Whenever you have to open your mouth
For giving an opinion or during some viva
What matters nowadays is not your say
But the trajectory of your airborne saliva …
Spittle has always been accessible and free
And thus, was a boon for the litigating public
Lawyers, munshis, litigants relied on tongues
To give the court fee stamps a lick & stick!
Court corridors offer historical evidence
Of the fate of cases, of litigants’ rise and fall
To commemorate their wins and losses
Litigants have left red blotches on the wall …
Whether it’s discussion in the boardroom
Or solemn sermon delivered from a pulpit
In those good old days before COVID-19
No one expended much thought on spit!
But now Circulars have become necessary
To keep lawyers and litigants in good nick
A District & Sessions judge has just ordered
“Thou may plead but thou shall not lick!”
Whether in pagination or for envelopes
With saliva no connection can be had
All of us will have to change our habits
And switch to plastic sponge damper pad!
