Simplify

DSC05227Maybe 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, Wyomingold faithfulWhite flowers, at the Philadelphia Flower Showwhite flowersCarved in white marble, Akshardham Temple, New JerseyDSC05304The brilliance of a white fountain in the night, near Lincoln Center, New York CityDSC04185

The power of a poem

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

DSC05930If 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
DSC05388 (2)

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
 DSC04782
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
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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
 DSC05358
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
 DSC05348.JPG
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..

DSC05716The 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!DSC05952

 

 

 

Write and rejuvenate

DSC05902Orange 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

DSC04998 DSC04999Painted fence and painted bench at the Children’s Garden, Camden, NJ

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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..

Mt. Washington 3Clouds covering Mt. Washington, New Hampshire

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A cloudy morning somewhere in the Himalayan foothills

DSC05116Clouds and the waterfall- a misty morning at Niagara Falls, NY

DSC04479Clouds and rain seen from the window of a cruise ship- off the Florida coasthelicopter viewView from a helicopter on a cloudy day- in Delaware

Weekly photo challenge-Ornate

Here are my picks!DSC03117Ornate Ceiling, Vatican City Museum

elephantOrnately decorated elephant- at the Philadelphia Flower ShowDSC03695Ornate personified: the Venetian, Las Vegas

DSC04925Ornate portraits- at the Old Town, San Diego

DSC05163Ornate emerald chandelier at the Corning Museum of Glass, NY

DSC05304Ornate in white: intricate carving at the Akshardham Hindu Temple, New Jersey

Aging..

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind it doesn’t matter.- Mark Twain

DSC04921Into the mirror when I peer

Devoid of the contoured veneer

Of flawless foundation on my face

I am reminded of my time and place

In this world, and I quickly realize

That though I might hide and minimize

The ravages of aging, I cannot ignore

Greying hair and wrinkles, each day some more

Extra pounds make their presence felt

As stubborn cellulite creeps in with stealth.

**

As my physical attributes proclaim

A gradual decline is part of the game

On the other hand growing older has brought

Its own rewards of which I had never thought

Such as gifting me the  most prized accessory- 

Confidence, which has replaced my gaucherie

With age I see my  insecurities dwindle

I feel free, and my passions are rekindled

To disregard others’ opinions is much easier

I follow my heart, in a manner much breezier

Preconceived notions of others, forced on me

I can now disregard, I think, quite freely

More attuned to my definite mortality

I pay attention, not to quantity but quality

Thus though my body more feeble be

I stand on firmer ground undoubtedly!

Insomnia

sleeplesshttps://www.pinterest.com/pin/568086940472458429/

The fluorescent numbers scream at me 

Piercing the darkness of the night

The number “3:00” is all I can see

Taunting me, laughing wordlessly at my plight

As the gods of sleep I try to invoke in vain,

Try to push random thoughts away

Wondering for how long I can stay sane

If sleeplessness continues to hold its sway-

A cacophony of noises runs through my head

In a meaningless schizophrenic chatter

My mind wanders as I try to lay still on my bed

Trying to benumb myself, because sleep does matter

Night after night the same cycle is repeated

Maybe I am awake in someone else’s dream-

So goes the saying, but I still feel defeated

I need some sleep-I hear my tired body scream.

**

Sleep is the gift of a mind guilt-free and guileless

Whereas I end up feeling  guilty most days

Of being inadequate and in-adept, I confess

My insomnia is self-inflicted in some ways….

Free stuff!

free lemonshttps://www.pinterest.com/pin/80924124524944745/

There is a magic phrase that can attract

Crowds in the very blink of an eye

It is an oft-demonstrated, time-tested fact

That no one can resist its lure under the sky-

“Free stuff” is what I’m talking about

It is highly valuable  because it is free

Most people grab a freebie without any doubt

Irrespective of its actual value or utility…

The shrewd businessman has figured this out

And drops the word “free” in places strategic

Adding freebies to things you can do without

So you rush to buy them, influenced by the “free” magic.

The ice-cream maker gathering dust in a corner

Bought because sugar cones were offered free 

Did not find a use for it through summer

(The sugar cones, though, were a different story!)

*

Everything free too comes at a price

No truly free lunches are ever found

To recognize the hidden cost is wise

Will save you some disappointment around!