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Old Men Sleep

Aamir Ansari March 6, 2003

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#18 Posted by Goreja on July 30, 2003 8:41:12 am

My Dear Aamir,

This is a beautiful poem. An excellent write.
Congratulations and greetings from Atlanta.

Ashraf Gohar Goreja
Goreja.com
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#17 Posted by Ansari on March 9, 2003 10:59:54 pm
Hasan sahab; kya baat kar rahay hain, aap! mairi aisi jurrat kahan. . . .Thank you!

Ras sahab; :o)

Aamir
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#16 Posted by Ras on March 9, 2003 7:47:57 pm

Re: Ansari # 15

Would you consider a WEEPING WILLOW instead?

Ras
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#15 Posted by Ansari on March 9, 2003 6:44:44 am
Insaan, Hamid, Sobia, Samina Shah, Farzana, tahmed sahab, rozaiba, septran (interesting nick), scout; thank you for your kind words. I`m glad you liked the poem. Just wanted to say that while our culture is thought to be very responsible in its attitude towards its elders, practice seems to be waning. I know from my own experience of learning medicine in Karachi, how many families have migrated abroad leaving the grandparents behind. They may not lack anything in terms of money or servants or any facility as such but the loneliness gets to them. Sure, they manage an occasional trip to see their family but most of the time they are alone at an age when they really shouldn`t be. They`re very brave people.

t; :o) thank you! Aapne A K Hangal ki ``Dattak`` dekhi hai?

Ras; shukriya! lekin Ras sahab mein kya karunga itni jee ke; it`s not such a great place this world, is it? waise gudgudi tau hoti ho gi, un redwoods ko, when the yuppies drive straight through them. . . ;o)

Aamir
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#14 Posted by nasah on March 9, 2003 6:44:42 am
amir mian -- great poem -- an ode to nasah? -- thanks:-)
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#13 Posted by Ras on March 8, 2003 5:34:41 pm

May you live as long as a Redwood!

Ras
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#12 Posted by Paigham on March 8, 2003 12:43:55 pm
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#11 Posted by scout on March 8, 2003 7:32:38 am
old people are great to talk to....they have so many experiences and funny stories to share.

why do we ignore them :(
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#10 Posted by septran on March 8, 2003 7:01:59 am
very nice.comparing old age -trees.but u know old trees are very hard in roots.lofty trees are usually broken,but roots remain there.bye
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#9 Posted by temporal on March 7, 2003 7:52:08 am
Aamir:

which old men?…those in palliative care?…or those whiling away the afternoon of their lives in the comfort of friends and friendly surrounding…have seen a lot of both…

…the former...with foggy corneas…utter lack of hope in demeanor…other than an steely will to stretch medicare to the max…refusing to buckle under…

…the latter…delightful…regaling us with stories from their rich past…with a twinkle and zest for life still visibly sparkling…

…or is there a third kind? Comatose?

…ferzi has already pointed out the trees…chuckled at the use of two ‘as’ in line 1…

…t

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#8 Posted by FarzanaVersey on March 7, 2003 5:44:26 am
Aamir: As always, simple and profound. Lekin, why do you say trees are thakey hue? Don`t they weather storms, provide shade, stay staunchly rooted, spring with succulent fruit and fragrant flowers?

And if it is someone like my late Nanima, then tauba...kya thaat aur kya ghussa :) But I do know what you mean...this is about those left to forget time.

Regards,
Farzana
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#7 Posted by tahmed32 on March 7, 2003 5:44:26 am
Very nice poem. As the Bible says ``Your young men shall see visions, your old men will dream dreams.``
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#6 Posted by rozaiba on March 7, 2003 5:44:26 am
aamir:

`tired as tree`. like that analogy. once i indirectly made fun of an old man. he gave me a sheikh saadi story to ponder on- went something like this: a young boy once joked to an old haunched man, `baba how much did you get that `bow`(`kumaan`- the haunched/curved back) for?` the old man replies with an assured smile `do`nt worry son, it comes for free`.


sobia:

left out? no one listens to them? the elderly i know join right in and talk forever, and from the pitch of their voice, make sure i listen.
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#5 Posted by Saminasha on March 7, 2003 5:44:25 am
Well done!
Last sentence: eh...
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#4 Posted by Sobia on March 6, 2003 11:21:43 pm
Aamir, very nice indeed...there`s a lurking sadness in the poem which is often reflected in the eyes of the elderly when they complain no one listens to them, no one talks to them. I`ve noted that they are usually left out of discussions and ignored, though not always intentionally...
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#3 Posted by Tipu on March 6, 2003 7:38:27 pm
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#2 Posted by PaagalInsaan on March 6, 2003 7:38:27 pm
Worth staying tuned for!
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#1 Posted by hamid_81 on March 6, 2003 7:38:27 pm
Great Poem!
I like the last line very much:

``Time left their side so long ago!``
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listing 1-16   1 2

Interact Index

    #18 Goreja
    #17 Ansari
    #16 Ras
    #15 Ansari
    #14 nasah
    #13 Ras
    #12 Paigham
    #11 scout
    #10 septran
    #9 temporal
    #8 FarzanaVersey
    #7 tahmed32
    #6 rozaiba
    #5 Saminasha
    #4 Sobia
    #3 Tipu
    #2 PaagalInsaan
    #1 hamid_81

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