Thrice Born

Cocooned in the womb, throbbing with life,

Living in the darkness, fearing midwife's knife,

I was safe and sound, whats with all this pushing and shoving?

Am I being abandoned and cut off, by a mother that was once loving?     

Clutching to her fingers, I now explore and play,

Restricted to my haven, life is sheltered each day,

I've been taught all the tricks, can I fly is on my mind?

Am I being pushed out of the nest, by a mother that was once kind?

Betrothed to a mate, I now have strength for two,

I've started thinking beyond myself- about my family too,

The home was my world, and now all the worlds a stage?

Am I being sent on The Fools Quest, by a mother that was once sage?

I'm getting weary of this dying, at each step of the path,

But I'll keep offering my head to Shiva, to avoid his wrath!

The Magician - V

The Magician -V 

This is a poem spread across multiple pages. Please read in order. Please click on links below to read the earlier passages from the poem.

The Fool - I.
The Fool - II.
The Fool - III.
The Fool - IV.
The Fool - V.
The Fool - VI.
The Fool - VII.
The Fool - VIII.
The Fool - IX.
The Fool - X.
The Fool - XI. 
The Fool-XII. 
The Magician-I.  
The Magician -II 
The Magician -III
The Magician -IV



The Magician pushes the Fool to take charge,
highlighting the glory that is writ large,
on the one who brings the Grail to the King,
and once and for all an end to the war bring.
Conjuring visions of drinking from the Grail,
the Magician hopes to move further along the tale
the lure of eternal life enough in his view
to make the Fool pine for the quest - only few
who were fool enough could trade this life for eternity,
and this fool was ready to risk his one life- what temerity. 
If the reward of an eternal life was not enough to move the fool
The Magician had another trick up his sleeve-  another tool
If he could stitch the fool together and make him whole again,
if not firmly on his side, he could also inflict some pain.

Threatening to take him back to that initial state,
The Magician played on his fears, his certain fate
of getting injured critically while attempting the second leap
and never finding out how strong was his conviction deep.
If abandoning the quest, the deserters have to face censure
that the Fool understood this much, the Magician made sure.
If his words could heal and make the Fool stand back on his feet,
the same words could scorch and bite and probably bleed
Bleed to death as the Fool lies helpless and alone,
paying appropriately for a sin he did not atone.
The sin of not toeing the Magician’s line,
having a deserter label was a hideous crime.
Caught in a bind between the eternal life and infamy
The Fool has taken more than he can chew- a double whammy.

And yet he is foolish enough, not to be lured by riches or threats,
this quest he is on, is more than blood and sweats,
If he moves ahead its because of the visions that haunt him,
a world that is suffering, that is desolate and grim
and can become better if the Grail is found
and everyone can drink, with joy abound.
These used to move him, now that dream is a bit shaken
and playing on his insecurities, the Magician has taken,
a much more prominent role in his life
he is a mentor, a motivator, a friend, a guide.
The Fool now ventures forth to please the master,
that he may keep his head high, and fly faster,
and reach this pinnacles that others only dream of
he is no longer an original- he’s the Magician’s spin-off

The Magician has spun a yarn for the fool,
a story where he is nothing more than a tool
in the service of the king- finding Grail his duty,
and if he fails in the quest, he better face fury
not of the King, nor the Magician’s wrath,
but be buried under the weight of the wreath
placed on his soul, as he dies by shame and guilt,
that he couldn’t end the war,  that he wasn’t built
strong enough to bear the weight of the quest
preferring instead to while his days away and rest.
The Magician’ magic has worked, he doesn’t need
to taunt the fool anymore, the fool doesn’t heed
what is being said overtly, he now can hear a small voice within
that doesn’t want to let down others and instead wants to win.

Oh, the trickster, he thought his job was finally done
But if there was a doubting Thomas, our fool was one
Not fully convinced by this narrative of duty or pride
The fool kept vacillating, knowing this was no joyride
A quest such as this would be tiresome at best,
meaningless, futile, mission accomplished, what next?
To move him beyond doubts, the Magician simply said,
you have a choice whether to be on the side of good or bad
The end of quest is good, the Holy Grail an enabler of life
the continuation of quest is bad, a situation filled with strife
by ending this quest and bringing heaven on earth
you will be instrumental in abolishing any scarcity and dearth.
There is no pressure, no coercion, just make up your mind
make an informed choice, don’t keep acting blind.

The fool was taken aback, it was time to acknowledge the facts
not all of him, but a large part of him was already on the quest,
The magician need not push him, not verbally, nor from the cliff
he was already looking forward to the fall, the neck stiff,
Not for the king, not for the trickster, Not for glory, nor infamy,
neither for riches, nor eternal life, nor for wiping the blot of guilty
his only drive currently seemed to be how he was on the side of the good
ending the war, getting the grail, letting everyone drink- a modern Robinhood.
How this quest was what defined what he was,
how he could now face himself in either mirror or glass
Going on quests is what fools choose to do
if its upto me- count me in too.
I no longer need the Magician, I am ready to fly
I have made my choice and I know why. 

The Magician - IV

The Magician - IV

This is a poem spread across multiple pages. Please read in order. Please click on links below to read the earlier passages from the poem.

The Fool - I.
The Fool - II.
The Fool - III.
The Fool - IV.
The Fool - V.
The Fool - VI.
The Fool - VII.
The Fool - VIII.
The Fool - IX.
The Fool - X.
The Fool - XI. 
The Fool-XII. 
The Magician-I.  
The Magician -II 
The Magician -III


The Magician’s plan is simple, elegant and strong,
He’s so full of himself- he can’t be obviously wrong;
to transfer his confidence to the shaken fool asap,
no need to teach flying- or how to fall on one's back.
these things don’t matter, what counts is the faith,
just believe that you can fly- is what the Magician say’th.
Should we remind the Magician that when the Fool first leapt,
he did believe in flying, and in promises kept.
He believed with his heart that he could fly if need be
and to keep his promise, he paid a big fee.
Knowing that he may die, he still took the leap,
and broke his neck as he fell down deep.
Did we just say he knew, he could die while jumping ,
Oh he had doubt, he didn’t believe, the Magicians winging.

This time with the help of Magician’s spell,
he will truly believe in flying, of enduring hell,
but continuing on his path, as if made of feathers,
or becoming a man of steel, that all storm weathers,
gently drifting in the wind, or taking off like a plane,
he will defy gravity and continue flying in the lane.
This time would be different , he’ll leverage the power of belief
and taking a cue from Magician, hurl himself down a cliff steep.
If the Magician can create a illusion that is sufficiently strong,
That he himself has flown in past and that too wide and long,
and maybe make the fool believe that learning flying is a song
That its Ok to jump from hills - risking life is nothing wrong,
Then we know our Fool enough so as to rightly predict
that instead of the recuperation he needs, he’ll go for the kick.

For the Fool is impatient, though lost and shaken too,
he knows he needs rest and healing, but isn’t he driven to
strive for the Holy Grail - even if it makes his life a living hell,
to serve the king and the knights in arms, till he hears his death knell,
is a mission he has chosen for himself, and the Magician approves with glee,
once he has brought the Grail to the King, he can rot in hell, he is free.
For now he must get his act together, and take care of his broken neck,
if only in the service of the quest, he is thinking about himself - oh heck!
For a change he wants to make himself strong, and focus first on the self,
he wants to heal and be able to heal and like Magician have some power and pelf.
Power to end the quest and money to keep fighting,
he needs to pull all stops, he can see on the wall the writing,
If he has to jump again, and about this we can be doubly sure,
he now gets it totally- that not everything works if intentions are pure.

You need cunning and vile to just survive,
and if you want to make a mark, remain alive,
you have to wring some facts, make some fiction real,
like a broken neck can be fixed in a jiffy dear.
But that is what the Magician managed to do,
breathed life into the fool - reignited his bravado.
Making him believe, this time would be different,
was not an easy task, the Fool was a bit diffident,
he wasn’t sure this time he was ready or capable
and wanted to jump with the safety of a cable.
But the Magician made him think about his glory
sitting atop the hill, how powerful was his story,
and how wonderful it will feel finally being able to fly
how he’ll be the first one- about this he didn’t lie.

For the Magician has flown, but only a sprint,
a marathon flying will be the Fool’s sole province,
To fly till moon and back and then some more,
is the Magician’s promise - his offering core.
There are things one can do and there are things one can teach,
there are things one must endure- chose your cross well each.
Only the Fool can fly all hog - if the Magician could, he would,
The Fool will enjoy the glory, forgetting the Magician who stood
in his time of need and made him dream beyond what was possible
martyr, Messiah or god- the fool has to look beyond the gospel,
and chose for himself a role that could successfully end the quest
if the story needs a hero, step up, else on the sidelines be a guest.
The Magician will take care well of this guest, and endure this lonely night
and wait for the morning some fool agrees, to jump and fly with all his might.

The Magician - II

 

This is a poem spread across multiple pages. Please read in order. Please click on links below to read the earlier passages from the poem.

The Fool - I.
The Fool - II.
The Fool - III.
The Fool - IV.
The Fool - V.
The Fool - VI.
The Fool - VII.
The Fool - VIII.
The Fool - IX.
The Fool - X.
The Fool - XI. 
The Fool-XII. 
The Magician-I. 

Don’t tell us like the Fool, the Magician can fall,
if they all keep failing, who will answer the call,
the hero’s call of adventure, and unrelenting fun
more light-hearted perhaps they can easily run
the grim distance to be covered, for the quest to end
but how to cover it alone - everyone is at wits end!
How about a relay of sorts, let the baton be passed,
Let the Magician take over, from when the Fool passed.
Let the Fool rest for a while, let the Magician hog the light,
Anyway magicians are a better bet, few fools are ever right.
The Fool has completed his job, that of initiating the quest
The Magician is more than capable of finishing the rest.
Or is he as strong as he appears- is it not all but a grand projection?
isn’t it his tricks that make it seem- that the roots didn't lay in rejection.

Scorned by love, and dismissed by life
not measuring in his own eyes, belittled by wife
The Magician lived a dual life - one in which he ruled
and in the other felt powerless, helpless and doomed
While to the world he could lift mountains, or make them disappear
his inner world consisted, of constant anxiety and fear,
Fear of being discovered, fear of being a fraud,
of not getting standing ovations, of not getting applaud
this was his chance to shine - or so we would like to convince him
but remember he’s no fool, its not easy for us to con him
Only if there is genuinely something in it, for the magician’s pride
can we hope to enlist him - and take him for a ride.
For this will be a ride to remember, revealing to Magician his fate
whether he’s a common trickster or a man with extraordinary sleight!

For sleight of hand is not enough, in what he needs to do
He needs to put together the Fool again, reignite his bravado
Once shaken and stirred, its not easy to gain composure,
But isn't this the Magician’s forte, isn't it as per his stature!
He’s renowned for calm under duress, and for rejoining in flash
the people that have been disembodied, broken in spirit and flesh
broken to the point, where the quest seems meaningless,
will he rekindle their fires - let’s hope- God bless
the Magician for agreeing, to heal the Fool,
he’s really in charge here, the Mr Cool,
he can heal whats broken, or so he thinks,
hasn't healed himself in years, God he stinks!
Let the healing begin from self, Magician heal thyself
Let the journey start afresh, let the past be damned!

The burden of past, the shame of withdrawing from it all,
hiding behind a facade, appearing majestic and tall
The Magician is in a quandary- whom he attend at first,
The Fool and his broken arm, or look inward in disgust
and come up to terms with what he couldn't achieve earlier,
but given this second chance, can redeem and overcome fear
of being who he is- a common and ordinarily resilient man
no magician or superhero- nor Robin nor Batman!
Who’s apprentice and who’s master only time will tell
for now let the Magician tend to Fool, who so recklessly fell
and broke his arm, but more his drive to succeed,
now if he can get out of bed, that is miracle indeed
Each morning the pain of not getting up charged
drys up his resolve- leaves him parched.

If the Fool has called it quits, the Magician is resolved
he wants to heal the fool, make him anew in his mould
make him strong to last the path, that is bound to be rough
make him tall and majestic, and like the Magician tough.
If deception is what makes you win, so be it
if trickery does the trick, lets use it!
Lets trick the Fool - he’s still strong and intact.
Lets trick the Magician - he’s doing some act
that is noble and redeeming, that can overcome his sins-
by fooling the duo, we, the people, wins.
and let the Magician trick the Fool, as to his capabilities and charm
as long as everything moves the quest, theres no harm
before the fool can be deceived as to the Magician’s craft
the Magician needs to be comfortable with his art!

For only by deceiving oneself, can one hope to convince
and make the Fool ready for quest, no qualms, without wince
the Magician needs to create, a story about his self worth
that being a magician and healing- is by itself worth
healing the people who are broken from the ordinariness of life
and broken from the extraordinary stressors, the traumas, the strife
for everyone, the Magician, has something in his magic box,
delighting everyone with their favourites- oh the cunning fox
he knows what smells you like, what perfumes you spray,
he can make you believe as if he is the hopeful ray
who can see through your facades and still not use it against you
but entertain and heal, and create a fantasy world new
where you forget your pain, for a moment or two
and get drawn in his world, like a glue.