I've had a hard day,
I've been dragged down every way,
I've had my knees tire,
Can't wait till I can retire.
I've had a long day,
Listening to what people say,
Telling them to shut the hell up,
Just run outside for my coffee cup
And then I see you,
And the world starts to revolve again
Cause when I see you,
Colors seem to resolve again.
And when I see that smile,
I'm just speechless for a while,
I'm amazed, feeling so dazed,
Every time I see that smile.
I got troubles, just lots of troubles,
I got no hundreds, just fivers and doubles,
My bank keeps calling all the time,
Gotta tell them I ain't got a doggone dime,
People around me, all rising higher,
I see them come and go and aspire,
And I don't really want to be that high,
I just want to be a regular guy.
And then I see you,
And I wanna fly high again.
Cause when I see you,
I wanna soar into the sky again.
And when I see that smile,
I'm just speechless for a while,
I'm amazed, feeling so dazed,
Every time I see that smile.
Winters coming, I know I'll catch a cold.
I'm weak in the lungs, always been told.
Wrap up warm, they tell me every time,
But I just want a cold sweet soda lime.
I wanna catch a cold, if that means I can,
Be who I want, be a spontaneous man,
I'll deal with cancer, if I know I'm free,
Right now, to write my own history.
And then I see you,
And I wanna live longer that I ever did
Cause when I see you,
Life means more that it ever did.
And when I see that smile,
I'm just speechless for a while,
I'm amazed, feeling so dazed,
Every time I see that smile.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
About a Poet and Some Ducks
I've been trying so hard,
To be a better man,
To grow up, to listen better,
To see and understand.
And you tell me I'm doing fine,
You tell me I'm great.
You tell me you wanna be mine,
You tell me you can't wait
Let me tell you, my dearest cub,
I'll do anything to keep you here,
My every poem that you listen to,
Will be from the heart and sincere.
I'm a poet, I'm a writer,
I'm a man of letters and words,
I love to see the world around me,
And write odes to plants and birds.
So let me reassure you, again,
Let me calm your occasional fears,
Let me tell you it'll be alright,
And we'll have a hundred happy years.
I'm been trying so hard,
To forget the pain I once felt.
To tell you, you make me happy,
That you make my problems melt.
Let me tell you,my dearest cub,
I'll do anything to keep you here,
My every poem that you listen to,
Will be from the heart and sincere,
I'm a poet, I'm a writer,
I'm a man of letters and words,
I love to see the world around me,
And write odes to plants and birds.
Everytime we talk, everytime we laugh,
I feel I'm a mile high in the sky,
Everytime I see you with that smile,
I can't hold back a wondering sigh,
Everytime we kiss, Everytime we touch,
I feel the blood pumping inside,
I feel my heart start to race,
There are feelings I can't hide.
Let me tell you,my dearest cub,
I'll do anything to keep you here,
My every poem that you listen to,
Will be from the heart and sincere,
I'm a poet, I'm a writer,
I'm a man of letters and words,
I love to see the world around me,
And write odes to plants and birds.
So everytime you feel you need,
To remind me to not let you go,
Please remember. I'm not blind,
I can't tell you, but I love you so.
I'll take every pain, every test,
And reach out and grasp it tight,
I'll knock down every obstacle I swear,
If the need arises, I'll fight and fight.
Let me tell you,my dearest cub,
I'll do anything to keep you here,
My every poem that you listen to,
Will be from the heart and sincere,
I'm a poet, I'm a writer,
I'm a man of letters and words,
I love to see the world around me,
And write odes to plants and birds.
Now this writer doesn't have much,
To lay before your beautiful eyes,
But he's ecstatic, that you too know,
Love isn't something money buys.
And I cannot promise you diamonds,
May you love them, or like them not,
But I promise I'll never ever give up,
I'll fight for you with everything I got.
Let me tell you,my dearest cub,
I'll do anything to keep you here,
My every poem that you listen to,
Will be from the heart and sincere,
I'm a poet, I'm a writer,
I'm a man of letters and words,
I'd love to have you in the world around me,
And read you poems about ducks and birds
To be a better man,
To grow up, to listen better,
To see and understand.
And you tell me I'm doing fine,
You tell me I'm great.
You tell me you wanna be mine,
You tell me you can't wait
Let me tell you, my dearest cub,
I'll do anything to keep you here,
My every poem that you listen to,
Will be from the heart and sincere.
I'm a poet, I'm a writer,
I'm a man of letters and words,
I love to see the world around me,
And write odes to plants and birds.
So let me reassure you, again,
Let me calm your occasional fears,
Let me tell you it'll be alright,
And we'll have a hundred happy years.
I'm been trying so hard,
To forget the pain I once felt.
To tell you, you make me happy,
That you make my problems melt.
Let me tell you,my dearest cub,
I'll do anything to keep you here,
My every poem that you listen to,
Will be from the heart and sincere,
I'm a poet, I'm a writer,
I'm a man of letters and words,
I love to see the world around me,
And write odes to plants and birds.
Everytime we talk, everytime we laugh,
I feel I'm a mile high in the sky,
Everytime I see you with that smile,
I can't hold back a wondering sigh,
Everytime we kiss, Everytime we touch,
I feel the blood pumping inside,
I feel my heart start to race,
There are feelings I can't hide.
Let me tell you,my dearest cub,
I'll do anything to keep you here,
My every poem that you listen to,
Will be from the heart and sincere,
I'm a poet, I'm a writer,
I'm a man of letters and words,
I love to see the world around me,
And write odes to plants and birds.
So everytime you feel you need,
To remind me to not let you go,
Please remember. I'm not blind,
I can't tell you, but I love you so.
I'll take every pain, every test,
And reach out and grasp it tight,
I'll knock down every obstacle I swear,
If the need arises, I'll fight and fight.
Let me tell you,my dearest cub,
I'll do anything to keep you here,
My every poem that you listen to,
Will be from the heart and sincere,
I'm a poet, I'm a writer,
I'm a man of letters and words,
I love to see the world around me,
And write odes to plants and birds.
Now this writer doesn't have much,
To lay before your beautiful eyes,
But he's ecstatic, that you too know,
Love isn't something money buys.
And I cannot promise you diamonds,
May you love them, or like them not,
But I promise I'll never ever give up,
I'll fight for you with everything I got.
Let me tell you,my dearest cub,
I'll do anything to keep you here,
My every poem that you listen to,
Will be from the heart and sincere,
I'm a poet, I'm a writer,
I'm a man of letters and words,
I'd love to have you in the world around me,
And read you poems about ducks and birds
Monday, June 02, 2008
Leaves I
Part I - Two Leaves
Once upon a time, there was a tree. The tree was green with leaves, and had many sturdy branches to support the heavy weight of all the leaves. The tree was not special, there were other trees around it too. However, our story does not concern them. It, in fact, does not concern that one particular tree to that great an extent either. Our story begins, instead, when the tree shed its leaves in fall, preparing for the coming cold and harsh winter.
Among the hundreds of leaves that fell over the languid weeks of the fall season, there were two leaves that I want to tell you about. These leaves were not very different from their brethren drifting down slowly around them. The first leaf was called Uck, and the leaf that soon became its fellow traveller was called Ton. Uck and Ton were from different parts of the tree, so they had not known each other before they were evicted from their home perches by the self-preserving action of the tree. Yet all leaves have the same language, irrespective of the species of tree, and so they were able to talk to each other when they finally met.
Uck fell first. Having been at the outermost edge of the tree's branches, it drifted by Ton, carried by the wind within view of the other leaf. Uck settled in a clean dry patch on the ground. While other leaves were starting their rituals of death, preparing for death and decomposition, Uck was sulking because it had been thrown down.
Ton came by a few hours later. Uck pretended not to notice, and tried to carry on scowling.
"Stop that sulk. If you carry on for some time, that look will stick to your leaf-face", Ton admonished Uck. "I'm Ton, by the way, from near the trunk where the squrriel has taken over the old hollow."
"Uck, from near where the sun hits first every summer morning", Uck had to be polite to a leaf that was polite. That's the way leaves behave, much better than us fallible humans.
"Well, so now we're out. Life as we know it has finished. What do you plan to do?" Ton prodded Uck.
Annoyed by the intrusion into its privacy and the disruption of a good honest sulk, Uck replied a bit heatedly,
"What do I plan to do? Why, who knows? I have been thrust into this situation, I didn't choose it. I hadn't kept dying in mind when I made plans for life. What can I do, but remember how proud the days were when I was the first leaf that the sun's rays crept out to every morning. Oh, what woe!", moaned Uck. Leaves are good at moaning. They learn it from the wind when it howls in a strong gale or a thunderstorm.
"What's done is done. I suppose you're one of those stupid vain leaves that believe that they will live forever, and that they are special because they happened to have a spot that others envied. But now you're down on the ground, just like old inner-tree plebes like me. So stop moaning, and think about what you want to do now. You must carry on. Leaves crumple and die just because they lose their self-pride. There is much more waiting out there. Let us go out and see."
The leaf named Ton said all this with a smile of patience on its broad dark green face.
"What do you plan to do?" Uck asked after a little while. Uck had been watching Ton's face, and was surprised by a strange feeling of confidence and the passage of gloom rising up in it. It was indeed strange, but this leaf Ton sounded like it knew what it was talking about.
So Uck too, waited right along side Ton.
End of Part I
Once upon a time, there was a tree. The tree was green with leaves, and had many sturdy branches to support the heavy weight of all the leaves. The tree was not special, there were other trees around it too. However, our story does not concern them. It, in fact, does not concern that one particular tree to that great an extent either. Our story begins, instead, when the tree shed its leaves in fall, preparing for the coming cold and harsh winter.
Among the hundreds of leaves that fell over the languid weeks of the fall season, there were two leaves that I want to tell you about. These leaves were not very different from their brethren drifting down slowly around them. The first leaf was called Uck, and the leaf that soon became its fellow traveller was called Ton. Uck and Ton were from different parts of the tree, so they had not known each other before they were evicted from their home perches by the self-preserving action of the tree. Yet all leaves have the same language, irrespective of the species of tree, and so they were able to talk to each other when they finally met.
Uck fell first. Having been at the outermost edge of the tree's branches, it drifted by Ton, carried by the wind within view of the other leaf. Uck settled in a clean dry patch on the ground. While other leaves were starting their rituals of death, preparing for death and decomposition, Uck was sulking because it had been thrown down.
Ton came by a few hours later. Uck pretended not to notice, and tried to carry on scowling.
"Stop that sulk. If you carry on for some time, that look will stick to your leaf-face", Ton admonished Uck. "I'm Ton, by the way, from near the trunk where the squrriel has taken over the old hollow."
"Uck, from near where the sun hits first every summer morning", Uck had to be polite to a leaf that was polite. That's the way leaves behave, much better than us fallible humans.
"Well, so now we're out. Life as we know it has finished. What do you plan to do?" Ton prodded Uck.
Annoyed by the intrusion into its privacy and the disruption of a good honest sulk, Uck replied a bit heatedly,
"What do I plan to do? Why, who knows? I have been thrust into this situation, I didn't choose it. I hadn't kept dying in mind when I made plans for life. What can I do, but remember how proud the days were when I was the first leaf that the sun's rays crept out to every morning. Oh, what woe!", moaned Uck. Leaves are good at moaning. They learn it from the wind when it howls in a strong gale or a thunderstorm.
"What's done is done. I suppose you're one of those stupid vain leaves that believe that they will live forever, and that they are special because they happened to have a spot that others envied. But now you're down on the ground, just like old inner-tree plebes like me. So stop moaning, and think about what you want to do now. You must carry on. Leaves crumple and die just because they lose their self-pride. There is much more waiting out there. Let us go out and see."
The leaf named Ton said all this with a smile of patience on its broad dark green face.
"What do you plan to do?" Uck asked after a little while. Uck had been watching Ton's face, and was surprised by a strange feeling of confidence and the passage of gloom rising up in it. It was indeed strange, but this leaf Ton sounded like it knew what it was talking about.
So Uck too, waited right along side Ton.
End of Part I
That Smile
There are some people who just piss you off. Who can set off explosive expressions of irritation or evident manifestations of annoyance. These are the ones with the tics, the annoying habits, the irritating mannerisms, or even just a penetrating nasal accent of speech!
But then there are some people, who you meet, and they take your point of view, shake it up a little, free it of the cobwebs of emotional stalemate, of betrayal, deceit, lies, conformity, stagnation of thinking, and other strands that hold back the true inner nature of the human being.
For a human being is essentially made not only in the image of God, but with potential to almost match. Yet we never acheive that potential, never fulfil that level of maturity, that we can rise to.
We fail to appreciate smells, we forget the special meaning and feel of colors, we forget the value of the basest of gifts - the smile of a child, we deny the importance of things that we held dear before the drudgery of life sawed smooth the wonderful protusions on the plank of our pleasure-plane.
We lose our sense of wonder, of appreciation for anything not valuable to us. We lose in a sense, our humanity.
And one day, the very few lucky ones meet a special person, who will turn the dark brown leaves and bark of their life's tree, into something green, yellow, turquiose, pink, orange, blue, red, violet, fuchisa, indigo, maroon, crimson, purple...
Those very few of us meet someone who will turn the daily smell of vehicle-fumes, cigarette smoke and cheap liquor around us into tastes of fragnances of lily and peach and orange and chocolate and camphor and fresh rubber and crushed leaves and wet earth and good honest sweat...
When we meet such a person we leave behind the cliched tastes of sweet and sour and bitter and salt, and begin to appreciate the tang of pinapple on our tongue, the bite of chillies and pepper, the sublime melting of cotton candy in our mouths, the chewy substance of latex chewing gums without artificial flavors.
We rise out of our daily rituals of handshakes and perfunctionary hugs, and learn to value the nuances of touching a person's skin. How the temperature and humidity of a person's palm can tell us more about his/her mental state than his grip ever can. How a hug can give insights into what a person is feeling at any given moment. How eye conact can betray what is going on behind those windows to the world.
I have met such a person. A person who defines the world around her, and by association and choice and caring, my world around me as well. It is a cascade of emotions around me everytime I talk to her, feel her hands on mine, or even when I simply see her.
And her smile, oh her smile, makes me so glad I have eyes. I can look at her smile and see a million different shades of what is going on in her head.
Her eyes are bright, as they know what to look for. She knows exactly what she wants, and she knows exactly who she is. She knows exactly who she wants, and she knows exactly who wants her.
A woman they say, is the catalyst to a man's development. Well, I think I've just been handed the mother-lode. Thank you God, thank you so much I cannot say in this meagre vocabulary I possess.
And so another week ends, full of joy, anticipation, healthy nerves, love and love returned. A simple life, a content consciousness, a quiet conscience.
And above all, a beautiful smile. Oh yes, what a smile....
But then there are some people, who you meet, and they take your point of view, shake it up a little, free it of the cobwebs of emotional stalemate, of betrayal, deceit, lies, conformity, stagnation of thinking, and other strands that hold back the true inner nature of the human being.
For a human being is essentially made not only in the image of God, but with potential to almost match. Yet we never acheive that potential, never fulfil that level of maturity, that we can rise to.
We fail to appreciate smells, we forget the special meaning and feel of colors, we forget the value of the basest of gifts - the smile of a child, we deny the importance of things that we held dear before the drudgery of life sawed smooth the wonderful protusions on the plank of our pleasure-plane.
We lose our sense of wonder, of appreciation for anything not valuable to us. We lose in a sense, our humanity.
And one day, the very few lucky ones meet a special person, who will turn the dark brown leaves and bark of their life's tree, into something green, yellow, turquiose, pink, orange, blue, red, violet, fuchisa, indigo, maroon, crimson, purple...
Those very few of us meet someone who will turn the daily smell of vehicle-fumes, cigarette smoke and cheap liquor around us into tastes of fragnances of lily and peach and orange and chocolate and camphor and fresh rubber and crushed leaves and wet earth and good honest sweat...
When we meet such a person we leave behind the cliched tastes of sweet and sour and bitter and salt, and begin to appreciate the tang of pinapple on our tongue, the bite of chillies and pepper, the sublime melting of cotton candy in our mouths, the chewy substance of latex chewing gums without artificial flavors.
We rise out of our daily rituals of handshakes and perfunctionary hugs, and learn to value the nuances of touching a person's skin. How the temperature and humidity of a person's palm can tell us more about his/her mental state than his grip ever can. How a hug can give insights into what a person is feeling at any given moment. How eye conact can betray what is going on behind those windows to the world.
I have met such a person. A person who defines the world around her, and by association and choice and caring, my world around me as well. It is a cascade of emotions around me everytime I talk to her, feel her hands on mine, or even when I simply see her.
And her smile, oh her smile, makes me so glad I have eyes. I can look at her smile and see a million different shades of what is going on in her head.
Her eyes are bright, as they know what to look for. She knows exactly what she wants, and she knows exactly who she is. She knows exactly who she wants, and she knows exactly who wants her.
A woman they say, is the catalyst to a man's development. Well, I think I've just been handed the mother-lode. Thank you God, thank you so much I cannot say in this meagre vocabulary I possess.
And so another week ends, full of joy, anticipation, healthy nerves, love and love returned. A simple life, a content consciousness, a quiet conscience.
And above all, a beautiful smile. Oh yes, what a smile....
Forgive and Never Forget (A Prayer)
Forgive us our words said in anger,
Forgive us our deeds done in fury,
Forgive us our sins of passion,
Forgive us as we reach for the sky.
Forgive us our friendships broken,
Forgive us our confidence shaken,
Forgive us our faith diverted,
As we attempt to navigate this world of lies.
Forgive us our works left in despair,
Forgive us our dependents abandoned,
Forgive us our opportunities missed in indolence,
Forgive us our down and averted eyes.
Forgive us our mania for power,
Forgive us our obsession for sin,
Forgive us our infatuation for beauty,
Forgive us as we fail and still try,
Forgive us our deceits conducted,
Forgive us our falsehoods spoken,
Forgive us all our wrongs done,
But never forget a heart-broken cry
Forgive us our deeds done in fury,
Forgive us our sins of passion,
Forgive us as we reach for the sky.
Forgive us our friendships broken,
Forgive us our confidence shaken,
Forgive us our faith diverted,
As we attempt to navigate this world of lies.
Forgive us our works left in despair,
Forgive us our dependents abandoned,
Forgive us our opportunities missed in indolence,
Forgive us our down and averted eyes.
Forgive us our mania for power,
Forgive us our obsession for sin,
Forgive us our infatuation for beauty,
Forgive us as we fail and still try,
Forgive us our deceits conducted,
Forgive us our falsehoods spoken,
Forgive us all our wrongs done,
But never forget a heart-broken cry
Contentment
What makes two people fit together so well? The fundamental unit of human existence is not of unitary cardinality, but dual. We think in twos. The fundamental marital unit of human society is a pair. The typical family unit also has a pair of children. Since parents are a pair, so are grandparents.
We often pity those who are single, whether through design or through happenstance. We revel in the joy of company, if only when we have found the company we can revel in joy with.
History is dotted with examples of a pair working in synchronity during their progress through the world. The pairs are sometimes romantic - Romeo and Juliet, Jodha and Akbar, Cleopatra and Marc Anthony - and sometimes platonic - Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Akbar and Birbal.
But the pair is always showcased. We are exhuberant in our celebration of two-ness. The President and the Vice President in the United States. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi in India. Nicolas Sarkozky and Carla Bruni in France.
So again, what makes two such people fit together so well? Do they have complementary egos, that fit into each others jagged edges so perfectly that they never grate against each other? Or do they experience those grinding moments, and simply chose to ignore them in pursuit of happiness, friendship and love?
This is an important question. For if people really don't need to be perfect for each other to start with, then potential is enough to justify experimenting with any relationship. If they have to be perfect from the very beginning, not even the greatest sacrifices will cut away the friction to comfortable functioning.
I chose to believe that the first is true. That if one will not, two cannot fight. That a little compassion and a dash of understanding can overcome a lot. That love can bind two people together even if they have mis-matching emotional states or positions in the race of life.
That is why we are so often shown that love can reach across backgrounds, races, age, education, experience, personality, and even nature. That is why the greatest love stories of all time, and the most famous friendships of history have all had their share of imcompatible lovers, of unlikely friends.
And that is why I am content today. There is someone out there for me. And for everyone, for every needed role in life. No matter how I change, there will always be someone or the other, who will be able to understand, and be able to care.
I am more fortunate than others, I have friends, I have a wonderful companion for life. I already have those pillars of support that millions keep searching for. And I am reassured, that despite all the un-alluring experiences of my life, now the circle has turned its full turn.
What was that line?
"For I know that everything I really need, I already have, and what I lack will be given to me, when I am best ready to receive it..."
We often pity those who are single, whether through design or through happenstance. We revel in the joy of company, if only when we have found the company we can revel in joy with.
History is dotted with examples of a pair working in synchronity during their progress through the world. The pairs are sometimes romantic - Romeo and Juliet, Jodha and Akbar, Cleopatra and Marc Anthony - and sometimes platonic - Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Akbar and Birbal.
But the pair is always showcased. We are exhuberant in our celebration of two-ness. The President and the Vice President in the United States. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi in India. Nicolas Sarkozky and Carla Bruni in France.
So again, what makes two such people fit together so well? Do they have complementary egos, that fit into each others jagged edges so perfectly that they never grate against each other? Or do they experience those grinding moments, and simply chose to ignore them in pursuit of happiness, friendship and love?
This is an important question. For if people really don't need to be perfect for each other to start with, then potential is enough to justify experimenting with any relationship. If they have to be perfect from the very beginning, not even the greatest sacrifices will cut away the friction to comfortable functioning.
I chose to believe that the first is true. That if one will not, two cannot fight. That a little compassion and a dash of understanding can overcome a lot. That love can bind two people together even if they have mis-matching emotional states or positions in the race of life.
That is why we are so often shown that love can reach across backgrounds, races, age, education, experience, personality, and even nature. That is why the greatest love stories of all time, and the most famous friendships of history have all had their share of imcompatible lovers, of unlikely friends.
And that is why I am content today. There is someone out there for me. And for everyone, for every needed role in life. No matter how I change, there will always be someone or the other, who will be able to understand, and be able to care.
I am more fortunate than others, I have friends, I have a wonderful companion for life. I already have those pillars of support that millions keep searching for. And I am reassured, that despite all the un-alluring experiences of my life, now the circle has turned its full turn.
What was that line?
"For I know that everything I really need, I already have, and what I lack will be given to me, when I am best ready to receive it..."
The Journey (Sailing)
alone alone, all all alone
alone in a wide wide sea
and never a saints soul ever
took pity on my agony
till she came and loved
and understood and tried
and i was never alone then
and from then i never cried
i sniffled now and then
for i hurt her when she loved
but she loved still and loved
and i repented and smiled and loved
and there came many storms
and the ship was thrown in strong gales
but storms never last, do they?
we smiled and loved and again we sailed
and when my hands were burnt
with the passage of ropes or salt
she kissed them and still loved
and i survived each evil assault
and when i was tired at night
she would sing to me often
and on those lonely seas
the rest of the world was forgotten
everyday she'd be there
to wake me up with a smile
and i would just sit there looking
as the forgotten ship sailed mile after mile
was she an angel? was she?
listen those who shout no!
if goodness and love are sacred
how else can you an angel know?
we spoke not words - no
our language was only kisses
and the rocking of the ship despite
there were no near - misses
food we had but little
and water scarce as well
but we had wind chimes that tinkled
every kiss was accompanied by that sweet bell
and so she loved and i too
and though there was hardship
we loved and overcame
as we sailed on that eternal ship
alone in a wide wide sea
and never a saints soul ever
took pity on my agony
till she came and loved
and understood and tried
and i was never alone then
and from then i never cried
i sniffled now and then
for i hurt her when she loved
but she loved still and loved
and i repented and smiled and loved
and there came many storms
and the ship was thrown in strong gales
but storms never last, do they?
we smiled and loved and again we sailed
and when my hands were burnt
with the passage of ropes or salt
she kissed them and still loved
and i survived each evil assault
and when i was tired at night
she would sing to me often
and on those lonely seas
the rest of the world was forgotten
everyday she'd be there
to wake me up with a smile
and i would just sit there looking
as the forgotten ship sailed mile after mile
was she an angel? was she?
listen those who shout no!
if goodness and love are sacred
how else can you an angel know?
we spoke not words - no
our language was only kisses
and the rocking of the ship despite
there were no near - misses
food we had but little
and water scarce as well
but we had wind chimes that tinkled
every kiss was accompanied by that sweet bell
and so she loved and i too
and though there was hardship
we loved and overcame
as we sailed on that eternal ship
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