The Troika verses Cyprus

Cyprus, the tiny Mediterranean island nation of 800,000 people (20 times less than the population of Delhi), managed to evade bankruptcy and exclusion from the Euro Zone by successfully negotiating a deal with The Troika - the three largest lenders and debtors in Europe - The European Central Bank (ECB), The European Commission (EC), and The International Monetary Fund (IMF).  

However, rejoice not yet, for this $13 billion bailout comes at a massive price.  Never mind that Cyprus' debt is now going to be 100% of its GDP, but in order to avail of this $13 billion loan, the Cypriot government has to raise about $5 billion on their own (AP).  But how is a nation, whose GDP is about $20 billion, supposed to raise 25% of their GDP in six months?    Simple, they are going to take away bank deposits over $100,000 from Cyprus' second largest bank - Laiki.  Like the US, bank deposits in tax-haven Cyprus are insured by the government for up to $100,000, anything above that is non-insured deposits, which the Cyprus Government plans to use as part of their $5 billion "fund raiser".  The legality of such an action is still under discussion, but if it is sanctioned, people may lose up to 40% of their deposits at Laiki.  Most of this money actually belong to foreign depositors, mainly Russians, who use Cyprus as a tax haven.  

Laiki is going to be split into a "good" bank and a "bad" bank.  The good bank with its insured deposits will merge with Bank of Cyprus, the largest bank in Cyprus, and the "bad bank" with all its toxic and uninsured assets will be dissolved!  Not to mention all deposits in Bank of Cyprus over $100,000 is going to be frozen indefinitely and there is a withdrawal limit of $100 per day to stop a "run on the banks".  A very bold move indeed.

Austerity measures have already bludgeoned the economy with everyone from contract teachers to businesses taking heavy hits, and now the dissolution of private bank funds is only going to make the public more enraged.  Cyprus, once one of the most economically sound countries in the world with a net median income of about $30,000 per year (CIA), is now tottering on the brink of economic extinction.  How did this happen?

Again, it all traces back to the US sub-prime mortgage disaster of 2007.  Truly when the US sneezes, the whole world catches a cold.  Cyprus, with its low tax rates is a haven for foreign, particularly Russian deposits. This created a bloated financial sector eight times its GDP!  Like Iceland, the Cypriot financial sector had made a series of poor investments, including buying Greek bonds as a precursor to this crisis.  Coupled with slowdown in the tourist and shipping sector due to the global economic meltdown, the Cypriot economy was unable to recover to its pre-2009 fundamentals.  The massive size of the banking system also prevented the government to raise enough liquidity domestically to bail out its banking system.  

For the past year (2012), Cyprus has relied on an emergency $2 billion dollar loan from Russia, Cyprus' closest partner; but a refusal on Russia's part to extend the loan resulted in Cyprus approaching the EU with their begging bowl.

Perhaps Cyprus has managed to evade bankruptcy and exclusion from the Euro zone with this bailout, but whether Cyprus' restructuring will be a Renascence moment is difficult to gauge.   But, a good time to buy property in Cyprus I reckon.

For further reading.

Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, CIA Fact Book, BBC.

We Are All Slaves

"Students who acquire large debts putting themselves through school are unlikely to think about changing society.  When you trap people in a system of debt they can't afford the time to think.  Tuition fee increases are a disciplinary technique, and by the time students graduate, they are not only loaded with debt, but have also internalized the disciplinarian culture.  This makes them efficient components of the consumer economy."

~ Noam Chomsky

And that is just the tip of the iceberg... 

India Declares War on Italy!

Now that I have your attention, let me assure you that India is not actually declaring war on Italy.  Although the question of whether we should is a legitimate concern in the minds of several people.

For the unaware, here is the quick recap.  In 2012 two Italian marines protecting an Italian merchant ship from Captain Jack Sparrow, shot two innocent Indian fisherman off the coast of Kerela.  The Supreme Court of India ruled that India had jurisdiction in the case and placed the marines under arrest.  In December, at the behest of the Italian government, and the promise that the marines would return to India to stand trial, the two marines were sent home to vote in the general elections and spend Christmas with their families.  But, here's the kicker.  The marines didn't come back.  

The Italian government is now contesting the Supreme Court ruling on the grounds that the shooting happened in International waters which is beyond the Indian government's jurisdiction.  Call it bad faith or simply lying, the Indian government was stunned at the turn of events, especially in the light of recent events involving in a billion dollar corruption scam with the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AugustaWestland.

So what does our beloved UPA government led by, and here's where the irony comes in, led by an Italian (read: Sonia Gandhi), do?  Simple, bar the Italian ambassador from leaving the country.  Meanwhile, the two marines are given a hero's welcome! Cool, so what happens now?  We await with bated breath.  Good thing Italy doesn't have nuclear weapons, eh?  

Perhaps on the good news... which we have so little of these days, India was not ranked as the rudest country in the world to tourists!  You may not agree with the ranking, but makes interesting reading.  Ironic that the Americans are writing an article on rudeness!

The Three Wise Friends

My friends came visiting.  Three wise ones followed the Ghat to my humble little abode.  They brought in some welcome laughs and reminiscent winds, but most importantly they brought gifts!

Finally my new LP player and LPs are here.  Old friends like New Order, Depeche Mode, and the Psychedelic Furs... truly, my bosom for a pillow is on the 45.  If you didn't get that pop culture reference, then too bad.

Photo courtesy: Dilanie Devadoss.  Thanks.

Also in the delivery was a super cool green laser.  The geek liveth again.

Thanks SS, Megha, and Amit!  You'll are the best.  

Honorable mention to Maggie C!  Your thanks is DM concert tour this fall.

How to Save The Economy

Mssrs. David Mitchell and Robert Webb show us how the government decides to bring the economy back on track.  What renowned Econometricians do behind closed doors.  

What I Was Reading... and Watching... and Listening

I had some interesting reading and watches this week... well actually over the last few weeks but I'm only getting to writing this now.

Salman Khan (no not our beloved drunk driver), but the founder of Khan Academy gave a fantastic commencement speech at his alma mater, MIT in 2012.

Next, "the worm", returns to the world of Chaos - Dennis Rodman on his visit to DPRK.  Rodman, who was once the member of perhaps the greatest Basketball team of all time (and less famously the husband of the "Baywatch thespian" Carmen Electra), spoke to George Stephanoppolous about his recent tete-a-tete with Kim Jong Un on The Week.

A fantastic read on the processed food industry and the science behind junk food addiction in the New York Times.  A must read.

This afternoon I had two conversations, where as per standard rules, I ended up doing most of the talking.  The conversations reminded me of a bunch of "things" that I had stored in the back of my attic brain which I divulge to you now.  
The first was regarding the conspiracy theory behind the Moon landing.  Somehow the conversation drifted from Physics HL to astronomy, dark matter, telescopes and finally... the "fake" Moon landing.  It reminded me of a brilliant sketch by the genius British comedy duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb from their sketch show The Mitchell and Webb Look.  Have a gander.
The second conversation, started with a girl with a guitar, meandered around mandolins, ukuleles, banjos, and The Infamous Stringdusters and The Goat Rodeo Sessions (The collaborative album by Chris Thile (mandolin), Yo-Yo Ma (that's right!), Edgar Myers (double bass), ans Stuart Duncan (violin)). While I was talking, two distinct images entered either side of my head: Eddie Izzard talking about Tigers and Banjos, and The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain covering "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly".  Have a hark.

I also recently had a conversation with a few people about Formula 1 racing as the season started last Sunday.  We got around to the topic of drift racing, and someone mentioned The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift.  I was reminded of Keiichi Tsuchiya - the original "Drift King" who made the sport popular.  But who I want to write about today is the master of the Gymkhana - Ken Block!  Kudos to BBC Top Gear for another brilliant set.  Enjoy!

Till more, excelsior! 

Rat Tails and Tahrs

In the lap of the hills,
Beside a lacquered stream
Where the bison roam,
In the full moon's gleam;

Dwarfed in natures beauty
Small humans we walk,
Play and swim and climb,
Take time, 
To stop and gawk.

Stare down a haughty cliff
At water that looks like sponge
To jump, or not to jump,
Don't ask…
Close your eyes and take the plunge.

Traversing back...
As we hop, rock to rock,
Our noses sniff the air,
The smell of heaven,
Wafting from the crock.

Pancakes and curry,
And caramel treats by the fire,
Fried little fish, and
Stories by a squire...

And thus time flew,
In tranquil bliss,
In the sun's mighty blaze,
Or the full moon's kiss,

And now were back…
To a Kodi winter haze,
Longing again,
For those Tahr Camp days…

This year, the end of the hiking season was marked with the annual high school Tahr Camp for those staff and students who completed their Tahr Pin requirements.  Meticulously arranged by Barbara Block, twelve students and four chaperones headed into the Rat Tail Falls region, armed with back packs and good cheer for three days of hiking, swimming, cliff diving, scrumptious improvised meals, stories, and sleeping under the magical gloom of a full moon…

The Irony of Social Service

This weekend I went back to the CMS orphanage with the KIS NHS students to work on completing a painting job of the orphanage walls.  As always it was fun, but I noticed something strange...

Many of the students, mostly non-NHS members, who were there to just tag along, came  quite impeccably dressed with earphones sticking out of one ear...

The irony of the sight was quite amusing.  Watching a handful of students paint a boundary wall in gaudy yellow or play with little underprivileged orphans in branded clothing and shoes and headphones, I could not help but smile at the sight.

The poor little kids must be thinking, who are these strangers in strange attire and why are they in my home looking so bored?  I would.

The Story This Year...

When I last wrote here, I had teeth, I was healthy, didn’t have mold growing on my bed and it was nice and sunny in Kodi and my father was still alive…

That was more than a couple of months ago.

As 2012 comes to a close, I reflect on the year.  It was certainly a strange one, full of changes, false promises, and forlorn hopes and interesting people. 

The year started off well enough.  I met one of the most wonderful people I know in January with whom I started a budding friendship.  Today she is one of my closest confidants and a pillar of support when I need it.  In February and March I started looking for teaching opportunities in India and I was getting very positive feedback and in April I finally chose this job here at KIS.  In the meantime, Delhi was great; I made some great friends, ate great food and spent many warm evenings on balconies, drinking wine and contemplating what future awaited me.  I was also living on a Munirka DDA rooftop with an old friend and his mother.

In May, there was a wonderful trip to Dharamsala with old and new friends which ended with a destroyed hard drive and the news of my father’s hospitalization.  I quit ICF after four wonderful years, with melancholy in my heart.  I said goodbye to good friends and spent my last couple of weeks, just staring into space on my balcony.  It was time to say goodbye to familiarity… yet again.  The first of June, as I left Delhi, was particularly a difficult day. I felt as if my stomach and spleen had been ripped out so my heart could fall into that cavity… I came back to Kolkata.

June in Kolkata was perhaps one of the lowest points in the year.  Dad and I constantly argued about everything.  We were due to shift into a smaller flat we had bought, but he refused to move.  Everything that I did or said was wrong and I fell into a severe pit of inconsolability.  Even my friends who came to visit were treated with disdain.  I don’t know what caused this change in personality, but instead of dealing with it with patience I dealt with it with anger and hate.  Suddenly all the Zen habits I had cultivated over the years kicked me in the groin and left me writhing in the ground… I could not wait to get out of Kolkata and head to Kodi to start anew.

Coming into Kodi was a novel experience.  Everything was new.  I knew no one, and no one knew me.  I immersed myself into the place.  I tried to get caught up in my life at KIS, but at every instance there was a nagging feeling in my bones.  Every evening when I sat in my cottage by the fire, I was reminded of a certain voices, the sound of an echoing laugh, and the sense of a familiar touch… and I would end up feeling melancholic and spend the dusk hours contemplating the world in a daze.  I spent several hours writing poetry about certain memories and it would make me smile, but all the while, what I really longed for was to run away from my responsibilities.  Not to mention, constant issues with the water, the mold, the dampness, and the utter destruction of both my LP players made me feel cursed. 

The days rolled by… there were camping trips and long hikes, and even a herpetology and nature camp, but still I felt imprisoned in my own mind.  Continuing my spate of poor luck, I also chipped and broke my three front teeth in a hiking accident – the healing and capping process for that was quite painful.  I was also attacked by a dog and suffered severe allergies from the mold in the house.  In mid-September, dad started complaining of his health again, but I didn’t pay much attention to it.  He kept urging me to quit my job and just come home and I thought it was a ploy to get me back to Kolkata.  I ignored it.

Then in early November, I got a call saying my dad is severely ill and that I should come back.  I made emergency preparations and rushed back home… three days later dad passed away of a heart attack in the hospital.  We didn’t get to speak before he died.  When we took him to the cremation grounds, he was just a shriveled up body – a far cry from his imposing aura that he carried around with him all his life.  Watching dad burn, for the first time in my life I truly felt alone and mortal.  There was a strange and unfathomable emptiness.  True, relatives and friends came out of the woodwork when dad died… but in the end I was alone.  I did my penance.  Thirteen days of wearing a dhoti and a small piece of cloth, sleeping on the floor, eating boiled food, shaving my head and doing the last rites. I did it all like a machine.  Even now it hasn’t sunk in that there is no longer anyone looking over my shoulder.  Perhaps it will when I am alone in my cottage in Kodi…

I have now made the move to the new apartment.  I am in the process of furnishing it and dealing with the enormous amount of paperwork that goes with the aftermath of death.  I suppose even dead men must pay taxes.  There is a lot of work to be done, and some moments, as of right now, I feel overwhelmed and lost.  I have a goal to work towards.  There are things I need to and want to do and I will do them.  Not just for me, but for the people I love and care about.  All I ask for is a little patience.

I wonder what tales 2013 will bring.

End of the Cycle...

It’s the end of the third cycle.  There are no weeks here at KIS… they follow a system of a six day cycle.  It’s horribly confusing at first, but it actually makes a lot of sense.  I’m not even going to attempt and explain it, but suffice to say that the schedule of classes shifts every week as per the 6 day cycle.  If there is a holiday, that day’s classes will be held the next day and so on.

I’ll say this.  Teaching is really hard work.  I like the engaging aspect of it.  I love sharing all the esoteric junk in my head with the students and tie in all my various experiences to seemingly silly ideas.  It’s the repetition and test paper prep that I’m beginning to dislike.  Repetition, because there are always students who miss a class because they are ill or had to go for football, who want a catch up one-on-one class.  I have a new found admiration for teachers.  Kids can be infuriating, you have to talk when all you want to do is shut-up and close your eyes. 

Sometimes I forget that my students are 15, 16, and 17 and expect too much from them, but at least I was not expecting someone to say “Lenin” when I asked who started the First Gulf War or give “Air tax” as an answer for government taxes.  I’ve taken it upon myself to make my class more than just economics.  Yesterday, we talked about the atom bomb, the Korean War, definition of a second, CIA and the paintings of Jackson Pollock, 9/11, the economics of politics and why e^2πi = 1.

So at final count I have 88 students in the 11^th grade for economics and 17 students as my advisees or in my tutorial group.  The kids range from the bright and studious, to the suck ups, to the smart and lazy and the downright delinquents.  Basically every classroom you’ve ever experienced in the world, it’s just strange being on the other side of the fence and imagining which one I was. 

I’m also the new co-advisor for the National Honor Society, but, as the name suggests, these kids are so good that I usually don’t have to lift a finger.  I was disappointed that there is no school newspaper or a debating club at KIS, so I’ve started a debate and speech club… let’s see how it goes.

Apart from the school work, which eats up a lot of my time, I’m still enjoying hiking and poker on the weekends, and table tennis in the evenings with the other staff members.

Kodi is a beautiful place, and teaching is great, especially for a self-advertising braggart like me who loves a captive audience… but there is still something missing.  A panging loneliness in the quiet and gloom of an old mountain cottage… even if there is a roaring fire to warm me.  Can’t put my finger on it...

And oh yeah, I saw my first herd of bison, about fifteen strong, last week a little ways from my house...

Till Classes...

So a week has passed since I arrived at Kodi.

Classes are going to start tomorrow.  I'm both anxious and excited.  The week has been interesting to say the least.  I've met a flurry of new faces - teachers, administrative staff, support staff, new students, old students, parents.  I remember perhaps 10% of the names...

Some things have been a little annoying.  I'll get the complaining out of the way first.  I found two snakes sunbathing on my driveway... later I realized they were dead, but still.  Not the biggest fan of snakes.  My bathroom roof has a small leak - classic problem with old houses!  My kitchen light doesn't work, so I've been cooking by candlelight whenever I crave Maggi in the evenings.  And worst of all my Aquaguard water filter is spilling out yellow water.  That needs replacing.  Maintenance, I've learnt, is the most important department here at Kodi and I'm trying to make friends with most of the people there.

Ok complaints over.

Oh and, I am yet to see a ruddy bison that I've been hearing so much about!  The new French teacher had a herd in his front yard, and I had two dead snakes!

Ok, really, complaints over...

I have worked out a great dinner system though.  My neighbor, who is an excellent cook has decided to cook for me and another neighbor dinner everyday as long as we contribute to supplies and company.  We have had some great meals so far...

The week's also been a beehive of activity.  Preparing lesson plans.  Learning how to make lesson plans.  Learning how to use the hi-fi software to make the lesson plans.  Filling out paperwork, shopping for the house, more orientation work, learning where stuff is on campus, meeting more new people, more orientation activities... I am a bit exhausted.  And classes haven't even started yet.  I go to bed with a sigh.

Then I wake up in the morning to a bright sunshine, and the mist rolls onto campus at about noon, and all is sublime.  Sometimes, when I need a break, I stand by the window of my departmental office with a cup of coffee and watch as the mist covers the lake.  It is then that I wish that the people I love could be here with me to see this in silence...

Next update after the first week of classes!

Early Morning Impressions…

(Photos on Facebook… not uploading them here too)

Over the last couple of days I’ve explored tiny sections of Kodi.  I went for a walk around the lake which is deceptively large.  Covering the circumference of the lake takes about an hour or so and along the way there are little benches and information about the various trees growing around the lake.  There are always random young tourists taking photos in abandoned boat houses, and strangely a lot of people on tandem bikes.  I got caught under a tree with a stray dog in a massive downpour and took the time to pen some thoughts, the result of which is the previous post.

The lake is a bit more commercial than I would like, particularly in the afternoons.  There are a dime a dozen kitsch shops and boating and other random fairground stuff around the Eastern side of the lake.  The western side of the lake is more remote and desolate and surrounded by orchard estates and perfect for a lazy afternoon.  I am, however, yet to find a suitable location for my hammock.

I woke up the second morning to the sound of namaz.  Kodi, I learnt, is home to an equal presence of Hindu, Muslim, and Christian populace.  It’s like a peaceful Jerusalem.  I was walking around the streets and saw random halal biriyani joints next to churches selling the most massive jackfruits I have ever seen (6Kg+). 

But perhaps the most surprising thing about Kodi so far is the sheer number of “Eucalyptus Oil, Organic Spices, and Homemade Chocolate” stores there are, all apparently sanctioned by the TN government.  I am yet to try one of these places though.  Also on the list is the Kodi Cheese Shop which is supposed to have really good locally made soft cheeses and parmesan.

I was invited to dinner at Ketaki’s home, who is part of the HR team here, along with Amit Roy, my neighbor from Bombay, and Katrina, and Eric (also from Minnesota), who teaches World History and TOK.  Ketaki and her husband, Josh recently moved here with their two sons Kartik and Noah from Maryland, and we had a lot to talk about NOVA.  Ketaki, who is half Bengali, made payas for us all and it was great.

My shipment also finally arrived, albeit fairly damaged.  A lens on my telescope broke, and so did my portable LP Players turnstile, and some crockery.  I’m most disappointed about my LP player, but luckily I have two, though the second one is not nearly as good on sound.

I have also started eating at various places around Kodi.  Some have been less than impressive, some quite good.  I’ll cover food in Kodi in the next installment.

Test the Water

These days,
Rain comes hurtling
In my general direction,
Like arrows from a cruel bow.
I fend them as best
As I possibly can, but
When you join the quiver,
I am crestfallen.
My courage wanes
And tears choke me.


But my love triumphs.
For I know:


If you are the rain,
Then I am the lake.
You make me who I am,
You are a part of me.
Whether you are
Warm and gentle,
Or harsh and heavy,
Or sleet and hail,
My body will always
Embrace you as you fall.
For without you,
I would not be me.


And together,
We are sublime.

Getting Here...

Day 1

I left for Kodaikanal from Calcutta on the 6^th of July with a very strange feeling in my gut – a combination of excitement, apprehension, and the tension of leaving behind everything and heading towards a new land and a new lifestyle.

The flight to Chennai was rather unremarkable, except for the elaborately plump young Bengali couple sitting next to me.  The wife emasculated her husband all through the trip while elbowing me in the stomach while I was clutching my pillow and trying to catch up on some sleep.

Chennai to Madurai was also eventless except that my iPhone charger blew up at the Madras airport and I flew in a propeller-Vayadoot plane.  I had never been in one before so I kept staring at the engines from the window throughout the flight.  Yes, I’m very easily fascinated.

At oven hot Madurai ours was the only plane at the airport!  Mr. Rajni Siva picked me up in an Indica taxi and we were on our way to Kodi.  The 137 km drive takes about 3 hours with a couple of breaks in between and Mr. Siva happily taught me some Tamil phrases and basic counting along the way while telling me about his family, and about the local flora.  As we hit the Palini hills, the climate suddenly chilled and a light mist descended around the peaks. 

It was about 8 in the evening when we pulled into the Main Gate of Kodaikanal International School where Katrnina Derrick, the drama teacher from Wisconsin was waiting for us to show me my new home.  KIS is spread across Kodaikanal with multiple campuses and staff housing.  Mine turned out to be a little cottage in the middle school campus called Hiawatha House about a five minute walk from the lake.  My neighbor, Amit, who I will be meeting tomorrow at a dinner with our hosts, lives in a cottage called Minihaha. 

Dropping my stuff off, I went out for a little tour of the area with Katrina and her husband Naveen who is a free-lance nature preservationist and motivational speaker from Mt. Abu in Rajasthan.  He told me what he really missed here in Kodi is his old Enfield motorbike and we talked about Motorcycle Baba and Rajasthan.  We finished the evening with a dinner of dal-bati at a new Rajasthani family run place called Aby’s Café.

Back in my really large (2 and a half bedroom) and tastefully furnished cottage, it was really chilly and slightly damp, as is common with these hillside cottages, so I started a small fire in my fireside boiler and went through all the introductory paperwork that HR had left for me at the cottage – which included Maggie, coffee, biscuits, oatmeal, and a carton of Slim Milk.  There is a eucalyptus oil distillery close to my cottage, so leaving the windows open allows the minty smell of eucalyptus to waft into the room.

I went to bed after making a few calls, wrapped in the linen and thin blankets the school had provided but couldn’t sleep.  I was hit with a sense of longing for familiarity and people I love who I’ve left behind.  I wanted to write about it, but it was too cold to think really, and I got too lazy to go stoke the fire…

So here I am now, seven thousand feet up in the Palini hills, en-route to becoming a lonely high school economics teacher.   Who would have thought…

Breath and Fog

As I rest my warm cheek

On the cool pillow,

I imagine it is your bosom.

I trace my fingers and

Imagine it is your arm,

Goose bumped by the cold

And my breath on your ears.

You let out a soft groan

As you squirm and shift

And I bury my face deeper,

Inhaling deeply your scent.

I kiss you and you sleepily

Push my face away

Crooning my name.

Then your hazel eyes open

And you stare at me mysteriously;

And I wonder

How can I not help but

Be in love with you?

My Favorite Place

Of your mind, your face,

Your panache, your grace,

The crook of your neck

Is my favorite space.

It tastes so true

Striking the root of my base,

That when you’re gone, I feel,

Damn, I really miss that place…

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

There’s the great pita,

There’s the great white,

One you eat,

The other eats you,

If you haven’t figured that out,

You’re not too bright.

Swaying

In the gentle breeze
And a soft drizzle,
With smooth polka sunlight
Streaming through the foliage,
You and I,
In a red cocoon,
Entangled in an embrace,
An approving twang rang
As our lips touched.
Thoughts and questions?
What need have we for these?
All is bliss, all is bliss.

Peylooshe [1]

It was the penultimate day,
The day before the end,
When we were all,
Destined to cease.


Then
I caught your eye,
And we were lost
In a cascade
Of hair and arms and backs;
In the joy of being
One.


Sounds drowned
People stood still.
We lived a lifetime
Between heartbeats


In that moment.
Freedom didn’t
Come at a price
You waited for me
In the valley of Death
And I gladly rode to my doom
Into your arms.


The world exploded
Around us
But Mother held us in the
Palm of her hands
The world ended,
But we were quite calm
For together
There is no fear,
Just the warmth of a
Peylooshe.


[1] Peylooshe is defined as a state of being in a permanent, warm, comforting, and loving embrace.

Weather-Shether

My room 
Is completely dark at noon,
Massive storm clouds
In the horizon loom.


Are they what
My mind has wrought?
Controlling the weather?
I think not.


For what reason should I
Want my sun be blot?


The earthy smell
Of the rain.
Washes away a
Very human pain.


Pitter, patter
Pitter, patter
All your shackles,
I’ve come to shatter.


The rain you see
Is really me,
It’s only my arms,
That will set you free.