Army Headquarters by Rudyard Kipling
Ahasuerus Jenkins of the “Operatic Own,” Was dowered with a tenor voice of super-Santley tone. His views on equitation were, perhaps, a trifle queer. He had no seat worth mentioning, but oh! he had an ear. He clubbed his wretched company a dozen times a day; He used to quit his charger in a parabolic […]
Arithmetic on the Frontier by Rudyard Kipling
A great and glorious thing it is To learn, for seven years or so, The Lord knows what of that and this, Ere reckoned fit to face the foe — The flying bullet down the Pass, That whistles clear: “All flesh is grass.” Three hundred pounds per annum spent On making brain and body meeter […]
An Imperial Rescript by Rudyard Kipling
Now this is the tale of the Council the German Kaiser decreed, To ease the strong of their burden, to help the weak in their need, He sent a word to the peoples, who struggle, and pant, and sweat, That the straw might be counted fairly and the tally of bricks be set. The Lords […]
A Truthful Song by Rudyard Kipling
THE BRICKLAYER: I tell this tale, which is strictly true, Just by way of convincing you How very little, since things were made, Things have altered in building trade. A year ago, come the middle of March, We was building flats near the Marble Arch, When a thin young man with coal-black hair Came up […]
A Tale of Two Cities by Rudyard Kipling
Where the sober-colored cultivator smiles On his byles; Where the cholera, the cyclone, and the crow Come and go; Where the merchant deals in indigo and tea, Hides and ghi; Where the Babu drops inflammatory hints In his prints; Stands a City — Charnock chose it — packed away Near a Bay — By the […]
A Song of Travel by Rudyard Kipling
Where’s the lamp that Hero lit Once to call Leander home? Equal Time hath shovelled it ‘Neath the wrack of Greece and Rome. Neither wait we any more That worn sail which Argo bore. Dust and dust of ashes close All the Vestal Virgin’s care; And the oldest altar shows But an older darkness there. […]
A Song of the White Men by Rudyard Kipling
1899 Now, this is the cup the White Men drink When they go to right a wrong, And that is the cup of the old world’s hate– Cruel and strained and strong. We have drunk that cup–and a bitter, bitter cup– And tossed the dregs away. But well for the world when the White Men […]
A Song of the English by Rudyard Kipling
Fair is our lot — O goodly is our heritage! (Humble ye, my people, and be fearful in your mirth!) For the Lord our God Most High He hath made the deep as dry, He hath smote for us a pathway to the ends of all the Earth! Yea, though we sinned — and our […]
A Song of Kabir by Rudyard Kipling
Oh, light was the world that he weighed in his hands! Oh, heavy the tale of his fiefs and his lands! He has gone from the guddee and put on the shroud, And departed in guise of bairagi avowed! Now the white road to Delhi is mat for his feet. The sal and the kikar […]
A Song In Storm by Rudyard Kipling
Be well assured that on our side The abiding oceans fight, Though headlong wind and heaping tide Make us their sport to-night. By force of weather, not of war, In jeopardy we steer. Then welcome Fate’s discourtesy Whereby it shall appear How in all time of our distress, And our deliverance too, The game is […]
A Song at Cock-Crow by Rudyard Kipling
The first time that Peter denied his Lord He shrank from the cudgel, the scourge and the cord, But followed far off to see what they would do, Till the cock crew–till the cock crew– After Gethsemane, till the cock crew! The first time that Peter denied his Lord ‘Twas only a maid in the […]
A Recantation by Rudyard Kipling
1917 (To Lyde of the Music Halls) What boots it on the Gods to call? Since, answered or unheard, We perish with the Gods and all Things made–except the Word. Ere certain Fate had touched a heart By fifty years made cold, I judged thee, Lyde, and thy art O’erblown and over-bold. But he–but he, […]
A Nativity by Rudyard Kipling
1914-18 The Babe was laid in the Manger Between the gentle kine — All safe from cold and danger — “But it was not so with mine, (With mine! With mine!) “Is it well with the child, is it well?” The waiting mother prayed. “For I know not how he fell, And I know not […]
A Charm by Rudyard Kipling
Take of English earth as much As either hand may rightly clutch. In the taking of it breathe Prayer for all who lie beneath. Not the great nor well-bespoke, But the mere uncounted folk Of whose life and death is none Report or lamentation. Lay that earth upon thy heart, And thy sickness shall depart! […]
A Carol by Rudyard Kipling
Our Lord Who did the Ox command To kneel to Judah’s King, He binds His frost upon the land To ripen it for Spring — To ripen it for Spring, good sirs, According to His Word. Which well must be as ye can see — And who shall judge the Lord? When we poor fenmen […]
zen: a very short history by Raj Arumugam
dhyana went to China from China Ch’an went to Japan and Japan gave the world Zen Copyright ©: Raj Arumugam ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic and subject. Poetry Monster — the ultimate repository of world poetry. Poetry Monster — the multilingual library of poetic […]
you witness my dying by Raj Arumugam
you witness my dying by Raj Arumugam you witness my dying as you see my life, my hopes and desires and all my embarrassments and my achievements too, dear moon O quiet presence, O radiant presence all one’s life; and what do you look at these days in my life darling moon what do you […]
you are there moon by Raj Arumugam
you are there moon by Raj Arumugam you are there moon; I thought you were not and I went to sleep and I sighed: “She will not come, not tonight; she has some other lover”; and I went to sleep and then much later now I wake up and you’ve come, out there and your […]
word of God by Raj Arumugam
I never speak of God but people keep telling me about God and they keep telling me: This is the Word of God! Or they brandish a Book before me and they say: This is the Final Word of God! But I say: Look, I’ve just had a Revelation; God has just spoken to me; […]
women picking edible plants by Raj Arumugan
a little more haste, neighbor, as we pick edible plants on these slopes of the mountains; the air is fresh and the delicate plants abundant enough though one has to humble oneself by leaning down to these rare ones; we will bring them home and some we can eat fresh and raw and most we […]
what I want to know by Raj Arumugam
what I want to know what I’d really like to know before I drop down dead or crawl into amnesia or alzheimer’s or whatever; what I really want to know (if I can remember it; let me see if I can recall it, refresh please…. try and retrieve it from the backwaters of my mind) […]
what a poet must do by Raj Arumugam
a poet, it is said, must be pure and holy; a poet, it is decreed, must bring truth and clarity; a poet, it is declared, must use words good and sublime; a poet, it is said must choose subjects that are sanctioned and chaste like the moon and stars and butterflies and innocent creatures of […]
was it you, mooon? by Raj Arumugam
was it you, mooon? by Raj Arumugam cold moon I am sad; was it you, distant moon, who made me so tonight? Copyright ©: Raj Arumugam ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic and subject. Poetry Monster — the ultimate repository of world poetry. Poetry Monster […]
The village girl models for the artist, 1904 by Raj Arumugam
You want me to talk, Sir? I’d relax and you can paint better, Sir? Maybe, Sir…maybe, but what shall I say, Sir? For I am not used to talking to important people like you, Sir… Why do you laugh, Sir? It is true, I’m just a girl from the village, Sir attending to Laxmi and […]
The Discovery of the Kama Sutra by Raj Arumugam
Part 1 At the Saint’s Book Store (Singapore, 1970) when I was just 15 and just after a trip to the National Library I saw a slim volume at the Saint’s Book Store (named after a TV series and true to the borrowed name, a second-hand book store) and its spine said: Kama Sutra Now […]
Taking yourself too seriously by Raj Arumugam
OK, granted, you got to take yourself seriously or no one will – but take yourself too seriously and you’re like a cracking statue about to crumble there’s too much really of people running around taking themselves too seriously pushing themselves forward putting their faces to the forefront almost pushing it against other people’s arses […]
sadness from the night by Raj Arumugam
sadness from the night by Raj Arumugam last night as the clouds spread thin breaking like long dry leaves long in the open there was a loneliness; last night as the street lights cast their glow on the walls and their fingertips touched my lips there was a sadness; last night as the cool wind […]
run home, run home butterfly by Raj Arumugam
run home, run home butterfly by Raj Arumugam run home run home butterfly; run run fly fly fly there’s rain and hail and the wind blows wild; what are you doing flitting idly by? run home run home butterfly; run run fly fly fly duck for cover excuse the expression; hide under a tree or […]
Rip van Winkle’s dream by Raj Arumugam
Rip van Winkle’s dream by Raj Arumugam I slept for twenty years comfortably below the tree up in the quiet mountains and all that time I lay in a sleep as deep as before I came to my mother’s womb and yes, I had dreams in those two decades of sleep – but no, I […]
pissed-off cow by Raj Arumugam
pissed-off cow by Raj Arumugam What have you come to admire? says the cow you guys and gals stand around new to the farm you say ah, look at the horses (memories of horse races in the corners of your mind) you look at the lambs and you go soft and sweet; “Oh, how cute,” […]
on our conditioning by Raj Arumugam
on our conditioning by Raj Arumugam there is no seeing, no clear seeing; we do not want to see… We rather have glasses with rainbow colors on them, so what we see is seen through them… Why see for oneself? it’s far easier far better, much more comfortable to get in a group and believe […]
of spiritual matters by Raj Arumugam
of spiritual matters by Raj Arumugam and now, most dignified Gentlemen and most cultured Ladies – it is time to turn our attention to loftier matters, to speak of the spirit rather than of mundane concerns and to be stuck in unimaginative and non-inspiring habits; and so we turn our attention to the spirits to […]
Number 1 by Raj Arumugam
Number 1 by Raj Arumugam 1 two days ago we argued about food and my sweetheart she moved out; she picked up her pillow and she slept in the next room 2 the next morning we joked and laughed as if nothing had happened but in the evening we argued over her phone bills and […]
nonsense verse by Raj Arumugam
nonsense verse by Raj Arumugam I told my mind (using the principles of creative bidding): “All right; let’s two write some nonsense verse O Mind of mine, be silent awhile and draw from the deepest recesses of your profundity some short nonsense verse” and the Mind answered with desperate urgency: “But what have we been […]
no ambition for eternity by Raj Arumugam
no ambition for eternity by Raj Arumugam you know that little bird that’s on the tree and sings when it wants to and then just sits just looking about? you’ve seen that thin cloud in the vast clear blue sky that little wisp of cotton that seems so aimless and so pointless? have you seen […]
Nasrudin’s donkey eats poetry by Raj Arumugam
Nasrudin looks in the magic mirror that allows him to peep into the future and he sees many marvelous poems in cyberspace. So Nasrudin calls his donkey and he says to the donkey: See, donkey – there are so many marvelous poems in cyberspace. They are beautiful poems. But Nasrudin’s donkey says: Ah what’s the […]
Mummy, mummy who invented school? by Raj Arumugam
Mummy, mummy who invented school? by Raj Arumugam mummy, mummy, who invented school? oh, sweetheart, what a clever girl you are; why don’t you tell me first who you think invented school? I think, mummy, school must have been invented it must be by people like old grumpy Uncle Grim next door; and the grouchy […]
Mr Anonymous, a life by Raj Arumugam
Mr Anonymous, a life by Raj Arumugam Oedipus man you’re not done worlds move in and out and meaning is undone; and the Sphinx says it’s your mommy and daddy and this time you can never unravel the riddle the woman dad sleeps with is not his wife and his wife is not your mom […]
Moon, I hear you are moving away by Raj Arumugam
Moon, I hear you are moving away by Raj Arumugam Moon, I hear you are moving away Why moon, are you moving away? Don’t you like your neighbors earth so blue and green and earthlings so adorable? Did you not come so near to get to know your neighbors? why then are you moving, moon? […]
message from the sun by Raj Arumugam
message from the sun by Raj Arumugam I lie asleep and you send in beams of messengers each with the same warm words: ‘Hey, lazybones – wakie! wakie!’ Copyright ©: Raj Arumugam ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic and subject. Poetry Monster — the ultimate […]