gaze - i and ii

gaze i
lines on her anile face a map
of seasons lost
crease clockwise
crinkle anti-clockwise
rise, submerge, contort
gnarled chins, scabrous hands
nose thick and lined too
as the body shrivels
the nose bloats
wrinkles around her eyes
hinting of smiles
caging furrowed forehead

in the south, of the north
she'd be on a rocker
....................knitting
in the porch of a rockwell work

at dolman's on tariq road
bent and shrouded in rags
she stared in my eyes

***

zen wondered what the beggar lady was thinking at that moment...i replied that she was in all likelihood unread and i would find it difficult to get into her mind...she said she knew of this panhandler from her university days in Canterbury who was extremely well read and could write poetry...i was intrigued enough...here are my efforts!...

gaze ii ver 01
i looked in his eyes,
perspicacious
darting, smiling,
inquisitive, trenchant

he was local, not parochial
piquant zest, cozy poise
at home on a charpoy
sharing tea with driver
or in the nasreen room
copper kettle or caffeine
with bloated airheads

abducted, raped and abandoned
street and time my teacher
am adept at reading eyes
but i failed to discern
the hint of regret in his eyes
only when the woman beside
looked at him momentarily
deep love displaced the anguish

i approach everyone the same way
not begging, wailing or pleading
just look straight in the eyes
fine if i get alms or not

but those eyes
how they peeked in my soul
and said something i could not read
those eyes, hard to forget


reading ver 01...came this comment...'do you think the beggar lady wold talk like this?'...smiled and replied i, 'your canterbury panhandler wrote like this'...she rolled her eyes...so here is ver 02


gaze ii ver 02
i approach everyone the same way
not begging, wailing or pleading

abducted, raped and abandoned
street and time my teacher
am adept at reading eyes
but i failed to discern
the hint of regret in his eyes
only when the woman beside
looked at him momentarily
deep love displaced the anguish

he was a desi revisiting
approachable, affable
at home at a roadside eatery
or those fancy places in defence

he looked around
breathing the surroundings
his kinds offer smiles
and meals, seldom paisay

i looked straight in his eyes
how they peeked in my soul
and said something i could not read
those eyes, hard to forget