For many a long years, sans, any pain or despair
I tried and tried again, to build a castle, in the air
For bricks, I sought to use, dreams of mine, which soared
And them, to firmly cement, unswerving hope, I poured
But each time, the castle, would crumble to the floor
And it seemed to require, a tinge of something more
Early, one beautiful morn, upon building a castle, tall
To my surprise, I discovered, that this one, did not fall
As high above, it hovered, I couldn’t help but wonder
Why did this castle, endure, when others fell asunder?
Suddenly, upon me it dawned, why I had finally, prevailed
For, to add ample labour in the blend, I had, hitherto failed
-Kartik Shastry
Gone astray in the desert,
Perishing of hunger and thirst
On a quest for deliverance,
In a place so desolately cursed
I happened to come across,
Half buried in the sand
A lamp of gleaming gold,
Which I stroked with my hand
And from within, arose a Djinn,
Heralded by a few swishes
Terrifyingly, to me, bellowing,
‘Master you have three wishes!’
Pretending to seem unperturbed,
I sternly said aloud
‘Djinn, at once, cure my famish’,
To which he merely bowed
Lo! I found, before me,
A feast and a beautiful Oasis around
I drank and ate to my heart’s content,
As the Djinn stood sans a sound
Then for my second I wished,
To be conveyed to the nearest city
Though I noticed the Djinn’s eyes,
Replete with puzzlement and pity
The very next instant transformed,
My dismal surroundings utterly, I found
As I Stood in the heart of a metropolis,
Which, did not fail, to greatly astound
As I stirred, to make a wish,
This one, my third and last
I was interrupted by the Djinn,
For a question, he politely asked
“Why, when dear Master,
Anything, you could have sought
Did you wish for a mere banquet and,
For yourself, to a city, to be brought?”
Reflecting over his query,
I said “Djinn! Quit trying to Balk!
Now, grant me three more wishes,
Then, maybe, we’ll talk”
-Kartik Shastry
