I read it in a news paper

I took this from a newspaper (DNA Mumbai Thursday, dec. 29, 2005)... I don't know what a lot of the words mean but still do realize it is quite well written...
It might seem a little lengthy but bare with it, its great


Is this some sort of joke
slow death like cigarillos spewing smoke
watching life splutter, cough and choke
as it carries the day upon its yoke

chemicals riding crests of grey
spitting waves of acid spray
above, a dull flannel pall of gloom
settles like a blanket of dismal doom

belly-up fish stare with glazed eyes
unblinking look at smog-ridden skies
a sea gull calls out, weak and faint
a white brushstroke on a backdrop of taint

heavy clouds gathering into a frown
look helplessly at everything down
convulsed, as if in writhing pain
trying to withhold bitter tears of rain

of chain-smoking chimneys, what of them
like a bronchial attack relieving phlegm
difficult nights of incessant wheezing
where the trade winds once were breezing

half-naked kids running fingers through filthy sands
time running coarsely through innocent hands
what is a sand castle in the air
it's a patch of green- somewhere out there

dawn breaks to pigeons in hungry clutter
breaking the din with a feathered flutter
taxicabs cold-starting with painful spasms
sun filtering through deadly chemical chasms

vendors selling fresh supplies
the daily catch and the buzz of flies
balloons cut hteir umbilical cords and flee
seeking the elusive a zure canopy

fishnets hug the shore like a stocking
this is where tommorow is docking
harbour of polluting thoughts
harbinger of dire, dark and dingy plots

the waves dash upon the rocks
like frilly lace on sullied frocks
bare feet tingle not with the salt of the seas
but of a land's end rife with maladies

footprints on the sands of time
belong to another era and clime
shards of glass, like emotional scars do
remind you to wear that shoe

dazed crab wander on staggering feet
out of their holes and into the heat
marinated daily in sulphur nitrate
to be served up as a sauce on a seven-star plate

migratory birdss choose not to stop over
no longer the tourists' favourite hop over
a sea weed whirls upon the eddy
the next batch of spirulina is not quite ready

catamarans skim over waters so muddied
darkened by macabre crimes and bloodied
anonymous bodies wash ashore
anonymously wash back as eyes ignore

dogs digging for bones in the sand
people digging for the promised land
mocked by a fledgling who just learnt to fly
still searching himself for the promised sky

on a bench, a soliloquy of a war veteran
speaking sadly of guns, tanks and lost brethren
on the pavement, the click of walking sticks
like a slowing pulse rate that gradually ticks

joggers break their rhythm and stride
to allow pet poodles to be untied
every now and again to swoop
to dodge unexpectd pedigree poop

yesterday's newspaper caught by the wind
confesses to headlines that have sinned
not strictly true to the events of the day
it hurries in the hope of being recycled away

unsuspecting little girls with their hair in a braid
hopscottch on pavements history laid
or skip over a rope that turns to a beat
before, years later, they walk the same street

ice cream sticks in screaming neon glaces
stain the smiles of cherubic faces
hand-fashioned packets of salty pot pourri
hide delightful doses of new hepatitis E

couples necking on the promenades
whisper sweet nothings but hide their facades
talk turns to condoms and avoiding aids
and leaving just before the police raids

pieces of broken abd bruised sea shell
hurt the sole(soul) like war time shrapnel
a horse-drawn carriage trots in-an anachronism
smelling still fresh of the dung of imperialism

a cobbler spits on and shines a shoe
asks you to see your face against the milieu
a barber shop with a fantastic view
a shore shaved of foam and skinned of hue

people come out to feed the pigeons
with yesterday's leftovers and today's smidgeons
a sea gull seeking pritine haven
locks eyes with an irate landlubber raven

brakes screech and metals crash
women screech, while drivers and egos clash
amidst the noisy rants and raves
the background music of the waves

politicians make their landmark speeches
boasting of one of nature's best beaches
they mandate the place as a tourist spot
thus turning it into an underworld plot

a weatherbeaten ferry, in uneasy nausea
unable to bear witness, attains amnesia
somewhere a deadwood smells of rot
yet, stuff a photographer should have shot

a colour film carton in kodachrome
lies testimony to where lensmen roam
wondering why a snap in vivid colour
develops into a dull, dreary, sepia pallor

urchins wash, wind-dry and wear their rags
waving to cheerful pink and blue flags
non-biodegradable plastic bags
on distant mangrove creeks and crags

hi-flyers step out of their pigeon-hole homes
or corporate-cultured aerodromes
to inhale the fresh air through the fog
and write about nature on their blog

beer cans in drunken disarray
reek of an irresponsible saturday
and on monday, just an innocent scene
but for butts still high on nicotine

a million miles away a wave is just born
destined to reach a land lovelorn
rolling and rising. never to bow down
or believe, this was once the jewel in the crown

-----!!!!KEEP MUMBAI CLEAN!!!!-----

Alagaesian character

This is a test to find out which character from the novel eragon you resemble the most, this was the reply i got...

You are most like BROM

You are indeed wise and experienced! You may encounter foes along your path and you are definitely brave enough to face them. However, you are wise enough to know when you can avoid a fight and save your energy. Your keen ability to think on your feet, resourcefulness, and ability to make allies are skills invaluable in any conflict.

The official site for the inheritance trilogy is www.alagaesia.com

I thought about it...

Today morning I was reading the papers and came across the news about a swiss hospital adopting euthansia(Dictionary definition), and it really set me thinking. The points made by both the parties was fair it seemed to me but I still think it should be allowed.
The patient is very close to his death and has no chance of survival, hence he/she would want to end their own misery, so would their family members. Moreover, keeping the patient in this state would entail large costs. The family will be fighting a battle they know they will be losing and be putting the patient under more pain in the future. Instead of suffering the patient should be given a good death, so he can get relief from the pain.
Also, the patient is occupying a bed at the hospital, that could be blocking entry of another patient in the hospital, aptient who could have a much higher chance of survival. It would be cruel to the person who is not being provided a bed because another patient who does not have a chance of living is occupying it until eventually he dies.