The Korean Man

I slip into a pair of old jeans, a black sweater with a hole or two and beige flip flops
The Korean man & I don't need to dress to impress each other
He's too old for that & I'm too young for it
It's time to go see my man, my Korean
It's 5 in the morning as the famous Frisco fog rolls in
I see my own breath as I walk past the cafe, the art supplies store and yet another cafe
They are all closed. They are not mine & I'm not theirs.
But I know that he will be awake, he will be open and he will be expecting
I pass the homeless man on his cardboard bed. He's been asleep since 7:00 pm last evening.
Past the frames of old stolen bicycles and yesterday's trash due for collection
At long last, there it is! The place where we rendezvous when we feel like it.
The bells chime as I cross his threshold
I like to imagine that this happens only for me, but deep down I know that to be false
My eyes take in his repository, his uh...stockpile
The sugary treats, the energy potions and the colorful what nots
I venture deeper inside his lair
He has erected a barricade that I cannot cross
I'm certain it is for others, but all the same, it stops me in my tracks
I stand behind, waiting to catch a glimpse of him
My eyes frantically scan the area for a hint of movement
There he is! He was under the counter the whole time
Oh he knows I've arrived. We exchange wistful glances.
He finally emerges from behind the counter like a snake at the beckoning of its charmer
"Oh hey! Good morning!"
"Good morning! How are you?"
"I'm good. I'm good. Haven't seen you in a while huh?"
"Eyyeah, I'm trying to cut down y'know"
"Ah yes yes. Here you go"
"Six seventy five, right?"
"Yes. Six seventy five"
I give him exactly what he wants
"Here you go"
"Thank you. Have a good day huh?"
"Thank you. You too"
Sometimes there's a Korean lady, but it's not the same.

The Hobbyist

No, you cannot stop reading Paz's Sunstone after a couple of paragraphs
Yes, you've got to finish reading his entire repertoire of poems
They were "collected" for a reason y'know
But I dabble, it's what I do
It's what gives me great pleasure
I dabble in people too
She doesn't hold my interest anymore
I got all I could from him
But you've got to have drive!
I mean, you have no ability after all
Hey! You forgot intention!
But how could I ever trust you if you never cross a finish line?
What's the humming bird equivalent of a lycanthrope?
No one ever accused a humming bird of being a dilettante

Stir Often

Desis these days seem to favor a lot of dil (heart) over a little bit of dimaag (brains). Real issues of import  are dealt in a manner similar to how a bollywood hero in a blockbuster might, with song and dance, plenty of theatrics and cliches.

• 'Damini' & 'Nirbhaya' - The pseudo names by which the Indian media refers to the Dec 2012 Delhi rape victim. The girl has been dubbed thus to protect her own 'good name' . The irony of  labeling this woman with words that translate to 'lightning' and 'unafraid' when something as elementary as her actual name needs to be kept hidden is lost on most people. 

• The death penalty for the 4 rapists - People chanting "India wins" & that " India's daughter Damini's soul can finally rest in peace". 

• A white woman complains - and everyone loses their collective minds. 

It's not only the media that resorts to these tactics. Everyday people are also well versed at using metaphors - "You're my sister" (No, I don't have any siblings), "I made this money with blood & sweat" (Good fucking job), "I'll just live like a dog in the corner of this house" (If I were you, I'd pick the one with the diwan)

Less rhetoricie more talkie.

As usual, this is the only voice of reason, it seems.

Bald Norma Desmond

-courtesy of Neiman Marcus after-dark

Nixon Nose

When Tricky Dick met his future wife Patricia, he knew he wanted to be with her. She didn't. So he waited until she made her mind up. He even drove her to dates with other men because that way he'd get what he desired...time with Pat. It may even have been a ploy to market himself by making sure she had him on her mind when she's with another man. Whatever the reason, it's inspiring.

Inspiring because it teaches you a few things:

• Don't be reactionary - Let Pat worry about what Pat wants. 
• Set your bullshit aside and be patient - It can't be too good for your ego to see the girl you desire walk away with another man, but you can live with it for now.
• The outcome is both all-important and pointless at the same time - Do what you have to do. Tricky would have found someone else to be with, had Pat not agreed to be his wife eventually.

That's all. 

Now here Tricky gets a shoeshine because he wants one:

The image is taken from the blog http://tsutpen.blogspot.com/ which comes highly recommended...by me.