Batting on a Sticky Wicket: Leaving for Living

Welcome back, rascals. You know those rare, beautifully chaotic moments when your perfectly logical brain completely short-circuits? One minute you’re overthinking your new cricket-style haircut or tackling a complicated translation exercise, and the next, a single glance from a fascinating woman turns your entire world upside down. 

This week’s piece dives headfirst into that exact sweet spot—where romance, science, sports, and social awkwardness collide. From unexpected dances at the tea corner to eyes that do all the talking, here is a dizzying, poetic confession of a genius caught utterly off guard. Grab a cupper, and enjoy the madness. 

I still wonder:

Am I leaving for Li v ing,

Or am I living for Lii v ing?

Her gentle eyes, her calm demeanor,

Soft speech and a lovely, no-fuss gait. 

The other day,

She suddenly appeared at the Tea Corner.

Lonely, she caught my eye,

And out came her Al Gult dance.

I stood there wondering what to save—

My honor, or my shame? 

Later, she came with a Fultoo, broad-chested

Approach at dinner,

And I was left flabbergasted by her bold mistake.

Speechless, I gazed,

And then her eyes did the talking:

"You want to eat full or part?"

I just lost it, man. 

I didn't know she was this great.

I had thought the girl with the dancing gait

And the toffee touch were the only ones to awe.

The next thing I remember,

Her computer opened,

And like bubbly smoke, a genie escaped. 

My eyes were on stalks.

A pat on my back startled me—

Bubbles stood laughing, saying, "I gotcha, Marwadi!"

I thought he had my back,

Or did he just smell of fish?

I adjusted my hair, freshly cut in Warne style. 

The opposite side didn't seem affected by it all,

As those soft hands typed soft material on the board.

Was I contemplating sin,

Or thinking about my cricket team in an hour so bleak

That my heart missed a beat? 

Was the devil trapping my innocent gaze,

Wondering about the tapestry of colors that made sides unique?

Or was the translation exercise too complicated

That I lost sight of the world around me?

For the words came out dancing,

Arraying themselves in patterns I never saw in my mind. 

My thoughts went zig-zag, hither-thither.

Some said the diagonal march in the commons was monumental.

Well, that's who I am, whether you like it or not—

A little weird in my social approach. 

My mentor told me not to repeat all this to my friends,

For people may think differently because you are a GENIUS.

Did he just ridicule me?

Or was it well-meaning?

You see, I can't discern even this small thing. 

And then came the big guy,

Convinced that my logic defied his brain by a big margin.

I wonder if he wondered how I write

Wonderful words of wisdom and peace.

Though he was pretty sure of my capabilities,

Tortured and enriched, I left the crease. 

Was I batting at ease,

Or had the bowler just lost it? 

Her pretty smile shook me one more time.

I thought it was directed at me.

I looked around to see if there was a soul

More deserving than I.

Grateful no one was around, I turned back.

She looked at me, and her eyes touched my heart;

I felt she told me, "You were naughty from the start." 

God only knows how weird it gets

When romance, science, and humanities entangle in a mess,

And sports don't sit distant, claiming no intervention.

Complicated as I am,

She makes me feel like a complex organism,

Having no clue as to what sticks—water or glue. 

I was aware that no kisses were shared,

No winks, no touch.

But the eye-firing continued

Until I realized what was yet to come

Was far beyond my imagination. 

I thought she got cat fever, but it's not—

The reader might know.

Ever since, I am down, or perhaps up,

Or up and down with an attack of

Lying to live, and living to lie down.