Oh my sparrow!

"House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)- Male in Kolkata I IMG 5904"
 by J.M.Garg (Through Wikipedia)

Specks of dust lace the window pane,

I ponder upon this concrete jungle's bane.

I sip my tea, I steal a slurp.

Be still my heart, was that a chirp?

A glimpse of feathers, chestnut brown

One of the few sparrows left in our town.

I stayed still, I watched as it perched.

How many parks for it had I searched!

It twitched its tail and chirped aloud,

It stomped its feet , invoking a dust cloud.

The tuft of brown rolled about in the hole,

Flinging dust like a naughty troll.

Finally it hopped into the chimney vent,

Its home amidst the mortar and cement.

I moved to the kitchen like a cat

And soon I heard their raucous spat.

About the post: 

This poem is based on my chance encounter with a sparrow on an idle day. I was pleasantly surprised to see a sparrow make its way into the chimney duct/vent and what followed was incessant chirping for quite some time. I am yet to make a call for repairing the vent/duct but I do not want to displace the elusive sparrows (Please take note that the chimney is not in use so they are completely safe). Time and again I have come across articles that discuss the dwindling numbers and sighting of sparrows in Delhi NCR. I consider myself lucky to have spotted them around my house.

Monsoon & Autumn Haiku

Awake or dreaming  ,   

The summery night burned her-

Gone was he.

Eyes met and they waved-

The rain thrashed,

Yet they stayed.

 I run as the sky turns gray, 

A croak and a squeal, 

We both jump away .

The squirrel and its brother 

Race each other .

Autumn wins as leaves wither .

The trees grow tan  

As they race-

Squirrels raid my garden terrace.

Her tail wags 

As she greets the boy 

And steals his wet sock, her pet ploy. 

It rains and turns dark- 

Flash and a crack, 

It leaves its mark .

About the post: My first attempts at Haiku. This was for a competition which I didn't win but atleast I learnt a tad bit about Haiku. Must keep practising :)

The Townfool and the Leshy

The Image is from Wikipedia-"The Leshy" by Ivan Bilibin, 1906.

The town fool took refuge in the forest,

He stifled his laugh and thumped his chest.

He looked behind, not a man was in sight,

He pranced about the trees like a forest sprite.

He skipped and sang among the trees,

He enjoyed the touch of the slight autumn breeze.

Two hours or three passed in the shade

Till the sunshine retreated and the trees swayed.

He shook himself from his pleasant nap,

He shrugged his shoulders and straightened his cap.

He whistled and marched along the stream,

When he felt he heard a tiny scream.

Taken aback, he looked around,

North or south, east or west, not a soul he found.

He resumed his whistling as he sauntered on,

Not a bird chirped, he wondered where they had gone.

Not a cricket, not a croak he could hear,

His whistle alone echoed in his ear.

He grew nervous as he walked ahead,

He took the path he knew, to the town it led.

He still whistled and kept up his gait,

It was growing darker but he kept on straight.

He seemed to walk and walk in vain,

He took off his cap and ruffled his mane.

The town was nowhere in near sight,

At this rate, he'd be out tonight.

And finally, he heard a gruff voice,

From behind the trees there came a noise.

"Halt! You vile brute!", the voice spoke.

He cautiously gazed upon the rows of oak.

A strong wind swept him off his feet,

Dazed he was, his heart wildly did beat.

Before he knew he was clutched by a giant hand,

A grim giant man stood tall above the forest land.

He seemed old and wise with a long , green beard,

The town fool squirmed as the giant brought him near.

"You dare crush the helper of the Forest Spirit!"

It pelted down hard on the townfool, the giant's spit.

He pleaded with the angry Forest Spirit, The Leshy,

"Apologies oh great one, for I was unable to see

Your helper, for I was too big, I assume."
The Leshy pondered as he continued to fume.

"But you must repay for your unkindly act.",

The Leshy frowned and vengeance he did exact.

Soon the giant faded much like a dream,

And the townfool woke up near the stream.

He shook himself as he awoke from the nightmare,

He heard the sounds of the forest as well as the chilly air.

The chirps were louder and so were the croaks,

The crickets thundered and there were giant cloaks,

Green as velvet, his senses seemed gnarled,

Till he took flight, for a monster behind him snarled.

A little fox chased after its tail,

Standing there, no human might hear his wail.

The town fool was never found again,

But the townfolk did complain of rogue little men.

About the post:  As per Nordic Myths, Leshy was the Slavonic spirit of the forest who led travelers and hunters astray in the woods. Among his chief powers was the ability to change size at will, from being small as a mouse to growing as tall as the highest tree.