Gateway of India to Burlingtons and Life

Gateway of India to Burlingtons and Life
Originally uploaded by flickr photographerno1

i studied here in the mornings
as a kid
at home
the domestic chaos
time would not out rid
dad and mom
a marital road that skid
gateway of india
was where i went and hid
me who was brainy but born stupid

me of holy name high school
that was called tin pot by the campion fools
st anne and fort convent girls orgling
thoughts unspools
nostalgia rules

the old chanawala selling peanuts and channa
watching the pigeons being fed
unschoolish prose sounding like poetry
i read

i learnt to swim
at the gateway pier
when someone
kicked my rear
into the water s
with my school bag
my life so dear
i climbed back the steps
all drenched
body in tears
other kids clapping hands
laughs and jeers

later i worked
at burlington s taj mahal hotel
it was growing along with me
the gateway of India
and the Sea

mr andre kapoor
mrs gaby
treasures of india
dhanraj mahal
in and out
jeniffer kapoor
shashijis clothes
munni gupta
asthamatic shouts
urmillas husband
wanting to beat me
because i asked her out
benjamin caleb
custom clouts
bul bul master
drd tata clothes without
such memories
overflow from
a rusty spout
anjali vanessa
munnis kids
running about
sp gupta
the proud father
anne of a 1000 days
measured out
lorraine rhubottom
me her eagle scout
a shivy
from air india whose time
ran out..
fateh singh rattanchand
my gurus
without whom
i would have been stamped out
jose
holiday treasures
another memory
by death snatched out



running up to sea lounge
to watch the gateway of india
my love for it profound
i saw in a corner the renowned
Frank Simoes and his gang..
talking copywriting language
only vimal soon to be crowned
Dom Moraes and his Muse
great poets all found
procreating history
hard cover bound
a gateway of india
on a mumbai mound

than after many years
for the first time
i shot the shia shabbarat
at gateway
shia bajra the arzis
the shouts
of Ya Ali ..
Ya Mehdi..
no spiritual doubts

the bomb blast
here I dd not shoot
but no bomb
the gateway could uproot
the spirit of a challenge called Mumbai
that we all salute
the barefoot phraseology
of my poem
taunting
nostalgia
from my childhood flute
radio club
strand hotel
ramesh mulchandani
dennis fernandes
ramesh alva
bharat
mohan
ram parsani
unchanging faces
my future come and loot
laughs cries holi colors bhang in pursuit
only ramesh alva being dead
a thought to moot
on dec 10 th
the day of my birth
his pain
his shetty laugh
i will never reshoot