Poems on Sale

From a whole sale market at chawari Bazar

I took a good stock of poems of fine quality

Some poems were very long like Qutub Minar

A few were as mazy as Jantar Mantar in C.P.

There were grand pieces like splendid Red Fort

And some were as old as Ugrasen Ki Bawali

A few rivalled the gorgeous Taj Mahal of Agra

Some short, some medium, and some were hot

A well-built man approached me with a grim look

Had come to buy the longest poem of the world

Showed him the one that I too didn't read before

Asked me to tell him something about the stuff

I groped for words, the guy got suspicious of me

How dare you sold the fake poems you know not

Threatened to book me if I didn't sell them cheap

I gave him two wee poems free and sold one long

A vegetable vendor stopped, asked about poems

When heard the rates of poems , began to bargain

Eager to buy poems at rates he sold the reddish

Tried to convince him about the value of poems

How the reddish tasted not as the beautiful verses

He didn't fall for my game , asked how they tasted

Some poems could evoke love in anyone's heart

A long poem would ignite sound sleep in the bed

A tiny poem tastes more than a banana in mouth

Other would make you feel like you drank Coco water

He gave a huge laugh, and told what rubbish I talked

Without eating up how one could taste anything at all

My all vegetables tasted good , guys returned to buy

Sold him two veggie poems in return for a fat pumpkin

A moody lady came , wondered at what I sold there

Got interested in mazy poems which intrigued her

When asked about rate , she gave me a fifty rupee note

I sold her the greatest mazy poem and she lost her way

An old guy looked tired , but wanted to buy fine poems

He told his home was not like a home for him no more

He picked up the poem , and he felt like the Red Fort

I carried on the sale , and guys kept buying the poems

Various were the poems to sale, various were people

Guys flocked to buy the poems, what a bumper sale !

Wondered how poetry looked glamorous in the world

How people began to buy poems puzzled my nerves

I was on the high pitch now " poems on sale, poems ..."

My wife woke me up " God, how loud noises you make ! "

© Harish Mamgain