Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Ms Buffalo & Dr Crow - Repeat Telecast

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Today is Sunday here, whatever Blogger-Clocker may say. And Sunday being our Sabbath when no secular work can be done (only religious and devotional work permitted) I decided to post a 15-year-old string of comic verses that may be new to some of you.

These were 'commissioned' by my son when he was in Class X and his English Ma'm asked them to write a Poem parodying Vikram Seth's 'Frog & the Nightingale' which was in their text. In spite of strict admonition not to 'outsource' the Home Assignments to their parents, everyone did it. They were read out in the class by Monobina Nanda, Sonoo's classmate...she had a good reading voice.

Here it is:


Ms. Buffalo and Dr. Crow


Once upon a time a Ms. Buffalo
Lay ruminating on a cheerful meadow.
The sun was slowly sinking in the west
And peace and drowsiness reigned in her breast.

Soon she heard bells, drum beats and songs
And there was a white cow with decorated horns.
Such pangs of jealousy in her heart grew
That Ms. Buffalo could no more chew.

“Oh, they adore her as the Goddess of Wealth
While taunting me as the Vehicle of Death!
Why! Her milk has no more protein
Nor my manure any less methane.

Yet laws get passed against her slaughter
As if she solely were the Nation’s daughter.”
Oh! How such thoughts did rack and rack!
Till a supple crow landed on her back.

The crow pecked and pecked at every tick
That Ms. Buffalo’s tongue could not lick;
Ticks that her long tail could not flick
And ticks that her strong legs could not kick.

“You are such a wonder, oh! Dr. Crow!
How you care for a poor buffalo!
No doubt you have had your fill
Without having to pay any bill.

You are truly the bird with the brains
Pray do something to allay my pains.”
Listening to Ms. Buffalo’s tale of woe,
“Come to my chambers”, said Dr. Crow;

“Yours is a strange case one in a million,
Whoever heard of a buffalo in depression?
What you need is prolonged counseling,
For each session I charge but a shilling.”

“You should get over such negative feelings”,
Said Dr. Crow in successive sittings,
“That the cow is so white while you are jet black,
Study my color; do I ever crack?

What you need is an uplifting motto,
Let ‘Black is Beautiful’ be etched on your photo.
Wallowing in mud’s no doubt a great hobby
But just consider what it does to your body!

No doubt your dream is to excel in cat-walk
But first thing to do is to reduce your bulk.
With four stomachs each loaded with cellulose
Why! You’ve quite a few tons to loose.

Vegetarianism is a mere food fad,
Look, for my tummy, nothing is bad.
You need also polish up your song
If you wish to be Miss World ere long.

A teacher is booked for my forthcoming son,
You two can sing duets; that would be fun!
Nothing can give greater nonchalance
Than, of course, a decent bank balance.

Collect spoons and ladles, coins and all
For a confirmed klepto nothing is too small.
But live starkly lest the CBI get a fix;
Look at my nest, it is just a cluster of sticks.

Plan your family, with a one-son norm
Unless you want to lose all shape and form.
Look, we keep but one egg in our nest
(Don’t tell my wife that I threw down the rest).

You might consider it a bit too early
But I’ve booked Agarwal, Brilliant and Master JEE.
Buffaloes and crows are alike these days
All of us enter into the same rat race.

Cheer up, Ms. Buffalo and pay up my money
For, I’ve taught you how to master your Destiny”.
The talks of Dr. Crow so gladdened her heart
With all her savings did Ms. Buffalo part.

But next time she went by the Doctor’s gate
Surprised was she to find him in a state;
“What’s wrong, Doc? Why are you down?
Your fine brow is lined with a frown”.

“My wife”, said Dr. Crow, “is mentally ill
Never had I to face up to such an evil.
How jolly was she when the chick came through!
Called in her friends; they all crew and crew.

She pampered her son till he went ‘cuckoo, cuckoo’
When suddenly into a rage her tempers flew.
She kicked up a row that her son was no crow.
In vain did I plead that I wasn’t in the know.

‘Foul play!’ she cried and kicked us out,
Consumed her pills and soon passed out.
A cuckoo may be dumb, but listen to her song!
I could have cashed on it all day long.

Haven’t you heard of the Frog and the Nightingale?
A crow’s wits any day can turn a frog pale.
But have you ever heard of a wife listen to her male?”
Ah, that is the end of Dr. Crow’s sad tale.


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2 comments:

Varun N. Achar said...

Just brilliant! Why, you've even pulled a little Ogden Nash there with "crew"!

G P Sastry (gps1943@yahoo.com) said...

Varun is simply charming and even-handed. And thanx!

But 'crew' is listed in online Webster:

"chiefly British past of crow".

Also we have the King James Version of Holy Bible:

Mark: 14:

"[72] And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept."

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/mark-kjv.html






...Posted by Ishani

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