There was a time
Picking the newspaper from the door-steps
Was great pleasure
The headlines were thrillers
Alas, today
An ad of a cell-phone full-page
A new car or a television stares
From all over the front page
And the headlines
Mostly in insipid language
Are buried deep inside
And as you carry the paper
Inside to pick your lenses
There is a diarrhoea of flyers
Loosely inserted
Which scatter here and there
In the wind of the fan
Together with the city supplement
Of pure nonsense
On celebrities and film stars
In no time you are
A squatting scavenger
Own your dream homes
They are everywhere
At easy prices
Or just go on holiday
Flight and hotel included
Incredibly discounted
Why not buy a microwave
That has functions you know not
Meant for some unknown recipe
Of the Caribbean
Or is it Polynesian?
Own a fridge rather
Never loses its cool
That is low on power
Innumerable advantages
Storage ingeniously designed
Send your kids to Yoga classes
Supervised by American teachers
Cleanse their bodies and souls
Spiritual prowess at doorstep
Lo, the India of ours
Is a real paradise
Of dream houses and holidays
Teachers, doctors, match-makers
There is everything available
Just for tuppence
Why not sit back, close your eyes
Utopia is your birth-right
And I did sit back
With the paper in hand
On the grand new sofa
Put together somewhere in Indonesia
Which we bought the other day
At a very discounted price
Made my wife’s esteem rise
In her spiraling friend circles
I didn’t have time to reach
The headlines ‘ere which the legs gave in
Poor thing couldn’t stand the Indian weight!
The rest of the story
My ortho will narrate
I am living in his paradise
Of course for a cheap price
He too had a flyer inserted
In the same rag I was about to read
Which I am yet to see
But for my broken spine
i read a poem and tried to submit a comment to it yesterday but was foiled by PH or 'the Internet'. i thought it was one of yours, but i foolishly did not record the title though i saved my comment. anyway i've scrolled through your poem list trying to fine 'it' to no avail. but you have some very 'seductive' titles and i hope to take/find the time to return. bri :)
It is not your spine alone that is broken but of today's newspapers too! The first thing I do with flyers is that I crumble them into a ball and very conveniently set them off rolling on their way. In today's commercialized world, with products of every breed and kind vying for attention, I often feel the very purpose of advertisement is lost. A very humorous poem presenting the sorry state of affairs.
Quite humorous with stark truths peeking out! Yes, we are mesmerized by the illusory world of advertisements! 'There is a diarrhoea of flyers Loosely inserted Which scatter here and there In the wind of the fan' These flyers have become a real menace! Newspaper and the accompanying sheets of paper are enough to clutter the living room or the drawing room! Yet reading news paper in the morning with a cup of steaming tea is something we cannot do away with! The sofa incident has really brought a chuckle to my lips, though I feel sorry for your plight! Enjoyed thoroughly!
A brilliant piece, sir. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I hope your spine is well. I only pick up the newspaper once in a while. For the crossword puzzle. The rest is usually only fit to line a bird cage. This poem is a 10
In spite of the fact that the daily newspaper carries insipid information - many things other than news, there is a curious craving for it early morning. The episode of picking the paper and settling down to read it is beautifully described. Hope you have recovered from it. Nice poem.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
what u expressed is really true nowadays needs papers fail to prioritize the news in the right way instead of newspaper we should. change nthe name to ad paper or matrimonial paper