Sunday Stills, the next challenge: Groups of Birds
Travel theme: Land meets Water
My spirit as vast as the ocean
Meets the land of matter
Dreams arise from this collision
At this juncture and scatter
My fantasies, fluid as the waves
Meet reality on firm ground
Opening new vistas that my heart craves
New visions that astonish and astound.
Where the Adriatic meets land-Venice, Italy
The Pacific Coast-at Golden Gate State Park, San Francisco, CA
The moat surrounding a fortress meets the Aravali Hills-Amer Fort, Jaipur, India
The placid lake meets the desert- Lake Mead, Nevada
The Pacific laps against the shore at Monterey, CA
Blue waters of the lake against the Rockies- At Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
Shades of blue meet the land-Lake Tahoe, CA
Sands blend into the lake-Lake Folsom, CA
Expanse of the beach and a sliver of the ocean-at Coronado Island, San Diego
Lakeside living-at Lake George in the Adirondacks, NY
Debate
I am Grounded, you are Wanderlust
Let us have a debate if you must
I am a realist, I live in the present
While the drab reality you resent
You inhabit a world of fantasy
From obligations you try to break free
I choose to keep my roots planted
I don’t take my home for granted
Consciously I’ve made a choice
To disregard that inner voice
That instigates me to fly away
To such temptation I won’t fall prey
*
In quick rebuttal Wanderlust spoke
In dreams of distant lands I like to soak
Traveling to new places gives me the thrill
Of discovery, as being home never will
You are mistaken-future is not where I reside
Live spontaneously in the present, I decide
Shirking my duties is not my plan
Traveling makes my horizons expand
You are at peace with yourself at home
My restless soul, though, needs to roam
You may have this life figured out
I travel to understand what life is about
I made man explore new lands through history
You made them settle there and build cities
Each of us I think does occupy
A special place under the sky
We complement each other, I think
We are joined through a common link!
The State of “Flow”
In positive psychology, flow, also known as zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.
-Wikipedia
If I could achieve what I strive for
Each day as I walk in through the door-
To lose myself in the task ahead
To immerse myself up to my head
In my work’s vast, limitless ocean
To lose myself in immense passion
Lose track of time as if asleep
While I am submerged in ecstasy deep
The moment at hand my focus singular
To the rest of the world I appear insular
My productivity scales heights unprecedented
My faith in my work is then cemented
My existence is pushed into oblivion
I forget my judgmental opinions
Like a mystic engulfed in rapture
That is the essence I can capture
If I could attain this state of flow
As a human I could grow
Fulfil my unique destiny on earth
That was established on my birth.
The ship of life
Sailing on an adventure trip
Through waters that in tempers vary
From calm blue to tempestuous, fiery
I, the captain, am learning perpetually
To sail my ship such that, eventually
When my time on earth is over
I’ve found for my ship an anchor
Until then I keep my ship afloat
Storms may rock, not sink my boat
Tricks of sailing each day I learn
Savor experiences on each sojourn
Rendezvous with people as I travel
Mysteries of mankind I unravel
Thus I sail through the deep blue sea
Facing life’s vagaries on my journey.
CEE’S ODD BALL PHOTO CHALLENGE: 2015 WEEK 27
Below are the “chicken sculptures” of downtown Annapolis, MD- they make residents and tourists “cluck”!
Colorful skulls at the “Art of the Brock”- LEGO exhibit at Franklin Institute, Philadelphia
Crows hanging upside down- at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
CEE’S WHICH WAY CHALLENGE: 2015 WEEK #26
Finally I have some new ways from my recent trip to Annapolis, MD
Into the woods- At Quiet Waters Park, Annapolis
Narrow walkway in historic Annapolis
The Bridge- At Quiet Waters Park, Annapolis
Annapolis Harbor
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Sculptures, Statues, Carvings
Some statues, carvings and sculptures…
Environmentalists- sculpture at the “Art of the Brick” exhibit, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia
Sculpture at the Vatican City Museum
Story-telling- Sculpture at Annapolis Harbor
Carving on the facade of a Hindu temple in New Jersey
The vice-grip of attachment
Attachment can be a tenacious thing
Feeds on your needs and makes you cling
To objects, people, memories, emotions
To immutable thoughts and deep-seated notions
Letting expectations unreasonable creep in
That, unmet, cause resentment to seep in
Thus creating an endless cycle vicious
Planting fear in the mind subconscious
Sucking from life and love happiness
Causing futile emotional distress
And yet the attachment that with love comes
Is capable of generating beautiful emotions
Thus attachment a two-edged sword may be
Too little means you’re cold, too much brings misery.
Farewell and a new beginning
“Every farewell combines loss and new freedom.”
Mason Cooley, American Aphorist
Deep-seated boring pain
A sense of loss, a hope for gain
Tears taking shape in my eye
Overshadowing the glimmer in the sky
They stand as a glowing testament
To every passionately lived moment
That I experienced while I was here
To cherish them forever is my hope sincere
As I bid goodbye and embark anew
Fresh hopes eclipse farewell blues
Sad that I ended journey one
Hopeful that a better one has begun..
My Muse: Waterfalls
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Muse.”
A longing to create
Searching for my inner muse
Trying to conjure up a ruse
To trick my errant mind to create
A thing of beauty that can satiate
A burning desire within me
To leave my mark for posterity
Create an object of timeless appeal
Something that lovingly I could seal
Waiting for inspiration to strike me
Which never does appear likely
Since the humdrum of daily existence
Offers creativity formidable resistance
Instead I play with words in vain
To express here my angst and pain
Hoping that this brush with poetry
Would spur me to greater creativity
Maybe my muse shall come to me
Hidden in these verses’ tapestry!
P.S. The photograph above is from an exhibition named “Art of the Brick”, an exhibit of creations using LEGO bricks by artist Nathan Sawaya, currently on display at the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia.
Passion...unbridled 
