The Mystical Unicorn

A quick disclaimer before I begin: I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO DO THIS Now. In my family, a sizeable chunk of conversation revolves around the book(s) each one of us is reading. For instance, my father hooked us onto The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande a few months back. (http://atulgawande.com/book/the-checklist-manifesto/) It's amazing! For instance, Dr. Gawande draws similarities between ER surgeons and rock stars based on their all-important time-saving resource-saving practical and all-encompassing checklists. It grips you from the first page. Dr. Gawande narrates a real-life ER incidence when a Halloween party gone woefully wrong reulted in a youth being stabbed in the stomach. the doctors fixed him up, or so they thought, until complicatins arose. so they wondered what went wrong, when they realized nobody asked the patient what he got stabbed with. A simple human error - easily prevented by the use of a checklist. Hence my List. (http://themysticalunicorn.blogspot.in

1. Sundresses 2. Big floppy hats 3. Clear skin 4. Reduced appetite 5. So much free time 6. POPSICLES!!!!!! 7. Beach vacations 8. Family time (like it or not, you can't escape them ;) ) 9. Frozen yogurt 10. T.V.

Chemistry is jinxed, said i To indifferent heavens above And exited the exam hall Ready to die, but not cry Wasted tears over my fall From grace.  A subject i used to love, But now hate Haunts my dreams Each sleepless night. I'm unraveling at the seams Incapable of a fight "Chemistry is jinxed," said I; Well, shame on me For was it not I That failed to see The consequences of neglect And lethargy?

The knowledge that I am an innocent, unassuming and naive young girl in a country that doesn't give a shit whether or not i bleed to death chills me to the bones. I am not safe; i am terribly outnumbered and vulnerable, just as all the girls i know, are. No cellphone, pocketknife, pepperspray or even a healthy pair of lungs could aid me. In such a situation, should I fight or run? Should I live an anxious, paranoid terrified life in this moral graveyard of a country or should i flee - to America, the land of the free and the home of the brave - my country...

Like a crazed slinky, Time is pitching forward and surging back. Just eight days now, for my last paper, but eight long, long days until my birthday. Based on the perspective you adopt, Time is either flying away, faster than the speed of thought, or crawling along, inching slowly, so slowly, at the pace of the dust that gathers in an old, abandoned house. Father Time has either lost his mind, or is doing drugs. Every morning, though, the calendar tells me that the Earth is rotating just as it is supposed to, that the Universe is alright, and that today is a brand new day to be productive. However, that is not reassuring, because it means it must be me - I  must have lost my mind, and during my Boards  at that.

A magnificent striped predator Walks silently, head held high Its quick tail twitches. Surrender Dear deer, it is your time to die Hail to the Lord of the Sunderbans Hail to the Pride of India Hail to the endangered one King of Bengal Executioner of all Hail to the proud tiger Hail to the mighty tiger Hail. All hail to the dying tiger

Nature is not a work of art Nature is art itself The beautiful golden sunset The vast blue sky The coal black fur on my pet The wings of a butterfly Cloudy skies at dusk Silver rippling water The sheen of an ivory tusk The beauty of a child’s laughter A clear, starry night The bright white moon A hummingbird in flight A rose in full bloom Beauty doesn’t reach you because Ignorance acts like a boulder All of the world’s beauty Is in the eyes of the beholder

I miss when our teachers held our hands and led the way When they showed us what to do and had good things to say Instead of the disappointment now that they can’t even express And their pain and anger and apathy and distress Thanks to our thick skins and thick skulls and indolence Is it too late? Have we crossed a line? Is there a way to fix it, to somehow make it fine? It IS only just July, we still have time We can still get our act together and make them proud When the results are out, we can all shout out loud WE DID IT WE FREAKIN’ DID IT!!