The Book I Read

“Between the pages of a book is a lovely place to be.”

1girl reading.jpgSo I read a book and tears sprung

The story touched me, the words just stung

Somewhere, in between the pages, somehow

Somewhere, between the beginning and now

I had entered the world the author had portrayed

From the realm of reality I had strayed

Into the caverns of a world fictional

But the pain that I felt appeared real

It was as if unbeknownst to me 

I had developed a relationship, strangely

With the protagonist, and as I read

I was vicariously living her life instead

When she was heartbroken, I felt the pain

At night, I dreamt about her again

Imagined myself in her place, I confess

Replayed in my mind her abject distress

Such was the power of the book I had read

Of thousands, this was the one where tears were shed…

**

When I read a book, it matters not to me

Its place in literature, old or contemporary

Or its place on the bestselling list of any kind

A good book is one that resonates with my mind

That draws me inside until I attain a state of unison

With the characters in it, when there is a fusion

Between my world and that in the pages contained

There are such books, my enthusiasm has not waned

Therefore, from reading, I am always trying to find

The book that would impress my heart and mind..

 

 

 

 

 

Parent-teacher conference

dsc_0193So I am  expected to attend

As a kindergartner’s parent

A parent-teacher conference next week

I panic, wishing some counsel I could seek

From parents who have been there before

I don’t know what the meeting has in store

For me, all my insecurities come to the surface

What is in the classroom my child’s place?

Does he listen, learn, behave, or is he

Inattentive, disruptive, loud and noisy?

I know I try to teach him the right thing

But has he picked up some of my habits embarrassing?

I knows he can read a book with me

But whether he reads in class is a matter of uncertainty

Deep down in my heart I am afraid of being perceived

As an incompetent mother, I probably need

Some words of encouragement before I proceed

Into this anxiety-provoking situation indeed…

**

So the D-day arrives, I am anxious as expected

I fake a smile, so that my feelings are not projected

When the report is finally revealed to me

My tension eases, my child is viewed quite positively

In most areas of learning, weaknesses are few

None of this is actually information new

I rejoice, feeling quite elated

As a mother, I  feel strangely validated

As first-time parents, we improvise as we go

Afraid of being wrong, so it helps to know

From others that our children are doing all alright,

Their prosperous future is our only goal in sight!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Words..

“What passes without being put into words, without being transformed and, in a certain sense, purified by the crucible of writing, has no meaning for me. Only words that endure seem real.”

From: In Other Words- by Jhumpa Lahiri

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When I find myself stumbling through life without direction

When I feel detached, and need to regain connection

When life’s myriad troubles are weighing me down

When I see unanswered questions all around

I take refuge in words- the infinite world of language

I read and write to calm down my agitation, my rage

In the world of words, myself I try to discover

Life’s moments that I’ve lost, I try to recover

In metaphors is revealed the truth that I seek

Divergent stories directly to me seem to speak

When I read, the vagaries of the world I imbibe

When I write, in a way I try to circumscribe

My view of the world, the way I process everything

I then see life’s conundrums crystallizing…

In the many nuances of language I find

The elixir for my soul and my mind

 

Somewhere, hiding between the printed word or my pen

I hope to find my nirvana, or my zen..

 

P.S. The image shows 99 names of Allah inscribed at the altar of Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi

 

 

 

 

A fallible mother

DSC_0143 (3).JPGAs a parent a constant conundrum I face

Of finding the middle ground, that perfect place

Where on my child, I do not put extra pressure

Yet disciplined learning I somehow ensure

There’s so much to learn, so much to imbibe

For a five year old, sometimes it’s hard to describe

Things in a way suited for his comprehension

Yet there are times when his grasp of things

Truly amazes me, and with it maternal optimism brings

That my child would turn out to be “gifted” after all

In a trap of grandiose plans I then fall

Until my child falters at a milestone he was supposed

To have achieved at his age, the door is then closed

On my unfinished dreams, disappointment appears

Bringing out, as a parent, my worst fears

I worry that my son is going to lag behind 

His peers, the question pervades my mind

And against my better judgment I coax him some more

To improve upon what he did before..

If he does it well, I shower him with praise

A bit too lavish, but if he fails to change his ways

I worry if I have hurt his self-esteem

Or scared him off completely by being so extreme

Then I wonder if at each step I am overthinking

My validation as a parent to his performance I’m linking..

**

Like every parent, all I want to give my son

Is a well-rounded childhood so he can become

Of this society, a well-adjusted member

A happy and successful individual who can remember

To uphold all the values that I hold dear-

That might not happen, is my constant fear

 

Then I see my son playing, quite oblivious

Of all the real and imaginary fears that make me nervous

And I smile to myself, knowing he would eventually 

Turn out all right, as long as I can his best supporter be!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge- Shine

I shall rise and shine for this challenge, thus-dsc06424

Sheikh Zayed Mosque shining in the moonlight, Abu Dhabi, UAE

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Sheikh Zayed mosque again- the marble shining in sunlight

 

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All that glitters is gold? Maybe- in the lobby of the Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE

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The sun shining over Lake Thingvellir, Iceland

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Evening sun- Embarcadero, San Diego, CA

 

Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge – October 19, 2016

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The path laid down by the king Christian IV with his gloved hand- this is where the city of Oslo (Christiania), Norway was founded

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The wonders of yesteryears- path leading to Qutub Minar, Delhi, India

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Walk in royal (Mughal) style- Red Fort, Agra, the seat of Mughal rulers of India

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The corridors of Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Stereotyped

“Stereotypes are fast and easy, but they are lies, and the truth takes its time.”

Deb Caletti

dsc_0324How do we learn, I wonder often

To put them in boxes, all women and men

Straitjacket them by country, race, color

By height, build, hair texture, gender..

Make some assumptions right off the bat

At times subconsciously, not realizing that

The stereotypical roles that we assign

To real human beings in our prejudiced minds

Represent them they do not, instead

They are a reflection of what we have been fed-

Preconceived notions borne out of distrust and fear

We take as gospel truth whatever we hear 

Again and again, such that we do not realize

How we form opinions  just by laying our eyes

On people, without getting to know them first

Of all our habits, this might be the worst..

**

Many of us are guilty, and many have faced

Similar prejudices; have heard comments laced

With criticism of cohorts to which we belong

When directed at us, such stereotyping feels just wrong..

**

My prejudiced notions I am trying to eliminate

Even as I teach my child not to berate

Anyone, based on their affiliations

Instead get to know them and their situations

People are more complex in this complex world

Than to be described in few generic words!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A devoted pupil of life

“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same”- Rudyard Kipling, If
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There was a time when I thought that I

Was successful, I was soaring high

In my own abilities, I was overconfident

Unable to realize the true extent

Of my skills, the world was my oyster

I was on the upswing of a roller-coaster

And when it hurtled down, as was destined

I was shattered, blown out of my mind

 

Why I had failed, I could not comprehend

I sincerely wanted to make amends..

In a while things by themselves did improve

Even without my making a different move..

**

That was years ago, but now I know

Upswings and downswings shall come and go

My reactions to success and failure are now

Much less extreme, I have learnt how

I cannot control the events that take place

In my life, but I can certainly face

Them with equanimity, and learn equally

From all of them, consider them impartially

My gurus in life- as I continue to grow

Older, I am humbled by how little I know

About the mysterious ways of the world

Every day it seems a new truth is unfurled

I keep trying to take life in its stride

It will always be a roller-coaster ride!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taedium vitae

“It’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”- Marilyn Monroe

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Getting bored is a dangerous thing-

First, it makes me loosen my purse strings

Shop online for things I don’t need

That’s pouring money down the drain indeed

Second, it makes me mindlessly chew

Food of all variety, anything edible would do

The fullness of my stomach tries to replace

The vacuum in my brain, fill up that vacant space

Third, it renders me exceptionally vulnerable

To the ill effects of social media, I feel unable

To tear myself away from posts of my friends

Filled with their accomplishments that never end

Elevating my sense of ennui to a level new

I fantasize about something unique to do..

Fourth, boredom leads me to procrastinate

Locking me in a low motivational state..

 

Despite all the ills that boredom brings

Being bored is one of those few things

That cause me, anytime, to fall asleep 

Oblivious of everything, in a slumber deep

Thus when I am bored I get to eliminate

The sleep deficit which otherwise does accumulate

 

I started this verse bored out of my mind

Now my eyelids are drooping, I find

Luring me to sleep which otherwise

Would have eluded my tired bones and eyes..

 

P.S. Taedium vitae: the feeling that life is boring and dull

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel theme: Dried

Here are some dried up things:dsc06289

Skeleton of a camel dried and preserved in the Arabian desert, near Abu Dhabi, UAE

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Dried exoskeletons of insects displayed as art- Renwick Art Gallery, Washington DC

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The almost dry Bridal veil Falls at Yosemite National Park, CA

 

Travel theme: Enlightened

“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.”dsc06786

The Enlightened Ruler-

This is a pillar from Emperor Akbar’s tomb in Sikandra, which depicts symbols of all major religions. He promoted religious tolerance in India.

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Enlightening young minds-

Inside the Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD, USdsc_0293

Honoring the enlightened-

Inside the Nobel Peace Prize Museum, Oslo Norway

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Enlightened by the past- Colosseum at Rome

The Weekly Post: Daily Photo Challenge: H2O

Water is beautiful- especially when it falls like this-

Seljalandsfoss waterfall, South Icelanddsc_0619

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/h2o/”>H2O</a&gt;