Image courtesy his Facebook profile
I would like to introduce you to Benn Bell from Louisville Kentucky ,,I still dont know how we met but , we met cosmically at Buzznet in early 2005 and Buzznet was my earliest baby steps into cyberspace ..and whatever I am today as a indefatigable blogger , prodigiously prolific is because of Buzznet , and friends like Benn Bell, Yorrick Friar Tuck Ayu Sri Mahayani Tom Andrews and a host of people including Xris Taylor..Sierra Whiskey and some who faded away into the twilight zone ..I was posting pictures that were incredibly different , cultural, rituals , bloodletting and the transgender so many added me ,, my world of imagery was hardcore real..with no place for imaginary romantic illusion , my Buzznet timeline was my raw sense of grammar , my poor lexicon of words , but all my friends helped me groomed me to I evolved as a street poet of slam,
I met Bernie Aguirre we started of on a bad note but today almost 10 years down the line this crazy food loving life loving American is also my best friend from Buzznet .
But than this post is not just about Buzznet and my other friends it is about Benn Bell..He stood by me , he supported me , fought my battles against racists who were stuck to my urban brown ass like bees to honey,, I was naive I was stupid foolish those days ,,I was falling in and out of love with American women on Buzznet , Well my Buzznet site got hacked and porn was inserted into my Shia images by some Salafi hacker , there was hell to pay ..With the help of Tom Andrews I deleted 11000 blogs ,, as my my Buzznet site was not accessible to me ,,
Than I came back again to Buzznet as a Shia Thug a new identity Benn and others welcomed me but by than Buzznet was caught in Chemical Romance more music more fun I found I was too old for all this I shut my account and found the shores of Flickr in 2007 .
Benn and all my friends were building homes on Flickr but that magic of Buzznet bonhomie was missing , Flickr was straitlaced photography, you show me yours I show you mine ,, I started blogging via my pictures either in words or in muted remorse ,, and Benn and I met more friends Anthony Posey joined us Fred Miller and so many others .. we shared happiness , we fought online battles against tyranny , oppression , what happened in America touched me too , if there was a bomb blast in Mumbai it was Benn worried about me and my family , Benn was overjoyed when I became a grandfather for the first time.. so sometimes you dont need to be staying in the same area to be the best of friends , you dont have to share the same religion .. or same culture ,,
Benn means a lot to me and I wanted to share my friendship with Benn with all of you ..I hope he visits India one day with Anthony Posey and Bernie ..
This was a poem I wrote on Benns Birthday ..he was kind enough to allow me to use his picture without a water mark.. In Mumbai friends shoot your picture and when you ask them for a copy , they stamp it with their most ostentatious ugly water mark...
Thank You Benn
Benn Bell My Best Friend
image courtesy his facebook profile
Benn Bell
is my Buzznet friend
so many storms
in a tea cup
of life our
friendship
could not end
Benn Bell
is my Flickr friend
so many ups and downs
black and white
in a single color
of humanity
we blend
our friendship
could not end
BennBell
is my Facebook friend
on my pictures
my poems
precious time
he spends
om mani padme hoon
tao zen zenitude
a mouse
instead of a pen
a click on the soul
of friendship
a message of peace
on his birthday
i send
over the years
this man from Philly
has been my best friend
the most noble humble
human being
in praise of his love
for me my family
these few lines
i have
penned
on a keyboard
of amity
a tweet i resend
i know heart of heart
come what may
this cybernetic
friendship
will continue
till its very end
a dead Indian
the best Indian
even after
i am buried
i shall
make it a point
to visit
him every
week end
blithe spirit
from
gods end
