The writer of

              THE BIG BOOK OF SITTING DUCKS

IS PROUD TO PRESENT THE

“THERE WAS ONCE A MAN”

-         A poetry compilation

FOREWORD BY SATYEKI

In the summer of 2008, I was asked by my good friend and living legend Terry ‘Always’ Idle to write the foreword of his latest magnum opus “THERE WAS ONCE A MAN” I shouted at the top of my voice but nevertheless the assistants in my office thought that I had begun my practice for the latest Indian Idol audition, although I can fairly sing Mary had a little lamb in fifteen different tones and voices ranging from macabre to jolly good.

I was introduced to Terry Idle at the age of four when I was a toddler; even at four my grandfather said that I was quite a literary genius and could pick the right poet and thus I chose Terry Idle, his poems Life is Ugly, It’s an Ugly Life, Long live the dead parrot, Ode to Mahabali and the all time classic The curious incident of the Cat in the morning time.

These were the poems which catapulted Terry Idle into poverty, like all poets and geniuses he was ahead of his time and stopped writing poetry and started event management in which he was quite successful but it is to be noted that he was never given the proper recognition during his professional career. The poem released in his later book This Hopefully is my last poem called Always created the much required distinction and from then on he was called Terry ‘Always’ Idle.

Now that I am semi-successful author and I have been never published is a point to be made and is a thing to be proud of because I have outgrown my idol idle in all ways and have risen to a state so that I can write the Foreword for this great compilation. I am sure Terry will do well.

Satyeki

1 May 2008

THERE WAS ONCE A MAN

POEM #1

The Award

By

Terry Idle

It is difficult to get an award

  As difficult as your ward

Once my good friend Baskar

Always said he wanted to win an Oscar

His grandfather called him a dirty rotten rascal

But he said nothing like the great old Louis Pascal

Baskar cried

The ideas in his mind dried

There were times when he hardly said a hello

For at a time he was once a jolly good fellow

His shirt was always yellow

And he played his mother’s cello

Days passed when he gained some acceptance

His grandfather went into a trance

He roped in a Bollywood star

And bought himself a car

‘Great’ said his grandfather

After the movie was released,thanks he said to his father’s father

The movie was nominated for the Oscar

‘Yahoo’ shouted Baskar

Said I “Do not be elated”

But I went like a balloon deflated

He never spoke to me again

I even went to his house in the rain

His film was screened in Germany

And was appreciated by many

The morning news said Baskar was confident

Of winning, while I brushed using my pepsodent

I sat glued to the screen

But nothing made me scream

Unhappy he was Baskar

For I always knew he could never win an Oscar.