Dr. Archan Mehta
Poem #1: Saintly Preaching?
And then,
The saints came
Marching in,
One foot in
Front of another,
In a single file,
One by one,
And gosh,
The saints
Really demanded attention!
Boy, you will be considered
A success in this life
Only if you pursue
Medicine or law or
Engineering and so on,
Nothing else matters
Get the point, boy?
But what if you don’t
Fit into these neat, little,
Dark and convenient boxes?
Why it felt creepy
Even to think about it:
That is, to swim
Upstream against the tide.
Those were the days
When conventional mindsets
Ruled, and you were
Considered an oddball
If you refused to
Tow the official line.
Why, if you wanted to pursue
A life of aesthetics and imagination,
That is, dabble in poetry,
Only our good and dear Lord
Could “save” you!
The “experts” with power,
Influence and social status
Drove big ambassador cars
And were treated like Gods
By their servile flatterers
And acolytes:
After all, the masses
Worshipped power instead of merit.
Thus, with a heavy heart,
I decided to follow my bliss
And remain true to my
Calling, despite the odds.
Poem #2: On Being a Poet
Hey, do I have
To actually spell
It out for you?
Really? Gee whiz!
As my favorite tennis
Player, John McEnroe,
Would say:
Why, you can’t be serious!
Well, rent a brain if
You don’t have one already.
I am a poet; after all,
Don’t you see, and I must
Say I am darned
Proud of myself.
What did you expect?
That I actually work
For a living?
You gotta be kidding me, folks.
Work is what shmucks
Like you do, not yours truly.
Do you really expect me to
Turn into a corporate slave
Like you? Like everybody else?
Who do you think
You are? My role model?
Forget about it; I’m not going
To punch a clock from 9 to 9.
You see, brothers and sisters,
Soul-crushing work bothers
Me and I suffer from acne
And sensitive skin and pimples.
I also detest people, in general,
And people hate me in return.
Why should I have to put up
With obnoxious co-workers
And sadistic bosses?
They aren’t worth a dime
Of my time and rob my energy.
I tried completing routine tasks
But found myself turning into
A zombie or robot: in fact,
I felt like a machine on steroids.
I don’t belong in any workplace:
I expect others to do my dirty
Work and I deserve credit
For everything, they do for me.
Don’t you dare try to get
To know me: I am a difficult
Person. What did you expect?
Shirley Temple?
Paul Newman?
Robert Redford?
Florence Nightingale?
Doris Day? Alice in Wonderland?
Mother Teresa?
Trust me; I am not a
Walk in the park.
After all,
I am a poet,
For crying out loud.
And breaking rules
Is part of my game.
And, if you don’t
Like it, well,
Abandon ship
And move to
Another planet.
I guess this just
Ain’t your lucky day!
Poem #3: Poet’s Confusion?
My pen lies
Empty of thought:
I do not know
What I seek.
I tried hiding
Under a bed:
I tried liquids
And beverages
And substances
But, in the end,
Nothing worked for me.
I wanted to be creative,
You see but could not.
Thwarted by my own
Lack of talent, haunted
By images: blurry visions
Of phantoms patrolling
Earth and sky. I picked up
My pen but could not write.
Foggy clouds descended
Over me. I was clearly
Out of touch with reality.
Bio: Dr. Archan Mehta
Archan Mehta has earned a Ph.D. in Management. Currently, Dr. Mehta is a Consultant and Writer based in India who trains clients in Stress Management through the ancient practice of meditation.
Dr. Mehta’s articles and case studies have been featured in HR Future. HR Future is a leading HR magazine based in South Africa, sourced by prestigious ivy league schools in America (USA) like Harvard and Princeton.
In 1990, Dr. Mehta won a national award for a short story in Onlooker Magazine based in Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra, India. The Judge was the late, great Khushwant Singh, India’s celebrated Journalist, Editor, Author, and Columnist.
Publications
- American Poetry Anthology
- Poets United to Advance the Arts
- The Times of India
- The Indian Express
- Mid-Day
- HR Future, Business Manager
- India Today
- Sportsweek
- The Statesman
- Ahmedabad Mirror
- All India Management Association
- People Matters
- Society for Human Resource Management
- Onlooker
Dr. Mehta is a member of several professional organizations, such as Society for Human Resource Management, Indian Society for Training and Development, Academy of HRD, Rural Marketing Association of India, Ahmedabad Management Association, Human Resource Association of India, Society for Applied Behavioral Sciences, National HRD Network and All India Management Association.
Dr. Mehta likes to stroll outdoors, listen to music, party with close friends, and read in his free time.
Connect with Dr. Archan Mehta
Please feel free to reach out to the poet at archanm@hotmail.com or through LinkedIn.