Passion...unbridled

My favorite book

Written in response to the Indispire challenge:

Your favourite book or author. How did it/he/she influence you? Why do you think others should read it/him/her?

1000 suns.jpg

A book that was a compulsive read

One that made my heart bleed

As I followed raw emotions laid bare

Of Mariam and Laila, two maidens fair

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” revealed to me

The Kabul of dreams lost to misery

Two resilient women who shared

Their husband, their lives, as they cared

Deeply for each other, united by tragic fate

Nurtured a bond too deep to estimate

One sacrificed her life for her friend

Ending her futile, dismal existence

Liberating them both with one bold stroke-

This is an epic saga that spoke

Directly to me, brought tears to my eyes

As I read about powerful love and sacrifice

Let me share my thoughts with you

Maybe you’d find it remarkable too-

A man has penned this story of two strong women

While unrelentingly cruel, and morally weak are all men-

I do applaud the author, Khaled Hosseini for

Showing strong women in a country torn by war..

Read the book, I urge, and you shall find

An indelible print left on your mind.

Have Facebook, will complain..

Increasingly I seem to see

A disturbing trend around me

Of rants and complaints everywhere

Overt, or disguised- beware!

Posted on various web platforms

Sometimes flouting societal norms

A new way of expressing displeasure

Sitting with a computer, at leisure

The slightest annoyance has to be shared

On facebook or twitter, with strangers shared

No doubt there are some folks in cyberspace

Who will sympathize with your unique case

Making you feel your opinion is precious

In a world of loyalties increasingly capricious

The internet provides anonymity convenient

Towards usual decorum it is more lenient

Thus criticism inappropriate in polite company

Is posted on the web, for the eyes of all and sundry..

Social media websites were actually designed

Keeping friends and family in mind

To share happy moments with one another

These websites have metamorphosed altogether

For people to push their biased views

“Creating awareness” is the oft-used ruse

I wish people would stop criticizing

Keep negative opinions hidden, without publicizing

For negativity breeds intolerance, I think

It will take time for this idea to sink!

Exotic chrysanthemums

Thought I would share some exotic chrysanthemums from the “Mum Festival” at Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA. Enjoy!

Moments with my son

The golden sunsets we watch together

The stories we invent with each other

Imagination of each one working in tandem

Piecing together thoughts picked at random-

Silly games that together we conjure

Shaking with laughter to our very core-

For the thousandth time, I pause to marvel

At my golden luck, as I see the sparkle

In your smiling eyes that has me spellbound

In your exuberance, love for life I have found..

These moments are transient, I’m acutely aware

Soon you will change, the idea gives me a scare!

So I try to capture each moment you spend with me

On camera, on paper, quite industriously!

You have taught me to live in the moment

To enjoy silliness of make-believe and pretend

You’ve given me hope and a new perspective

In dispelling my gloom, you are always effective!

Simplify

Maybe a misfit, a rebel am I

In this world of complexities galore

All I want to do is simplify-

I am tired of constantly hunting for more

Adding more variables to every equation

Acquiring devices of increasing sophistication

Adding more “features”, more “applications”

Labeled indispensable for life’s “simplification”..

Inherent is the implication that life before

These gadgets was difficult and complicated

Technology today has opened new doors

Leaving older ways of living quite antiquated..

In my quirkiness, I beg to differ

With each novel device and application

Life which used to be a shade simpler

Acquires a deeper hue of elaboration

Devious is the way this process operates

Creating a need where none existed

Then there is a simple process that satiates

This artificial need- the logic is twisted!

Increasingly enslaved by technology

My jaded mind just wants to break free

Downsize, declutter, simplify is my ideology

I strongly recommend one or more of the three!

Shannon’s Creative Photo Challenge: White

The Old Faithful Geyser erupting in a white froth-at Yellowstone National Park, WyomingWhite flowers, at the Philadelphia Flower ShowCarved in white marble, Akshardham Temple, New JerseyThe brilliance of a white fountain in the night, near Lincoln Center, New York City

The power of a poem

Written in response to Indispire: A poem that left a lasting impression

If I could give you a window

Into the depths of my mind

If my true colors I tried to show

In a manner visible to the blind

If my raw emotions I had to display

They could not be expressed any better

Than in a powerful verse, I would say

With magic infused in every word and letter…

For poetry is the zenith of all art

The divine medium, by gods decreed

It is the mellifluous voice of the heart

An expression of the soul’s hidden need

When woven in a verse seamlessly

Dark thoughts become palatable

As poets pen verses ceaselessly

Making nebulous ideas palpable.

In the span of a few lines you may embark

On an emotional roller-coaster ride

Come face to face with the reality stark

Open your mind to possibilities wide..

Embrace the world of verse, I urge

You will be transformed, I can assure

In a sea of imagery you will submerge

Discover the hidden truth, brilliant and pure.

With this ode to a poem, I am going to talk about my favorite poems:

1. The Glories of Our Blood and State- James Shirley

The glories of our blood and state

Are shadows, not substantial things;

There is no armour against Fate;

Death lays his icy hand on kings:

Sceptre and Crown

Must tumble down,

And in the dust be equal made

With the poor crooked scythe and spade.

Love this because it is a great reminder of how victory is transient, no matter what stage of life you are in.

2. Daffodils- William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;

Ten thousand saw I at a glance

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

Growing up in India, I never really saw daffodils, and always wondered what they looked like. Also tried to imagine what ten thousand daffodils would look like…so I love the visual imagery in this poem…

3. Success is counted sweetest- Emily Dickinson

Success is counted sweetest

By those who ne’er succeed.

To comprehend a nectar

Requires sorest need.

As he defeated – dying –

On whose forbidden ear

The distant strains of triumph

Burst agonized and clear!

I always remember this poem when in the throes of jealousy and self-pity over something I am never good at, while someone I know really excels at it. Overall I agree that I have experienced success more than failure in my life…

4. She walks in beauty- Lord Byron

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

These lines are just hopelessly romantic and lusciously lovely….the way every woman would like to be described, and the way every man’s lady love would appear…

5. If- Rudyard Kipling

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

I saved the best for the last, this is the most inspiring poem I have ever read in my life. The first verse about triumph and disaster is mentioned on the walls of Wimbledon, and I aspire to be able to follow it..

The second verse mentioned here is something I wrote in an unsteady hand as I was developing progressive paralysis of all 4 limbs from a rare nervous system disease called “Guillaine-Barre syndrome” at the age of 14 on a poster and had mounted on the wall. My paralysis progressed to where I could no longer write, and then 6 agonizing months of recovery followed during which these lines gave me strength.

Stopping by a meadow on a dreary evening..

The day today seems dreary

Run-of-the-mill, perfectly ordinary

Filled with moments of monotony

Discussions on politics and economy

Nothing exciting to look at or explore

A day singular in being nothing but a bore

As I embark at the end of the day

Home, driving along my tried and tested way

Suddenly I am forced to take a detour

Road closure- what else do I have to endure?

Clearly irritated, reluctantly I change my route

This disruption to my routine I could do without..

To my surprise, I am driving through a meadow

So picturesque that inadvertently I start going slow

Until the inviting fields force on me a complete halt

I will be late reaching home, it won’t be my fault

I run through the meadow like a bird carefree

Taking in the air, the grass, the flowers recklessly

Finding a meandering brook that gurgles musically

Is the cherry on the pie, topping the experience actually

I whisper a prayer for this unexpected twist to the day

Here’s my small adventure, a secret along the way!

That was a day, in spring years ago

Taught me a lesson invaluable though

Since then I have welcomed detours quite a few

Taking “The Road Not Taken” has its joys too

Adventure can be found in daily existence

Monotony can be broken if we are persistent

So stop by the woods, or the roadside or a park

Discover beauty and reignite the adventurous spark!

Write and rejuvenate

Orange hues of the winter sun

Percolating through the blinds open

Reminding me of the night before

When my deepest desires did I explore

Waking up with an enigmatic smile

Oblivious of the world for a while

With days bathed in love, nights in passion

Dreaming of spending my life in this fashion

Those halcyon days have since then

Vanished without a trace from my horizon

Honeymoon phases do not last long

Time tends to feeble desires strong

The rays of the wintersun now remind

Me of morning madness to be on time

Passion, romance are concepts elusive

The monotony of daily life is not conducive

To spending nights drenched in passion

And wake up feeling unrestrained elation

Once in a while I long for those days-

Of losing myself in a dreamy haze

Knowing the experience will never quite be

A treat to the senses like it used to be

That passion I now try to recreate

In my writing so that I can satiate

A longing to preserve the past as it had been

And be more enthusiastic for the future unseen

Writing liberates me and lets me be

From all constraints of age and time, free!

May I go ahead and audaciously suggest

To try writing instead of seeking a therapist

When mid-life crisis looms large over you

Penning down your thoughts may carry you through!

CEE’S FUN FOTO CHALLENGE: ANYTHING PAINTED

Linking to :http://ceenphotography.com/2015/11/10/cees-fun-foto-challenge-anything-painted/

While I probably have hundreds of photographs that would fit the bill, I decided to go with these striking ones-

Over-painted sculptures at a children’s museum in San Diego, CA

Painted fence and painted bench at the Children’s Garden, Camden, NJ

Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Patterns

Patterns could be found everywhere-

So he believed, and he would dare

To find a pattern, however obscure

Painstakingly he would explore

Tiny bits of superfluous information;

String them together in a logical formation-

He found patterns in thoughts and actions

Of individuals, groups and even nations

In predicting the patterns of others, it’s true

He had forgotten his own patterns too!

DSC04460 (3) Bug patterns

DSC05670 (2) Fountain patterns

DSC05643 (2) Patterned throne of the Queen of Hearts’ throne (from Alice in Wonderland)

DSC05343 (2) Patterns with legos

DSC05219 (2) Patterned globe

patterned quilt

Patterned quilt

One Word Photo Challenge-Seasons- Cloudy!

I chose cloudy weather- not my favorite, especially not for photography, but here we are-

I’m nostalgic for those cloudy days

Where clouds outside my window would stay

Descending in to the valley, dark and deep

Pressing me to crawl under covers and sleep

The clouds brought with them seductive languor

I’d read a book tucked in a cozy corner

Endless cups of coffee I would consume

Unfinished writing I would resume

And wait for the silver lining promised to me

As I went through the day cloudy..

Clouds covering Mt. Washington, New Hampshire

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A cloudy morning somewhere in the Himalayan foothills

Clouds and the waterfall- a misty morning at Niagara Falls, NY

Clouds and rain seen from the window of a cruise ship- off the Florida coast helicopter view View from a helicopter on a cloudy day- in Delaware

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