God bless those nukes ...

I am drowning in nostalgia. Normally this is something, long dyed in the wool, old folks do. Its kind of surprising that 24 something me is also feeling this. Maybe it's just because I have lost touch with most of my close friends and the lack of work in office leaves me much more time for introspection.

Anyhoo, I once again rummaged though some old folders of mine and I discovered this weird lil' poem that i'd written in 1999 (oh so long ago ...). I can faintly remember having written it, and it must have been around the time we did those nuclear (or as that dyslexic dodo George W. Bush pronounces then - nucular ... as in Duh! Isn't it time we dropped some nucular bombs on Eye-ran!)
tests and the world tried to whip our asses for it.
It was obviously before the IT revolution occurred in India and we started controlling the back offices of all those Bloody Amreekan corporations. Here goes ... pretty juvenile stuff I warn you ... not that I write any better now!

God bless those nukes!

One fine morning, you switch on the TV tuning into the news.

And suddenly comes this headline out of the blues.

“India goes nuclear!”

You intently listen, taking in every word.

And you sit down starry eyed,

Feeling a sense of joy, a sense of pride.

You no longer feel that the P. M is a nerd.

Then you hear, the western world imposes sanctions.

Presidents of U. S, the U. K shout anti- India slogans.

Then your euphoria melts into worry.

You think, let’s hope our feat doesn’t make us sorry.

You learn a week later.

Pakistan carries out a feat much greater.

It carries out 6 nuclear tests,

Leaving international confidence in tatters.

Amidst all this you will hear a chant.

In their minds people say to themselves,

“ God bless those nukes!”

The Indian government which was quickly losing hope,

Suddenly say that there is a chance to tighten our rope.

They conduct five nuclear tests,

In the name of safety of defense interests.

And as people come together to forget,

Poverty, misery, corruption and a tight budget.

Mr. Vajpayee aptly puts in,

“God bless those nukes!”

Threatening sanctions on India the US of A declares,

To the whole world that their country cares

For nothing but the world’s best,

& That it has no selfish interest.

As Mr. Clinton would secretly admit,

“God bless those nukes!”

The Pakistani people adamantly say,

That the Indians deserve what they got.

The Pakistanis surely do love,

India being in a tight spot.

The Pakistani Government is glad that

They could show off their power.

But as sanctions start to hit

Rushing in a huge shower,

The Pakistanis blatantly declare

That the sanctions are very unfair.

But as Nawaz Sharif says to himself,

“God bless those nukes!”

But as India and Pakistan suffer,

And as the world rebukes,

People in both countries chant,

“God bless those nukes!”