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Hootoksi's poems from way back when

Hootoksi Tyabji

I started writing rhymes from a young age and it was only on the insistence of my dearest Phi masi that I began recording them in a note book that she gave me. It was because of her that these poems have survived!

 

A Child's Thoughts in Jabalia Refugee Camp

by Hootoksi Tyabji, Shah Alam, 15 November 2023

Painting – Silman Mansour

27th October 2023 - Israelis cut off power, water, and the internet to Northern Gaza

It felt so good for me to feel
So many arms around,
Sitti, Sidi, Ommi, Baba,
Their chatter the only sound……………
When little Laila began to shake,
Or Omar started to cry,
Their stories they came thick and fast
Of Olive trees that fly!
Of Alabaster statues
And carvings made of wood
Of keys that fit in locks somewhere
In houses where they stood.
Of memories stored deep inside
Brought out as now, at will
And listening there we soon forgot
The fear the bombs instill
My heart it sang and felt so warm
I dreamed of roses red
I didn’t see the gun as it,
Was Pointed at my head

I heard my Ommi scream out loud
My brother at her breast
My Siblings, Sitti, Sidi all
Sleeping, now at rest.
Then as I closed my eyes I saw
The soldier was a boy
He played with tanks and guns & drones
As I played with my toys
The air raids constant, bullets, bombs
Bodies in the ground,
Invincible seeds of resistance,
With which the land abounds
I slept in peace because I know
That One Day what is mine
Will be returned and we will LIVE
Forever …… Palestine

Sitti – Grandma;  Sidi – Grandpa;  Ommi – My Mother;  Baba - father

 

 

My Daddy

Oh look Oh look the girls all cry

When they see my daddy passing by

He is as handsome as can be

Like a rare jewel from under the sea

And when we go out and people stare

I feel happy and I don’t care

 

He’s full of fun and we play the day long

Or sometimes sit and sing a song

My daddy is so good to me

I would not part with him for gold or money

He tells me he loves me so very much

But when I kiss him he says

"Hey, why the fuss?"

Bombay, 16th May, 1959

 

My Mama

If I didn’t have a mother

Oh lord where would I be?

For my mama is absolutely everything to me

 

I love her more than all the world

I know she loves me too

I wouldn’t change her for anything

Without her what would I do?

 

When I am sick and in my bed

I grumble and think of the past

And ma she pats my back and says

"Put the donkey last"

 

For all the gems and wonders of the sea

I would never part with my mummy

Bombay, 16th May, 1959

 

My Sister

Thank you God for giving me

A sis like my darling Sherry

I love her and she is all mine

A sister like her you’ll never find

 

Whenever I’m in trouble or pain

Or act up snooty and very vain

She tells me sternly "it’s not right"

And comforts me with all her might

 

She teaches me the good things in life

And she won’t let me play with a knife

I love her I love her I really do

And I know she loves me truly too

Bombay, 14th August 1959

 

 

My Brother

So naughty and wild and full of pranks

And his hobby is to collect stamps

And girls are people he cannot bear

Talks to me only because I am there!

 

I tell him "Wait till you’re sixteen or so

And you’ll want to marry a girl I know”

He walks away with a snooty air

And when we eat lunch, pulls out my chair

So down on the floor with a bump I go

And my bottom stays sore for a week or so.

 

My brother’s really naughty, but he has a kind heart

And I’ve loved him quite madly right from the start!

Bombay, 14th August, 1959


 

My Sister Sherie

She floats and glides into a room

This beautiful, tiny creature of whom

I know without a doubt that she’s

The most beautiful girl you’ll ever see

 

Her hair is black, her eyes are wee

She always cares for you and me

She smiles a smile that’s all her own

You want to love her alone

 

Her face it glows, her love it grows

She makes me tingle in my toes

I love her dearly she’s my sis

When we’re together it spells BLISS.

Bombay, 1960

 

 

Listening to you sing Mama

No sound has ever beenmade

More beautiful than this.

No nighingale or Koyal

Can bring my soulsuch bliss.

No water gurgling in a stream

No tinkling sound oif rain

No surf or soft breezes

Works such magic on my brain!

Oh, mama what a voice you have

I could listen to you all day

It makes me so happy to hear you sing

There’s nothing more to say!Listening to you sing Mama

 

 

My Sausage Dog Hapoy

Happy is a yard long

With floppety ears and two very big eyes

That twinkle and shine and sparkle

Brightly; he never cries

His nose is black and his legs are wee

He doesn’t walk, just waddles you see

 

He’s as sly as a fox and as slow as a snail

He loves to explore the rubbish pail

His favorite thing is to tug at a broom

Or to beg at your feet in the dining room

 

Whenever you scold him he looks at you to say

I didn’t mean to be naughty today

He’s fussed and petted, my, you should see

The way he’s loved by our family!!!

Bombay, 1960

 

 

Girls

Girls are kind and girls are sweet

Girls are pretty, girls are neat

Girls are lovely they are kind

Girls all have a sharp, keen mind

 

Girls are happy, girls are good

Girls they do what they should

Girls will love and cherish you

Girls do what they have to do.

 

Girls are witty, girls are bright

Girls they have a keen insight

Girls don’t walk, they always skip

And they never, ever gossip.

Bombay 1960

 


Boys

Boys are always on the wrong path

Boys are dirty, they never have a bath

Boys are silly, petty and glum

Their lives are so very hum drum

 

Boys need girls or they can’t live

Boys are stingy they never give

Boys are dumb and often rude

Boys can be so terribly crude

 

Boys disgust me, they always will

They talk of guns and kill, kill kill

Boys their life is a rushing whirl

They need to learn from girls, girls girls

Bombay, 1960

 

 

Who?

Who leads a blind man on his way?

Who makes the little children play?

Who do we go to when we’re in trouble?

And who gets us out of that big bad muddle?

 

Who make each little flower fair?

And the birds who fly in the sweet scented air

Who makes the rain and thunder and lightning?

That is so terrible, awfully frightening

 

Who forgives us one and all?

And if you let Him, prevents a fall

 

This great man you cannot see

He’s the one who made you and me!

Bombay 1960

 

 

Silly Ambitions

When I grow up I want to be

Like Mona Lisa or Sandra Dee

With hair that falls in beautiful curls

Eyes that sparkle and teeth like pearls

 

Another thing I would like to be

Is queen to Neptune under the sea

Or a dog who gets loved all day long

Or a famous singer with a famous song

 

Maybe it would be very good

To be a carpenter and work with wood

Or a poet, a teacher, a butterfly

So I could soar into the sky

15th May, 1961


 

We Are God’s Children

All the little children of God

Are perfect, good and true,

No one is good, no one is bad

No one cleverer than you.

 

We are God’s children and we must

Listen, watch and pray

To what we hear in our hearts

We must follow Him every day.

 

Now if you’re ever in trouble

And you don’t know what to do

Just leave it to God and sure enough

He will lead

Bombay, 1963

 

 

Very Hard To Buy

It doesn't cost a penny

But is very hard to buy

It lights up your face

But you can’t have it and cry.

 

When life feels very gloomy

And things keep going wrong

That is the time to test yourself

Can you put it on?

 

For if you wear a long face

You make others unhappy too

Just put it on all over your face

That’s all you have to do.

 

This little thing, what is it?

Just sit and think a while

What doesn't cost a penny?

Why, it’s a great big smile!

Kodaikanal, 27th April, 1964

 

 

The Sick Toad

I heard a sudden rustle

And I looked down on the floor

And there I saw a big fat toad

Looked sick just by the door

 

He was laying on his back

With his legs high in the air

And beside his fat belly

Was a huge big tear

 

The blood began to ooze

Now what was I to do?

I really don’t like frogs I was in

Quite a stew!

 

I shut my eyes and picked him up

He really got a fright

Perhaps I was holding him

A little bit too tight?

 

I laid him on the table

And got some cotton wool

Stuffed it into the cut

So far he was cool.

 

I bandaged up his belly

He really looked a sight

But when I finished with him

Very much to his delight

He hopped into the garden

With a big smile on his face

That wasn’t quite so bad I guess

All creatures have their place

Kodaikanal, 14th April, 1965

 

 

 

No God?

There’s something I don’t understand

It’s when some folks say

“There’s no such thing as God

I don’t need Him to go my way"

 

They are not looking all around them

Nothing catches their eye?

The flowers, the trees, the water, the birds

The sun the moon and sky?

 

It wasn’t science that made all these

But a power much greater at play

That orders all nature and dictates

There will be another day.

 

Look at yourself, the perfect being

So helpless and so small

Against the power of nature

We are nothing, nothing at all!

Kodaikanal, 21st August 1965

 

 

India

Once you live in India

You’ll never want to go

The bright colors, the sun, the smiles

The mighty rivers flow.

 

Once you live in India

Your heart lives there too

You’ll never want to leave her shores

To travel the world through.

 

Once you live in India

And hear the Koyal trill

And feel the throb of people

Can you ever have your fill?

 

Once you live in India

She becomes your home

Her music lives within you

Wherever you may roam!

Kodaikanal, 12th September 1965

 

 

Grand Being Alive

The wind blowing hard

The rush of the air,

Majestic trees

Some laden, some bare

 

The stars in the sky

The clouds up above

The birds soaring high

Singing songs of love

 

The trees so tall

Beginning to sway

The grass so lush

Cows munch all day

 

Water ponds clear

The river flows

Magical moments

In the sun’s glow

 

The bees they are busy

Building their hives

I think to myself

It’s grand being alive!

Kodaikanal, 28th October, 1965

 

 

 

Flora Fountain

Walking along a crowded street,

Amid the rush and crush of feet,

With people pushing everywhere,

No time to stop, no time to care.

 

No time to listen, no time to see,

The hand outstretched, the tragedy

The pleading eyes, the horror, the dread

Another day of hunger, no bread.

 

I cannot look, I turn away

I quicken my step, I cannot stay

And while my heart cries out in pain

My pity misplaced, my sorrow in vain

 

For right ahead of me I see

Along with pain and misery

A little face for just a while

I stop to stare - a radiant smile

For in their hearts these children know

A strength, a hope within, a glow

Bombay, 1966

 

 

When I Grow Up

I’m not that tall and I stand alone

On this amazing earth

Can I amount to anything?

What am I really worth?

 

Like the stars on the Milky Way

Will I ever twinkle and shine?

Will I trill like a bird spreading joy to all?

Or grow as a tree straight and tall?

 

Like the sun which gives life

Or the flowers shedding fragrance

Will I ever get to be

Someone, somewhere who changes things

Significantly

 

I know I am blessed with a mind of my own

With which I can think and act

What I do, who I am, where I go from here

Is my own doing, that’s a fact.

 

But besides my mind there’s my heart and I hope

That the two stay in tune and I play

The melodies of life harmoniously

As I dream through the night and dance in the day.

Kodaikanal, 1966

 

Early To Rise

I’m up in the morning

Everything is light

The birds are singing

The sun shines bright

 

The breeze blows soft

Sways trees aloft

The butterflies flutter everywhere

The flowers they wake

And are glad to see

The morning light, night is a memory

 

The stream’s bubbling over

I hear its song

It merrily sings

As it passes along

 

Come on, wake up

Walk out to meet

Nature in the mist

At your feet

Kodaikanal, 26th September, 1966

 

 

Bombay

It’s sticky and hot and bustly all day

The streets are jammed with cars

The office people hurry to work

They stay on for all hours

 

Flora Fountain where my dentist is

Appeals to all tourists but me

And on that great street is a great place

“Pundole watch shop and Art Gallery"

 

Bhindi Bazaar and Chor Bazaa

And Crawford Market too

Are filthy, dirty lovely places

Where people haggle the day through

 

On to Colaba Causeway

Where the streets are lined with shops

The Taj Mahal hotel, Electric House,

And the BEST bus stops

 

Going on further is Nepean Sea Road

The very best place in Bombay

Everyone loves it but I do most

For that is where I stay

 

Then following the sea past Breach Candy

And right from Cadbury Fry

Whizz up the flyover, watch out for cars

The way they drive you could die!

 

Hanging Gardens, beautiful, green

Gaze out, walk, run, play

My beautiful city, the place that I love

My hometown, my Bombay

Bombay, 4th November 1966


 

My Garden

I have a little garden with daisies growing there

And it is fringed all around with little roses fair

There’s an oak in the corner as big as can be

Which shades my garden with love for me

 

In the middle there’s a fountain, she throws her waters high

And a merry little stream that passes near by

The wind rocks all my flowers to sleep

And the sunbeams dance on the lawn.

The buzzing bee comes to drink her tea

From my flowers all day long.

 

The sparrow builds her nest in the old oak tree

While baby birds sing out merrily

Oh I wish I could stay the live long day

In my own little garden to play and play

Kodaikanal 1967

 

 

My Love For You

My love for you

Is taller than I am

It stretches miles and miles

Way beyond the sand

 

My love for you

Is deeper than the sea

It goes on and on and on

Into eternity

 

My love for you

Will follow you like a light

Through good and bad times shining

Forever bright!

 

For Shehernavaz’s 21st birthday

Kodaikanal, 9th February, 1967

 

 

Farewell PCK

I have had my best times in PCK

I woke up each morning to welcome the day

I have learned something good from every new sight

But I can’t express what I want to write

 

You have taught me everything I know

When I first came to say hello

I didn’t imagine that life would be

So pleasant and full, so lov-er-ly

 

And now my school days have drawn to an end

I feel sorry to leave all of you, my friends

But the road ahead from mile to mile

Is exciting and new and makes me smile

 

Whatever comes along the way

I will never forget PCK

And I firmly believe this is not goodbye

But the start of a journey under blue skies

May 1968

 

 

 

That Perfect Moment

It was a beautiful day

The mist blew rays of watery sun on my upturned face

I took a deep breath and

As the air rushed into my lungs

I knew this was living

 

I shut my eyes savoring the moment

I stretched out my hand

He took it, he held it, he loved me, he was mine

 

He smiled at me

And in that moment I knew without a doubt, this was the person

I wanted to share my life with.

 

He caressed me, then kissed my hai

He looked intensely, we breathed as one

He didn’t speak- but in our silence

We were United.

August 1970

 

 

 

For Michel

Rock with me my baby, just you and I

While I sing you a lullaby

Rock with me my baby, your spirit divine

Free forever to shine, shine, shine.

 

Your velvet skin, your angel smile

Your hair, your starry eyes

Reflect the light of God, Michel

My sweet and perfect child.

 

So Rock with me my baby, just you and I

While I sing you a lullaby

Rock with me my baby, your spirit divine

Free forever to shine, shine, shine.

 

And may the joy you bring to me

Never leave my heart

For this I know, I must let go

And we will live apart.

 

So rock with me my baby, just you and I

While I sing you a lullaby

Rock with me my baby, your spirit divine

Free forever to shine, shine, shine

Bombay, March 1973

 

 

For Farhad

Sleep long and sweet my angel child

Your eyelids resting on your cheek

Your rosebud mouth and black silk hair

Your chubby limbs, your smile so sweet

 

You are my heart, we beat as one

As you lie sleeping in my arms

May life be good, your passage safe

Whatever you choose, my precious son.

 

And will you ever know my love

So deep and unconditional?

Magic moments imprinted forever

In my heart, beyond all time.

 

You are my heart, we beat as one

As you lie sleeping in my arms

May life be good, your passage safe

Whatever you choose my precious son.

New Delhi, August 1975

 

 

Economics Exam

Sitting at my desk, gazing distractedly from page to page of economic jargon

Up crawls a cockroach, its whiskers twitching, it’s little legs running to catch an ant

I watch it disappear and wait for another distraction

 

I see sweat roll down my cheek

I hear Michel, Farhad delighting in the feel of water

I look again at my boots and turn away

My mind relates to nothing save the thought of you

 

I wait each morning for the darkness of the night

And know that in the passing of another day

You are closer to me

I long for you my Beloved

Robert travelled a lot and I stayed home with the children while I was pursuing my BA degree by correspondence. This was written while I was studying for an exam

New Delhi, 1977

 

 

At Chowpatia Gardens (Ranikhet)

Sitting here among the trees

Watching birds & flowers & bees

Looking around I shed all cares

Beauty abounds, it’s everywhere

 

Look there goes a dragonfly

Soaring, soaring up to the sky

While way down on the ground below

Pretty grasses and flowers grow

 

All around me everywhere

The fragrance of pine it fills the air

The butterfly with its colors bright

Flits about and catches the light

 

There is a spider spinning away

The wind in the trees, the leaves at play

It’s a wondrous world that holds the key

To life and peace and harmony

5th June 1978

 

 

Complaining to Rob

It’s such a hot and humid day

My mind relates to nothing

The boys are good but trying

Smiling now, then crying

 

The power cuts are crazy

They drive me up the wall

I sweat and stink and rave

There’s no relief at all!

 

The dog has gone dotty

The heat it drives him mad,

The cat her nose is snotty

The situation’s Bad

 

The mali’s getting cheeky

Our Mary cried & cried

The bathroom tap is leaky

The fishes, they all died

 

I need you more than ever

Feel crazy when you’re far

It’s true, maybe it's the weather

My place is where you are!

C-399 Defence Colony,

New Delhi, 1978

 

 

 

For Adil

As you lie sleeping in my arms

So perfect and so pure

This magic moment let it last

With me forever more

 

Your angel face, your dimpled smile

Your eyes they shine so bright

You bring such joy, my baby boy

Such love to all & Light.

 

And when you fly with your own wings

To live forever free

Wherever you go, you’re in my soul

For all eternity.

 

As you lie sleeping in my arms

So perfect and so pure

This magic moment, let it las

With me forever more.

New Delhi, November 1978

 

 

Scribbles on a Paper Napkin at Badar Chacha’s Party

There is nothing more amusing

Than a pack of grinning males

With their wives and so in diamonds

Always hanging on their tails

And a glass of whiskey handy

With a cigarette dangling too

And a nervous cough or splutter

Not knowing what to do

 

Were you at the party?

Where the ladies yapped away

And Mrs. X told Mrs. Y

What Mrs. Y should say?

And Mrs. Y being so polite

Her mouth was full of food

She opened it wide and spoke out loud

The outcome was quite rude

 

The moral of this ditty

Is quite simple and works well

Just be yourself, behave your way

Works best that I can tell

 

For you cannot be a poet

Or a writer full of charm

Just to please the place or people

Or the lady on your arm

 

You are unique, fantastic

In your own and special way

Why try to be the chap next door

It really doesn’t pay

 

Just fill your glass put on a smile

That is the party rule

And soon the word around the room

“Check that one out she’s cool!”

New Delhi, 11'th November, 1979

 

 

To Akbar

You sit beside my bed all day

Your eyes they tell me more

Than words or gestures ever could

What are you waiting for?

 

You seem to understand my pain

My loneliness you feel

The swollen gland won’t let me smile

My sickness you can’t heal.

 

Night gives birth to another day

But I see shadows pale

And then I feel your soft wet nose

And see your wagging tail!

I contracted mumps and was isolated from the children and from all visitors. Akbar was my constant and most faithful companion during those trying days.

Thimphu - 18th November 1982

 

 

To the Willow and the Pine

A month ago you looked so fine

Were tall and growing green,

And now your leaves have fallen off

You’re brown and look serene.

 

Outside I see the fields of rice

Ripening into gold

Farmers will come and cut you down

And soon you will be sold.

 

A rose deep red, standing alone

Your beauty all can see

But soon you’ll wither and then die

Lost to perpetuity.

 

I need to learn, absorb, observe

How nature spreads her joy

And life evolves, all things must change

And Love cannot destroy.

 

So all of nature teaches me, and I begin to see

The changes in my life as those

Of leaves being shed from trees.

Thimphu - 28'th November, 1982


 

 

For Robert

I walked along a stream

It sparkled clear and bright

I thought you like a stream

I want to hug you tight.

 

I walked under the stars

They radiated light

I thought you like a star

Love you with all my might

 

I walked among the trees

So tall without a bend

I thought you like a tree

My dearest love, my friend

 

I walked tall on the earth,

Dependable, forever

I thought you like the earth

Will love you forever.

Thimphu May 1982

 

 

Millenium Prayer

Help me God to see you everywhere

In all things that live and in those that die

Help me Lord to understand, that evil stems from ignorance

That suffering brings about personal growth

Help me God to know that

It is not my place to judge or have expectations of others,

To view every individual and myself

As part of you

 

Help me God to be content

To watch myself and be aware of what I say and do

To be ever thankful for my life

And its boundless blessings.

 

Help me God to be tireless in my spiritual practice

To chose right over wrong

To love, nurture and respect all forms of life

And in doing so may I in some small measure

Ever feel your presence in my heart.

Dar es Salaam, January 2000