Humorous Middles is a fine collection of humorous middles, published in major newspapers and magazines. What is it that makes the middle stand apart? The middle is a short composition, hardly ever more than 600 to 800 words. It draws strength from its in-built humour that skips and romps with the deftness of a mountain goat. It thus turns into a sort of mirror, at times, concave, at times, convex, (never does it remain a plain mirror), and manages to see what lies behind the even contours, that people, events or encounters present.
The 120 odd middles compiled in this book were written over a period of about 40 years. They have enough power to evoke laughter at every turn. All of them are distinctly individualistic and are powered by what one may say, the ability to tickle the funny bone. #v&spublishers CONTENTS: Preface 1. Better Half and Bitter Half 2. What’s in the pot? 3. Ugly husband, wife’s delight 4. On memory lapses 5. Surprise gift 6. Credit-worthy husband! 7. Doe 8. Tit for tat 9. Psychological muddle 10. Don’t ask for the moon 11. All ‘keyed’ up! 12. Riding the storm 13. Dutch wif 14. Flying missiles 15. Neurotic over a stapler 16. Potshots at Oneself 17. Anti-hero 18. Buttoned out 19. What have I written? 20. Waterloo 21. Tailor’s dummy 22. Tie or choker 23. Playing the critic 24. For whom belloc tolls 25. I pick pockets 26. Mirrors make the twain meet 27. Charge of the grey brigade 28. Fuzzy logic 29. Defending poor memory 30. A form of inspiration 31. Man in the rut 32. Perky Profiles 33. Remote control 34. The better half 35. Dictator’s delight 36. Bull in a China shop 37. Travel Travail 38. The last laugh 39. The roofless lady 40. Travel trouble 41. Camera-shy 42. Identity check 43. Malayan wisdom 44. A victorian tale 45. Tongue-twister 46. Talk over 47. Random Reflections 48. In praise of the kerchief 49. Palm-top legacy 50. A haunting mystery 51. Let judges court rhyme 52. Musical chairs 53. Principles and man 54. Cross thoughts 55. On windows 56. Ban the back pocket 57. Speech is golden 58. The meek do not inherit the earth 59. Bridges: Concrete and conceptual 60. On eyebrows 61. Dating diary gives the jitters 62. Ifs and buts of History 63. Relativity 64. Critics, authors and artists 65. Caught on the wrong foot 66. Dogs beware 67. Thumbs up! 68. Orators and hecklers 69. The cryptic art 70. The automatic watch 71. Symbol of gratitude 72. The farce of form-filling 73. Late to rise 74. Strange reasons 75. Second fiddle 76. Amusing Encounters 77. Value of a tip 78. Apparatchik 79. Tit for tat 80. Water on the rocks! 81. Obviously yours 82. Fattening thoughts 83. Clock watch 84. Silencing the wag 85. For friendship’s sake 86. Right logic