A Bit of Showing Off.

Time for a bit of showing off. I wrote a haiku and a poem, "Little India". Here goes:

A Haiku (Poor Little Flower ...)

Poor little flower
Small and fragile in the wind
Short and sweet fragrance


Little India

Fresh smelling fruits
Wafts of exotic unknown spices
The breath of exhaust pipes
Mixed in a gaseous potpourri
Addling and confusing the senses

Piles and piles of dried chilli
The sight of the red skin makes my eyes tear
Packets and packets of henna
What is it for again – tattoo? Hair?
The Indian man smiles

Lost tourists bumble by with guidebooks in hand
Curls and curves of an alien language scrawled, printed or scribbled over
Signs, boxes, packets, papers
A sudden whiff yields curry
And the lure of roti prata

Chirp – goes the little green bird
Fortune teller grins a wide toothy smile
And explains in accented English
What my life or wife could be
All thanks to what a bird chose

I stand by the road and watch
The bustle of people around me
Black, yellow, white, red –
A confusing spectrum of colours
Seamlessly merged into one urban painting