Dr B. Varalakshmi is a Reader in English, Government College for Women, Guntur. She is one of the Andhra Pradesh State Resource persons for imparting training in CLT techniques to lecturers. She received State Best Teacher Award in 2007. She considers teaching an excellent avocation and vocation to realize her ambition of knowledge-sharing as a means of bettering the world.

29. Title

My mama says, my papa rhymes and my masters all sing:

"Be Smart…

Walk straight….

Sport a smile ….

Beam confidence---and the world is there for you to WIN!"

If I am a goody goody parrot ,

I'll repeat "I'll be Smart…

Walk straight….

Sport a smile ….

Beam confidence---and the world is there for Me to WIN!"

But-- but-but-- I have a little voice inside ,

Which sqeaks some small Qs

for my mama, papa and all my masters

" What is to 'be smart'

Walk straight….

Sport a smile ….

Beam confidence-bla bla bla ?

And why should I WIN the WORLD ?'

The WORLD is so BIG and --

Where can I keep my TROPHY ?"

30. When Tables Turned

Gurus are always wise and right:

"Close Your Eyes,

Stretch your palms

Plead Her with all your Heart

And The Mother will Fulfil all your Wants..

If a flower drops into your palms- your wish is granted!"

[How wonderful is the goddess

She gives like a mother,

But never nags like my mom!]

"O Mother-You are Omnipotent

My list of Wants is in My Documents folder..

There's no hurry,

Please grant one wish after another

But I MUST meet Nina at the Café-

If you PLEASE bless me with a good OMEN

A flower,.. a petal-my job is done!!

"Mother , Mother, what's this?

A list of wants ?

For what"

"…………."

"FOR WHAT" [can beggars give alms !!]

"For what I Want"--

"Hey-YOU WANT ?

You are the Mother!

You are the Giver, The Bearer,

What's wanting ?"

[My Guru never said the tables would turn?

Now I get this doubt-

Are they always wise and ..?]

"Yes, I WANT.

I TOO WANT!...

You're right, I Am the Mother, the Giver..

I Want so that you maynot Want

I Want Air to let you breathe

I Want Water to quench your thirst

I Want Land to feed and shelter

I Want Perfect Matter to let you Grow beyond"

"--------?--------?---------"

"I cough and smart and sweat all year round,

There's no oil inmy bones,

My throat is dry,

My skin is blistered

My lungs are sooty

What nectar can my pesticidy milk give ?"

"--- !!!--- !!!----."

God bless me , I found my Voice,

My services in the Green Peace Movement

My soft corner for my fellow planeteers

Has made me luckier than my Guru!

"Mother, beyond the narrow Domestic walls

We see you- Our Mother

No Bharat, No Burma

No U.S, No UK..

NO Victors, No vanquished

NO I World, II World and III World for us

We see your one eye bleed when another prides

We see you sweat, wither and cough..

.. under the warmblanket..the carbon umbrella.

We too Want what you Want…

Mother… Mother..You Shall NOT WANT!

We're the answer to your sigh!

We see no East Versus West

We see no Matter Versus Spirit

We see no Man Versus Nature.

Mother!

We Know no Heaven beyond your soothing arms

We WILL Restore your cool Ice Caps and Evergreen forests..

We are your Present-

Y/Our Bright Future.

Sweet Mother, We will work

More than Gandhis or Lincolns or Mandelas,

Universal Mother-

We are the change we have been waiting for,

We are the ones You have been looking for,.."

Twice Lucky am I, ..

For now a gentle flower dropped into my palms.