The Archer

Stood the archer upon the hilltop fort

Clad in colours likening those of his king

Stood he, upon the green hilltop fort,

Upon the stone castle walls,

Gazing around at the green plains below

Plains that stretched far unto the horizon

Stood he, with his bow and arrows,

With every sense activated,

Ready at a very instant, to send an arrow,

Flying flawlessly into the depths of a target,

Dressed in white, red, and gold,

Bore the archer the symbol of a horse and eagle,

Upon his chest, in colours just the same

And upon his head, a silver helmet,

Guarding all but his eagle sharp eyes

Stood this archer upon the fort walls,

His very stance showing the valour,

And aggression that dwelt in his mind

All of a sudden, the corner of his eye,

Did but grasp the sight of movement

The sight of an object moving with speed

No time did the archer waste, in tuning,

His eyes unto the sight of a horse,

Upon which was riding a man,

Who bore the colours of black and white,

With a gleaming sword hanging upon,

His broad shoulder, shining in the sun,

As did his hard armour, and helmet

Without a moment’s hesitation,

The archer’s arm swiftly pulled an arrow,

From the case hanging behind him,

And mounted it upon his heavy wooden bow,

His eyes following every movement of his target,

The white horse galloping forward,

 And the enemy seated upon it,

Analyse he did, every small detail,

Until it was clear as crystal to him,

Every aspect of the moving target,

Head to toe, of both man and horse,

Within a few seconds, he picked his spot,

The weakest point, between the sieves of metal,

The region between the helmet and the armour,

The neck of the armed soldier,

With the focus of a master archer,

And the swift action of the arm,

Like a flawless movement,

Pulling the arrow back with utmost ease,

Upon the bow that he did wield,

His right foot three feet behind his left,

And his head trained at the target,

Without a single bodily movement,

Such aim and precision had he,

As the grip vanished from the arrow,

It shot free from the great height,

Swiftly through the sky,

Piercing the air as it shot straight,

The sharp head shimmering in the sun,

And before the horseman even noticed,

The blade of death moving towards him,

With flawless accuracy, that,

Could not be possibly be expressed in words,

The tip pierced but straight into his neck,

Like an unexpected force, knocking him,

But off the horse and unto the ground,

Sending him to his end upon this physical realm,

And delivering a swift blow of freedom,

Setting his soul free from his body,

And delivering yet another hit,

For the archer who stood upon the fort walls.

:- C.S.Sailendra

Skull Kid-Realization

This is third part of the series:

first part: http://cosineshelly.blogspot.com/2011/04/skull-kid-beginning.html

second part: http://cosineshelly.blogspot.com/2011/04/skull-kid-316-part-ii.html

Skully became a hero in town

Taking many bad guys down

He was equipped with a gun

And a car, so he didn’t have to run

He was a law enforcer of high order

It is only 2 weeks after the punk’s murder

Two weeks since he saved that kid

And brought him out of the lid

Skull-Kid was watching over the lock up

Sipping coffee in his cup

A week ago, a murder series came in

They had been trying to trace the kingpin

But couldn’t nail him so easily

The murders committed so perfectly

Skully’s higher official walked in

And said “Skull-Kid! Where have you been?

I came to tell you that we have a clue

As to the murderer being, who”

Skully started acting weird

And started stroking his beard

A beard? He didn’t have one!

“Skully, what are you doing son?”

“Oh! Um, I’m thinking about the case!

If only we could see the killer’s face!”

“Well, we all want to do so”

Said the officer, in a voice quite low

“No one knows who is the man

To catch him, we need a plan

All we know is that there were no

Fresh murders to show

The killer looks to be inactive

This is when we need to take him captive”

Soon, a messenger came in with information

“We don’t know the killer’s intention

But found out his whereabouts”

After looking at it Skully had no doubts

That it was his own abandoned house

His senses started to rouse

He quickly gave the paper back

If they suspected him, things would be black

He was at police headquarters

He had no where to run from officers

So he quickly told the head officer

“I know about the man’s whereabouts, Sir

I could lead you to the place

And we shall see him face to face,

If you we could go there immediately

We could end this man and his brutality”

The head said “Very well then!

We shall go at once men!”

Skully said “Wait! You mean to say,

That all of us are going that way?

It would be foolish in my mind

To think that the killer is blind!

We must go few in number,

Some 4 of us and…1 more member

So that the killer wouldn’t notice

The incoming number of police

Else he will notice and run away

That’s not what we want, may I say?”

The officer thought and said

“We want that man alive or dead

Hence lets take caution and go

We shall keep our number low”

So 5 of them hurried to the suspected house

They stepped in slowly, and saw a mouse

Which scurried it’s own way

“Now we split up and go different a way”

5 of them split up, and soon the head heard

A first gunshot, a second, then a third

Perplexed, he called for the rest of them

But none of them responded to him

Sweating in the dim light

He was ready for a fight

After walking through corridors,

He reached two doors

He opened them, just to see

The bodies of the police, but only three

They had all been shot and hid here

But Skully’s body was no where near

He heard Skully’s voice and the shot of a gun

“Sir he’s up here and has a gun!

The head ran up a floor, to see Skully standing

He panted out “Where is he? Where is he?”

Skully said “In front of you if you can see”

Stunned, the head yelled “You?”

“Then in addition to the murders, you shot my men too!”

Skully laughed “The murder victims in the report

Were my victims before I joined you guys as a last resort

I could have been a good crime fighter

But you were going to find out about me sooner or later

I knew you wouldn’t give me a chance

So I took this as my stance

So I needed to escape, and run away

I brought you here, and a nice game we did play

Now, in the showdown, You lose, I win

Hence, I will commit my next sin”

Saying so, Skully shot the head’s head

And watched him fall back, dead

“I am not Skully, the law enforcer

I am Skull-Kid the mad murderer!”

: -C.S.Sailendra

(This story shows not only that depriving a child of the care he needs, leads to ill consequences, but also that we are molded at a young age, and after that, it is very hard to change ourselves…….once a something, always that same something…….)

Skull Kid 3:16 (Part II)

Skully lay face down in bed

Thinking back on the pool of red

He had killed 5 more people

The cuts were clean and subtle

He was still in the same hideout

Finally deciding that he would step out

He walked on the street without shaking

And found a kid whom he started stalking

He followed the boy around the corner

Soon, a group of men grabbed the former

And dragged him into an alley

Followed the men did Skully

He watched as the men started beating the kid

Tossed him into a container and shut the lid

Now, Skully stepped up

Coolly, he said “Wassup?”

The men said “Non of your business,

And since you are a witness

To this kidnap that we pulled off

You gonna have to switch off

Bye bye brother….”

Skully looked at one man, then, the other

The streetlights were dim

Both men charged at him

Skully pulled out his knife

Prepared to take out a few more lives

He stabbed the nearest man first

The second stopped, and had his lips pursed

Skully stabbed the first punk over and over

And stopped when he knew it was over

Once he was done, Skully looked at the other

“Since you to my murder, are a witness brother,

You’re gonna have to switch off too….”

“Who the hell are you?” said the man sweating

“Skull-Kid” he said, in a voice so fitting

Saying thus, he charged and drove the steel

Into the stomach, and closed the deal

He then opened the lid

And took out the kidnapped kid

And he started thinking

“This is the kid I thought of killing

But I didn’t do it did I

Instead, I saved the guy…”

The boy caught his attention

“My dad lives on pension

We have no money

But those men thought it was funny,

To not let me be,

They kept stealing from me

And now they wanted a ransom

To my father, it is too big a sum

Hence thank you for saving me

And setting me free,

Can I have you come to my house for dinner?

I would introduce to my dad, a savior”

But Skully had nothing to say

This was not the way

He intended it to go

He blinked, and said “No….

I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be here,

The police must be somewhere near”

Skully said, and thus ran away

Having had such a different day

On running, he picked up a newspaper

The headlines-“Absconding Murderer”

It was a matter of time before,

The people recognized Skully more

For now, he was just a madman with a mask

Now, he was going to be taken to task,

As people would see him as a mad murderer

He reached home, and his mind did stir

He fell asleep soon

And woke a little later, about to swoon

He turned on a broken T.V set

What he saw made him sweat

The boy he saved was on the news

Taking about men who wanted dues

No one knew “Skull-Kid” as a killer yet

But this boy may give away the bet

Instead, the boy said “Just when I was done

A guy in a mask came and fought and won,

He said “Skull-Kid” was his name”

With this, Skully rose to fame

He forgot about his previous crimes,

And decided to make up for the bad times

There was someone who thanked him for once

For a good deed that he had done in many months

Someone was there who now actually offered love

Skully could fly like a dove

He was feeling a strange happiness,

Which he hadn’t felt due to his sadness

He realized, that a few nice people existed

The thoughts of joy persisted

He made up his mind that he would kill no more

A boy fixed his heart that was so sore

Now he would no longer be a mad killer

Now he was a public defender

His first customer was saved

And now, for his identity, the public craved

This was a perfect setting

For a hero in the making

He ran out, and went to the police station

To give a more formal introduction

Skully was told there that the men he done,

Were criminals on the run

The police complied to hide Skully’s identity

Saying that the idea of a masked hero was ingenuity

And since he saved the boy at 3:16

They decided that he was “Skull-Kid 3:16”

: -C.S.Sailendra

Biased Views and Scientific Temper

Sometimes, when I’m walking down a road by myself, I can’t help but notice the things around me. I can’t help but to hear things around me. I see people going by their daily lives, and sometimes, I, by chance, over hear a casual conversation between a group of people, who are perhaps sitting next to me, or walking right behind me.

Usually, it would be a conversation about nothing in particular, something random perhaps, that they derive a little amusement from. But it is the more serious and debatable topic which comes up once in a while, that tends to catch my attention. On occasions, the conversation turns into a heated argument about whose points are more valid, and whose explanation and idea is right. Upon reaching this stage, I wonder, whether it is meaningful to argue in such a violent and heated manner at all. Take any point. It must be based on some logic thought up by the person who comes up with it. There is no way in hell that an idea just randomly pops up in one’s head (unless you would like to consider divine intervention, which in this case I’m not) . Any thought that comes into one’s mind must have a build-up, a series of ideas and steps to arrive at a thought. No doubt someone might have gotten their logic wrong at some point, hence leading to a wrong statement. But the question I ask is “Why will the other person not even consider a SLIGHT possibility that there may be some basis and explanation on which the other person’s view is based?”. Why is it that some people wish to rubbish an alternate view in the blink of an eye, without even thinking? Why are some people so much bent on their own ideas, that the thought of a new idea seems unacceptable?

It is what people call ‘scientific temper’. Though I agree this is a term I can very loosely base this question upon. By definition on the internet, “Scientific temper describes an attitude which involves the application of logic and the avoidance of bias and preconceived notions. Discussion, argument and analysis are vital parts of scientific temper. It is thus necessarily open — admitting every point of view, however heterodox it might be, or where it comes from. Elements of fairness, equality and democracy are built into it.”

One must be able to understand that along with him/herself being right, there are chances that he/she MAY be wrong. Also, one must understand that along with the other person being wrong, there are CHANCES that he/she may be right. In the end, what happens is a different story. One may be right, and the other person may be wrong. But why do we, being intelligent beings, not wish to welcome a new idea? Why do we wish to keep sticking to the views already existing? Is there not a possibility that one new idea from somewhere may be strong enough to over throw a current belief, and lead to a betterment of sorts?

The difference between what we think is right and what is wrong may also be due to cultural conditioning. We may perceive an idea as a wrong one. But we not only think it is wrong, we think everyone should agree that it is wrong. This is not to say that something is wrong just because everyone agrees it is wrong. There is a logical possibility that we are all mistaken and it is just our cultural conditioning that tells us that something is wrong. By a different and perfectly meaningful logic, what we think as ‘wrong’ may be harmlessly ‘right’. I just ask one question. Why do a portion of us not even bother to wonder about the other side of things, and just jump onto our own thought, and stick to it? Why would one want to look at the ‘heads’ side of the coin, and immediately deduce that the other side is ‘tails’? Perhaps the coin you are holding may be biased, and both sides may have a ‘heads’. There is no need to accept anything, but at the least, perhaps one should ask questions, and put an idea through enough analysis first?

:-C.S.Sailendra

Skull Kid - The Beginning

This is part one of a series that I wrote. It is a story of an anti-hero of sorts.....I guess.....which I wrote in the form of a poem.....Lets call it an attempt to write a ballad.

Skull Kid - The Beginning

Skully was an ordinary boy

He was impossible to annoy

A very patient and sweet kid

Not a single bad thing he did

His parents passed away

And he had a step mom, who hated him, in every way

But did not have many people

To talk to, which created a ripple

In his innocent little mind

He tried being kind

But this didn’t help in any way

That was it, there was no ray

No ray of light

Until one day, he got into a fight

Skully was feeling frustrated

And just then, he was irritated

By a teacher who targeted him

His mood became dim

He took too much of this

He got up and slapped that miss

For a second, he went wild

Then he became mild

He ran out of the room

And bumped into a bully

The bully said “What up Skully?”

He lifted Skully and took him into the lab

And Skully made a grab

For a nearby bottle of acid

He was no where near placid

But the bully grabbed it first

He said “Dying of thirst?”

And made it an acid rain

Poor Skully writhed with pain

His face did burn violently

And the bully beat him vehemently

Skully was bleeding bad

It was the worst beat down he ever had

Soon, the bully left, and Skully was crying

He washed his face, and on the floor he was lying

His face searing with pain

His cries went in vain

Soon, he got up, and got out

With pain, he did shout

Even though he looked like a hideous creature

He was charged with hitting a teacher

And was sent home immediately

He staggered home, burnt severely

No one even gave him medical assistance

Still, he showed great resilience

He went to his room

And sat in gloom

He tended to his face

His heart beating at a rapid pace

His clothes torn, his body bleeding

He was in a terrible condition, no where near dreaming

His step mom came home, and helped him to the clinic

She was not at all sympathetic

She left him in the waiting room, and never came back

Not that the boy had courage that did lack

He knew that his step mom liked this

She must have thought this opportunity to be at bliss

His parents dead, and now the house gone

Everything he had from him, torn

That second, he was disowned by the stepmother

The nurse offered help like a mother

She washed his face, but could not do more

He stepped out of the clinic door

And was now an orphan

Straight home, he ran

But step mom just gave him his bags

And some food, water and dirty old rags

After searching, he found an abandoned old house

He took shelter, and soon, his senses did arouse

It happened all too soon

He wanted to swoon

He hated everything!

He no longer had anything

He hated everyone

He decide, something had to be done

He went through his baggage

He did rummage

His face hurt no longer

His body felt stronger

Despite the aid, he needed to cover his face

He thought of different ways

Finally, he found a mask

For which on his third birthday, he did ask

It had a painting of a skull on it

He put it on, and it fit

He went out of his den, and tried stalking a man

When the man noticed, he ran

Skully followed him, and chased him into an alley

The two of them were alone in the gully

Skully pulled out a knife

The man said “Don’t kill me, I have a wife!”

Skully said, “The world will pay for what it gave me

They never let me be

I was nice, but people never cared for me

And now, I don’t care either, I feel free!”

Thus, Skully stabbed the man dead

And stood in a pool of red

From that day, a new killer was born

The teenager Skully was gone

And a psycho killer came out, who never cared what he did

Now he is known as the infamous “Skull-Kid”

.....to be continued......

: -C.S.Sailendra

Ego

With confidence I walk

With pride I talk

With authority I say

“Will I ever give up?…Nay”

With attitude I do

Always trying to conquer the social zoo

People ask “you are…..who?”

I say, “I am a part of you!”

The essence present in all!

Thriving, walking ever so tall!

Whether you think of him or not

Even if you loose everything you sought

Ego will forever be within

Making man’s perspective ever so thin

Not that qualities such as confidence is bad

But a man’s fully exposed ego, drive those around him mad!

: -C.S.Sailendra

Society from the top

Despite having all the materialistic things that are required for the well-being of a man, the net worth of it all comes down to nothing if he does not have his mind in the right place. One may have all the monetary and financial support that he requires to come up in life. But without the proper nurturing of the mind, the end result takes a different course all together. An incomplete or incompetent social circle, a broken family, an unstable state of mind, a sorrowful childhood, and other such causes may cause even the man with the greatest potential to plummet down into nothingness.

But still, despite all the rubbish that may be heaved upon the unfortunate sufferer, he/she may be revived, and may still reach his/her peak, only if the right guidance exists. It may not be an external guidance. But it may be the internal push. It can be the urge from within to get up, gather the courage and strength, and keep moving. For it does not take any effort to lay down where you got knocked out. It is great in itself to revive your senses, use the power of logical deduction of what is to be done, and keep moving.

Let me approach all the possible problems at once. As can be seen, any source that may drag one’s performance levels down has to do with people, and society. One may have had a hard time growing up in his/her home. Or perhaps one has not made any good friends in life. So to speak, it also may have been that a good relation has turned bad. All the factors affect the mind of a weak man, and affect his/her life. And all the factors have one common feature. Needless to mention, it is people.

If one wishes to take a break from it all and rejuvenate him/herself, the one advice that can guarantee his/her rejuvenation is “Get away from people!”

Let’s face it. The only way a person could be maligned, is by the wrong interaction with other people. Words of people could moralize a person to make him rise out of the deepest depths. All the same, those very words could demoralize a man, to such an extent as to drag him of his high position in life, and put him on the streets. People do not seem to realize how deeply they can affect one another’s lives. By simple words or acts of kindness, a man can be uplifted that he may perform tasks he would never have thought possible. But sadly, we live in a selfish society. Every man or woman must satisfy their own needs first. This is a very valid statement. It is true that one must look after one’s self first. But if one could spare a little bit of consideration for a fellow being, the world would be different. Once again, it is not being said that no one in this world is a fair hearted fellow. Such elevated people who see through the fog of selfishness, materialism, and immaturity may exist. But they are few and far. We live in a society where people have the crude tendency of fighting like animals over things that do not even deserve the least bit of attention.

But of course! That is the issue. How many people “think” before they act? Those who do may proudly stand out as an exception to the mass majority of people who mindlessly perform actions without even trying to be pro-active.

The technological development of man may appear very promising. But it means nothing to have a high-tech gadget if one has the understanding of a senseless moron. Similarly, we must see the fact that despite us getting more and more tech savvy, our morals, and common sense has spiralled down to an alarming depth. It is ridiculous to see a group of learned men trample over each other, and elbow one another instead of standing in a line, which may help the entire system be more organized. It is stupid to see an expensive and high end car driving down the freeway, only to tell you that there is an inconsiderate maniac who is ignorant to general traffic rules inside the very car.

In the end however, it is no one’s fault. It is just the course of learning. Only if one meets another person like him/her, and gets a taste of the mindlessness that one indulges in, will he/she truly understand the meaning and importance that exists in living a pro-active life. We can only hope that society doesn’t crumble before there are enough learned and pro-active people who can guide society along the right path, and somehow avoid the seemingly inevitable self-destruction of mankind.

-C.S.Sailendra