Quick bites for spare moments: musings

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.