Gautam Jain’s Reverser
One Gautam Jain, with wars disgusted,
Did once invent a strange device
That drew upon the Earth’s rotation—
Along with lentils, served with rice.
And when that fine machine was started,
It monitored, with ease, the world,
Detecting, through its deep inspection,
Each and every object hurled
At speeds beyond the chosen setting
Gautam Jain had set it at—
Speeds that signaled swift destruction—
Far beyond what ball and bat
Could ever reach to—though, more truly,
Those like me have merely guessed
At what Gautam had created,
Knowing things he knew of best.
‘Momentum’, ‘rate of change’, and ‘jeera’… \1
Were things he spoke of (some invented).
The few who understood him nodded,
Along with those who just pretended.
******
This wonderful device, of genius—
This thing that Gautam Jain had made—
Was ending (so we hoped) our mayhem—
Bringing peace, for which we’d prayed!
It detected man-made fires,
Explosions starting, near and far;
Reversed the speeding objects’ motions,
Quenched the fires—and ended war!
Conflagrations, used for arson,
Blasts gigantic, meant to shatter,
Snagged at targets, were transported
Back to strike at each attacker!
Gautam Jain, through wits and labors,
Did achieve this great success.
He called this thing “The Great Reverser”,
Hoping it would end our mess.
It seemed to us that this invention
Might perhaps bring peace, at last,
And also cure our constant racing—
By slowing all that moved too fast.
******
But then, some devious, scheming humans
Found a way to turn it ‘round!
And so we see this dire destruction
That never ceases to astound.
On observing his invention
Turned around, our Gautam Jain
Cried, “Alas! The Earth’s rotation,
Rice, and lentils—all in vain!”
Quite unable, then, to bear this,
Gautam whispered to his wife,
“Though this act might grieve you sorely,
I must surely end my life!”
Gautam’s wife (whose name escapes me)
Cried out loud on hearing this.
“Surely, dear, the Earth’s rotation,
Rice, plus lentils—could not miss?
“But seeing that some twisted humans
Once again have thwarted peace,
Could the yearly revolution
Be, perhaps, the missing piece?”
******
“Joined with sabzi and with roti, \2,3
This might thwart the evil ones.
Nothing surely beats chapaati! \4
That’s on what my engine runs!”
Sage are women such as her,
Nameless though they're wont to be.
Simple, plain, in thoughts and words,
They still have sight to deeply see.
Heartened by his wife’s devotion,
And by all her sage advice,
Gautam did a calculation,
And did away with daal and rice. \5
Turning, too, from turns diurnal,
Or even mensal, scorning fear,
He turned to turns of more duration—
Starting with the solar year.
Through the days and nights he labored—
Not just merely “dawn to dusk”.
He slept upon the office flooring,
Beating even Elon Musk!
******
Using wits, and using knowledge,
Deep, of chemistry and cooking,
Using physics, with masaala,… \6
Gautam went, for answers looking!
“Did Gautam then achieve successes?”
You might ask. I do not know.
He well might still be at his labors.
Wish him well! I now must go.
I hear, afar, the planes that thunder
Where the sky is lit with flame.
On the nightly news, they’re saying,
“Gautam Jain’s the one to blame!”
By reversing his “Reverser”,
More of children now are burned.
But then, by being born, those children
Surely, such a fate, have earned.
Bless the ones that seek to slaughter;
Curse the ones that pine for peace.
Gautam Jain and his Reverser
Are proof enough. I’ve said my piece.
2023 November 26th, Sun.
Berkeley, California
Notes (translations of words from Hindi-Urdu)
1. jeera: cumin seed
2. sabzi: vegetable
3. roti: bread (usually unleavened, whole-wheat, flat and round)
4. chapaati: subcontinental roti made on a griddle
5. daal: lentil stew
6. masaala: spices
