the belongings.

You always have a choice; you always do. What you do is up to you.

To be choked till death. #DelhiPollution

Rx Slowdown

Love thy neighbour. If he or she can keep his or her nose to himself or herself.

Don’t get sucked into indecision. Find something else to suck on.

We’ve all come a long way. We are on our way.

The end is actually the beginning.

Life is beautiful when we focus on the rainbow. Everyday. Every waking minute. But human life is miserable with all its temptations and vagaries. I guess we should go through it, feel it and find rescue.

When the sun rises, the only one left to deal with you is you.

I have come to know Rupesh Mandal, a digital nomad, as someone who has scoured the ends of the internet (and a little bit of the earth). One fine day, many years ago, he left me with a delightful paradox of existence. And his restlessness to find meaning.

India has been going through a lot lately. Amongst others, the diabolical NRC is a case in point. Leading to utter despondency and, in some cases, even suicides.

We live once, we live by time.

It’s 5 years since Dad passed away, it’s never been the same.