Women have potential and equal rights

Agnodice had to cut her hair short,

to match a smart young Greek lad

couldn't trust own get up in d' mirror,

looked utterly decent, not at all bad

Girls, forbidden to study medicine,

in ancient Greece, the statutes firm

entered d' Medical school as a man,

to complete her medical curriculum

While walking the streets of Athens,

she heard d' cry of a woman in labor

writhing with pain, yet refused d' help,

though she was a full-fledged doctor

She wanted Agnodice not to touch her,

as she assumed he was an adult man

how to assure, get up matters d' least,

in reality, she's not male, but a woman

In isolation, she removed her clothes,

proved to her that she was a woman

and permitted to conduct the delivery

things went smoothly, with little pain

This event spread among the women,

approached by d' women who fell sick

her fame fanned out fast far and wide,

d' envious male Drs accused Agnodice

Must be seducing d' female patients,

she was inferred as a usual male Dr.

but got shocked, once they gathered,

the information about her true gender

Brought before d' court on this charge,

persuading women to an illegal relation

polygamy treated as a serious crime,

shatters d' family harmony & relation

After d' trial awarded a death sentence,

revealed she was a woman, not a man

be exempted from capital punishment,

d' charges null and void, she's a woman

This time, again sentenced to death,

for studying and practicing medicine

strict prohibition for females to study,

it's a punishable crime, a shameful sin

The message spread fast like wildfire,

women, even wives of judges revolted

disgusted with the injustice to females,

to serve humanity why be prevented

Few threatened if Agnodice was killed,

they would go to their deaths with her

won't withstand d' inequity of gender,

intolerable, unacceptable, and unfair

Mammoth pressure built up on judges,

was copious to lift Agnodice's sentence

from then on, women were allowed to

practice medicine, no gender prejudice

She made a glaring mark in history, as

the 1st female doctor and gynecologist

the gender mask was dropped, proved

women have potential and equal rights

A splendid Christmas reunion

 

Their heart got shattered to see

d' dilapidated church, old, broken

needed piles of work to set it right,

on Merry Christmas Eve to reopen

The brand-new pastor and his wife,

for them, it's their first assignment

to reopen it in suburban Brooklyn,

and celebrate the Christmas events

 

Set foot early in October, excited

about their opportunities to prove

truly tough, a go-insane project,

yet wished to be on the move 

A goal, set to finish by Dec 18th,

to have everything done in time

pews repair, the roof renovation,

and d' wall plastering and painting

Luckily did it ahead of d’ schedule

jubilated, it's about to be finished

but on d’ 19th of Dec, the tempest,

one driving rainstorm, horribly hit

 

It continued for a couple of days,

then the disaster, seen subsiding

with a sunk heart the pastor went

round the church d' next morning

D' roof leaked badly, from d' wall,

 fell off a lofty patch of plaster

d' front wall looked utterly shabby,

the floor flooded with filthy water

 

Cleaned up d' mess on the floor,

knew not what else to be done

deferred d' Christmas Eve service,

utterly upset and headed home

On the way saw an open market,

second-hand articles on a trolley

one of d' items drew his attention

a crocheted tablecloth looked lovely

 

Ivory-colored, with exquisite work,

handmade and cross embroidered

a charity sale, of just the right size

the front wall patch, to be covered

He thought for a while, bought it,

at once headed back to the church

couldn't solve d' mess, was in dark,

but did locate a path with little effort

 

Windy weather, it began to snow,

an older woman missed her bus

the pastor invited her to d' church,

to wait there till d' next bus comes

Was on his job, got a ladder, hangers,

to put up the cloth as a wall tapestry

hard to believe, so lovely it looked,

the oddity masked as if a mystery

 

D' woman got up and walked down

d' center aisle, absolutely startled

where did you get that tablecloth?

the eagerness her gesture revealed

Please check d' lower right corner

is an EBG crocheted into it there?

and d' initials embroidered in bold,

I darned it, in Austria, before 35 yrs.

 

The pastor narrated how he got it,

so suitable, so decent a tablecloth

we, d' well-to-do people in Austria,

had no fault but faced d' war havoc

D' Nazis came, and we had to leave,

d' next wk. to follow, was my husband

but he got captured, sent to d’ prison,

and then I haven't seen him once again

 

Live on d' east side of Staten Island,

came for a house cleaning job here

d' pastor urged her to drive home,

but she politely declined the offer

At least do carry your tablecloth,

the memorable precious belonging

for d' church, to mend the muddle,

it'll prove to be d' most suited thing

 

A superb show on d' Christmas Eve,

too pleasing, the church almost full

the carol tune was great, at d' door

the pastor couple greeted d' people

A senior man from d' neighborhood,

sat in one of d' pews, steadily stared 

in no frame of mind to leave at all,

he asked from where it was acquired

 

He pointed d' index finger towards

d' table cloth, hung on d' front wall

yrs. ago my wife hemmed a lovely

one, it precisely seemed identical

We lived in Austria before d' war,

leading a congenial conjugal life

Nazis invaded, the atrocity began,

to flee for safety, I forced my wife

Never saw my wife or home again,

since then, by now, it's 35 yrs. over

but just unable to imagine the fact,

d’ artistic pursuits could be so similar

 

Do permit me to take you for a ride,

drove to Staten Island, d' same place

had taken the lady three days earlier,

and helped him climb d' flight of steps

On 3rd floor, he knocked on a door,

and d' ajar doors did leniently open

a catchy meet at a gap of 35 yrs.

incredible to watch,

a splendid Christmas reunion

Be prolific, stretch other latent capabilities

After a tedious hunt in d' market,

lastly found up to d' satisfaction

certain to buy two red clay pots,

fascinating and fit for irrigation

 

Water dribbled from one of them,

maybe from some hidden hole

carefully chosen, yet an ill luck

kept the anguish under control

 

Carried water in those clay pots

from the pond for the watering

the erring pot poured out water

as a routine was too annoying

 

The pot identified its own flaw,

collating with the counterpart

and felt ignoble and talentless

had no reason to behave smart

 

The pristine pot felt too elated,

for water loss teased the other

times & again tried to remind it,

the value of the precious water

 

One day it insisted to d' master,

can stand the spillage no more

no more want to get humiliated,

discard me and go for one better

 

The farmer gave a gentle smile,

and ignored d' pot's resentment

from d' pondside up to our farm,

did you see the way so decent?

 

While back on down d' road, saw

fresh flower bloom on both sides

you spilled water, they sprouted,

flourished, and you never realized

 

To sustain life, d' secret-spilling,

auspicious for their propagation

you felt so sad about d' leakage,

can't discard it's no valid reason

 

Don't be sad if a wrong detected,

discover d' positive points in us

set aside ill luck, try your talent,

help often offered using d' flaws

 

Change the spell out of victory,

all blessed with varied abilities

if you lack somewhere, be prolific,

stretch other latent capabilities

The unpleasant uproar they create

 

The aroma percolated in d' air,

d' biryani is ready, it asserted,

d' crowd gathered  for d' party,

before devouring felt satisfied

One renowned chef cooked it,

famous for his cooking resolve

all ardent to have a taste of it,

their mediocre satiety to solve

 

Exceeding 100 guys got served,

and as set to take their first bite

d' chef came out and disclosed,

a small stone I missed, left in it

Its color & size same as d' rice,

strenuous for me to find it out

take care while eating d' stuff,

don't hurt your teeth and shout

 

D' flavor of biryani, just superb,

truly delicious and tasted great

but d' fun of eating was missing,

d' least curiosity paid to d' taste

Folks had it in silence, finished,

till d' last bite over, felt nervous

no talks, no gossip/fun observed,

d' diners turned extra conscious

 

Finished d' meal, sighed in relief,

felt blessed,  not to get d' stone

washed d' hands, began tattling,

d' offender stone found by none

Party ended, they called d' chef,

one of us would've got, as u told

but no one got it, simply strange,

no untoward event ever unfold

 

Chef told, picked up most of them

but if one might be left by mistake

so I wished to forewarn u people,

if ignorant, your teeth be at stake

All started looking at each other,

no talk about d' delicious biryani

exhausted after such a tense meal,

left feebly, it appeared too funny

 

Life just an extra amazing biryani,

unable to relish it to d' full extent

marred for a few hidden pebbles,

superb, yet we never compliment

Exceptional delicacy well aware,

love it, taken aback by the taste

but scared of d' hidden obstacles

and

d' unpleasant uproar they create

Worthy of a divine approximation

Love to see it each morning,

d' same odd scene repeating

a life event around me, just as

a yoga drill, skipping/ jugging

 

The elderly guy never fails,

does arrive at a steady pace

and picks up d' fallen flowers,

in a mini basket, caringly place

 

As if ready to visit the temple,

in neat attires, looks virtuous

recites hymns, his voice unclear,

d' routine affair made me curious

 

One morning I waited for him,

bent on to put my snoopiness to rest

gently asked, daily I see u pick up

d' stale flowers, unable to digest

 

All pluck fresh flowers only,

u gather d' fallen ones from d' ground

what do you do with those?

tried my best, no answer I found

 

Offer those at d' feet of d' deities

at home, in our tiny family temple

fallen ones to God? tell me further,

d' logic unclear, not understandable

 

News to me from the ground,

the withered flowers gathered

when d' fresh ones yet available,

why d' fallen flowers do you offer?

 

I help those fulfill their kin desire

to be with God in their last moment

they too have, a life like ours, and

it would be their best bestowment

 

Some pluck d' freshly blossomed,

few nip even d' un-bloomed buds

not let to release their fragrance,

no chance ever to be with d' God

 

All wish to grasp what is beautiful,

snatch away d' beauty of d' plants

turn those lusterless and deserted,

let aside d' destiny of fallen flowers

 

They deserve to be with d' God,

it ought to be their prime purpose

if plucked while still on d' plants,

made use of in one decent locus

 

It's no fault of the flower, it fell off

a different way goes my thought

penalized so harshly for nothing,

get detached from d' plant and rot

 

Going for the ignored fallen ones,

I derive delight and peace of mind

not able to help d' old age people,

at least to d' flowers can be li'l kind

 

Others ought to try it too, I nodded,

smiled and wished him all the best

resumed the running spree ahead,

but my mind raced at a faster pace

 

New inspiration, an amazing idea,

to gather fallen flowers for worship

on d' way back found a hibiscus tree,

could see a few flowers fall under it

 

As I bent down to pick those up,

fallen ones to God? you can't offer

mom scolded from inside my mind,

hesitant hands obeyed her order

 

D' feeling, devotion linked to God,

mom's words, mind got altercated

but d' turmoil subsided after a while,

I continued to pick up d' neglected

 

Placed those on my pulpy palms,

instantly cropped up goosebumps

heart restlessly started to gallop,

it's entirely a different kind of love

 

Brought those home, cleaned,

put at the feet of d' Lord,

their deserved position

as if lifting d' down-trodden,

d' neglected and poverty-stricken

 

 

Rescued d' souls out of misery

an amazing ordeal,

sensed their untold obligation

a satisfying feel

 

Vowed to carry on d' act

lift d' fallen, below our stature

d' uncared for, d' neglected,

and make their life better

Be it a human, animal, bird

or life in any other form

why not the detached flowers

worthy of a divine approximation