Scent

What hit us before anything else was the sweet perfume of the house, as though it had become a war ground  for a bunch of deodorants.
"What the....oh..." Detective Duke stopped.
Inside there were candles. Everywhere. On the shelves, in the fridge, around the tub, on the ceiling. Everywhere. They were of every color, shape, and size possible.
Each candle also had it's own perfume, but put together, there existed a sickly, flowery smell that made the nose go numb.
"She had...." I started.
"A smelling addiction. To candles. I get it. Your murdered employer lived with candles, and died because of one. A poisoned one. What a life." Detective Massie said with a mixture of awe and distaste.
"Yes," I sighed.
"Who gave her that accursed candle?" Duke asked.
"She had admirers as well as haters. Some say it was Mr. Crenshaw. I-I don't know, really. I wish I did though." I said slowly, suddenly feeling exhausted. Tears pricked my eyes.
Duke looked at me oddly and opened his mouth to say something, when Massie cut him across.
"Give her a break, Duke. Poor thing, she was just a loving caretaker, and ever since the murder she's gone through so much."
A little fiercely, and much more quietly, she added, "Honestly, if it had been her, she would've been caught already! She's already been questioned God-knows-how-many-times!"
To me, she turned and nodded, "Thanks so much."
                                 They left in a hurry

*                                                                         *                                                             *

It was a clear night, and I was in the balcony away from the scents, though I knew I'd go back in soon enough. What most people didn't know was that, just like my employer, I too had a sniffing addiction.
Of course, it was her who got all the candles, love, admiration. I was just the servant, poorly treated.
'Make me a sandwich dearie, and you might get another candle!' she'd say. How I used to fall for that. Used to.
Hey, I couldn't help it.
She had had a life that anyone would have killed to have.
So that's exactly what I did.

How to make it big

There's a lot that we can learn,
From the life of Mr. Kumbhakarn,
Who never did anything at once,
Any action took months and months.
Half the year for food, the rest for slumber,
His BMI would have been a rather high number!
The big 'little' brother of Mr. Ravan,
I can only guess the kinda life he was havin'
Grandma says he was kinda smart,
A huge body with a rather large heart.
He asked Lord Ravan to compromise,
"Leave Sita alone", he would advice,
This proves that Kumbha was very nice!
But what to do? He had a rakshasa bro,
Ravan was mad, waged war, and so,
Kumbha HAD to participate,
And he too caused destruction great!
For though he had much weight to lose,
He put his mass to quite good use,
He had a rather...peculiar niche,
Many a soldiers he could squish!
He ate like a hog, slept like a sloth,
His attire was made of miles of cloth,
Didn't work out, wasn't the sharpest knife,
Yet he turned out 'larger-than-life'!

"Sigh"ence....

Not a love, a passion, a friendship, a bond,

Not even the weakest alliance,

It’s something of which I’m really not fond,

That treacherous subject of Science.

And someone must have been kidding themselves,

When they split science thrice,

However, a thought of ridding themselves,

Would have been rather nice.

Now I have Physics, and Bio and Chem,

Three’s an unlucky number,

I’m telling you I’ll get nowhere with them,

They just make me feel a lot dumber.

Physics. Oh, Physics! Yes, Physics, is the source,

It makes the simple so hard,

Take the example of motion and force,

Topics I want to discard.

And Chem’s not a subject that I want around,

It beats my brain to batter,

With so many elements and compounds,

And the 40 page chapters on matter.

Xylem and Phloem and Chlorophyll,

Really irritating, that Bio,

It makes me green, it makes me ill,

And want to moan “aiyy-aiyyo”.

You might think you know it well,

But then you start with “Tissues”,

That chapter, along with the “Cell”,

Will help you see the issues.

My pals hope to be doctors, engineers,

Types of scientists,

But, I cannot imagine my career,

With Science being a part of it.

If I could understand my science notes,

Well then, that would be fab!!

I could see myself, in a white coat,

Working in a lab.

Finally, I’ve had my time to vent,

Uh-oh! Papa’s come in for a look!!

And before it’s this poem that I resent,

I should get back to my books.

Mad World (Topic of Poetry Competition in SKCH - CBSE Literary Fest (senior)) 2013-14

I think we ought to be glad,
That we live in this world so mad.
Since we all have our weird tastes,
Craziness ain't out of place!
It's been induced in our DNA,
That's all I really have to say.
And I say this with a tone quite formal,
At heart, EVERYONE is abnormal!
For when they're in their comfort zone,
Acts up the craziness chromosome!
They'll start to do the weirdest things,
They'll act like monkeys, dance and sing!
And we must not exempt adults,
From our little crazy cult!
Just look at my family...oh, God!
There's never been a group as odd!
But that's what makes us all unique!
We all have our own flavor of freak!
And animals, we must not forget,
They've got their crazy standards set!
Pigeons turn round and round,
Pretty peacocks make ugly sounds.
Little monkeys cling to their mummies,
Some herbivores have four tummies!
In anemones, the mouth and butt are same,
The okapi has a funny name.
There's a deer which looks like a dog,
Or is it the other way around?
And apparently a four-tusked hog,
Is said to have been found!
Spider-crabs, beady-eyed lobsters,
They make darn scary sea mobsters!
Glowing jellyfish will give you a sting,
Seahorses swim with the help of fluttery things.
And if we were to move on to reptiles,
What's the diff. between gators and crocodiles?
And it's a fact that we all know,
The longest-living creatures (tortoises) are also darn slow.
And penguins, who swim with such absolute grace,
Well, their walking puts a grin on our face!
Ever heard of the cute blue-, and red-footed boobies?
Feet like sapphire socks, some red as rubies!
Though I could go on and on,
I know very well that you'll be gone!
So, I think in short, that we can say,
It's a crazy world we live in today!

Knitty-Gritty

When the little lady sits,
She whips out needles, yarn, she knits,
She makes her classic lovely sweaters,
Each of them keep getting better!
Sometimes coats, and sometimes frocks,
With checks, and dots, and lines, and blocks,
Of red, yellow, blue, and pink,
It's as though her hands can think.
Creating beauties at her fingertips,
We let our 'wow!'s escape our lips.
But what makes her creations especially nice,
Is that they come without a price!
'Love' is what holds the bonds,
She makes these for those of whom she's fond.
But sadly, she can knit no more,
It tires her out more than before.
But we'll always know her as the Knitting Lord,
With rainbow yarn and a needle sword!
Her sweaters always smell of home,
And warm us no matter where we roam,
This knitter -
                - Who's no quitter, is really none other,
Than my lovely GRAND-mother!

Yose-"mighty"

It's where the mountains kiss the clouds,
And the trees stand tall and proud.
We can see the rushing falls,
And hear the little songbirds' calls,
Where there's enough chill to cause a shiver,
White lapping waves create the river.
Where we can see blossoms of snow,
Rest upon leaves wherever we go.
And the mist crawls across the streets,
As billowing waves between our feet.
Where you can discover many a trail,
Catch a few raindrops, a bit of the hail.
Where the rocks stand sharp; straight and stiff,
To form the highest and grandest cliffs.
Where you listen to country in the car,
And you can see green wherever you are...
It's one of Nature's most beautiful cities,
Oh! The splendours of Yosemite.

At the heart of the ocean

'Titanic' they called her, the largest made,
A legend, a legacy, never to fade!
What a beauty she was! Luxurious, grand...
Looked heaven-sent, made by God's hand.
And they gave her a journey, only to suit,
London to New York, that was her route,
2,200, she was to take,
Safely across; never sink, never break...

Titanic, she was,
          So lovely, so strong,
Little did they know,
          She'd sing her last song.

Prepared to leave, all metal and glass,
She was ready to go, our pretty lass!
The passengers differed, but one thing was the same,
Everyone loved her, from her shape to her name.
She set off on 12th April, so lovely and fine,
Off to make history, earn some headlines.
For three days she cruised, the ocean's crown,
So close to the heavens, never to go down.

Titanic, she was,
          So lovely, so strong,
Little did they know,
          She'd sing her last song.

It was hidden in the sea, the menacing ice,
The berg which caused the sacrifice,
In came the water, flooding the ship,
The vessel would now never finish her trip!
Some people turned selfish, their hearts gripped with fear...
But others were selfless, though they too, shed a tear.
And so, in the freezing water, so blue,
She gave a shudder, a sigh, and broke into two.

Titanic, she was,
         So lovely, so strong,
Adored till the end,
        Till she sang her last song.