The world revealed in all its glory
Every element tells a unique story
More fascinating than your imagination
More complex than a fabrication
Nature in its countless ways
Can keep you entertained for days
The biggest classroom you will find
To stimulate an eager mind
Is the natural world around you
Let its abundance surround you..
Pristine waters of the Caribbean, The Bahamas
Bison grazing, Yellowstone National Park, WY
Bold squirrel, Monterey Beach, CA
Trying to comprehend
Life’s vagaries
Cannot pretend
To solve its mysteries
Unpredictable as weather
Mostly inscrutable
I think I would rather
Leave them undecipherable
Experience the moment
With a mind bias-free
Escape the torment
Of worthless worry
Soar in the air
With an open mind
To imaginary fears
Turn an eye blind
No strings attached
No expectation
Staying detached
***
If only I could
Follow what I just said
I am certain then I would
With a serene mind go to bed…
Which way is for me to take
It’s difficult to decide
Wherever I go, I should make
The best of what is inside.
Each way brings a new adventure
I hope that luck will smile
Beatifically on me as I venture
Across each unknown mile.
A different lesson on each way
A different tune to sing
A unique experience every day
New challenges would each way bring.
Walk into “The Enchanted Garden”- restaurant
Walkways across artificial canals, Atlantis Resort, Nassau, Bahamas
Narrow strip of land jutting into the bay, Atlantis resort, Nassau, Bahamas
Anxious and rushed
I go through my day
Enthusiasm crushed
Wearily making my way
Through a sea of monotony
Painted in shades of grey
No silver lining I can see
On the clouds floating away
I long for adventure
Excitement I crave
I would like to venture
On expeditions brave
The humdrum of existence
Constantly weighs me down
Circumstances give me resistance
In work I feel like I’ll drown.
***
Woken from a slumber deep
Suddenly jolted awake
My heart took a massive leap
As my listlessness did break
Unprepared, caught unaware
Love crept up stealthily on me
Out of the blue, from nowhere
Sweeping me off by its intensity
Took me on a roller-coaster ride
Adventure that I had not known
Overwhelmed with joy I cried
New horizons I was shown
***
Ah, the novelty of first love
Began to fade before I knew
We became like hand and glove
Between us, there was nothing new
Life settled in harmony
Quiet, peaceful, predictable
Joined together in matrimony
Living in perimeters acceptable
Monotony took over once again
Life was steady but dull
I sighed, and tried to wait in vain
For something to break the lull..
Here are my entries- hope my interpretation of the color is correct!
At the Atlantis Resort, Nassau, the Bahamas
Building in Venice, Italy
A tower in Venice, Italy
Mustard planted among grapevines, Napa Valley
Vineyards in Napa Valley, CA
Another view of vineyards, Napa Valley, CA
Orchard full of cherry trees
When I am enveloped by despair
When clouds inhabit my personal sky
When sadness my senses threatens to impair
When I feel helpless, ready to cry
I send an SOS to my friend
The one who resides within me
I talk to him and I pretend
All negative thoughts are leaving me
This friend is a yang to my yin
The voice of reason to light he brings
To him I confess my every sin
I hear his voice and hope springs
How I discovered him is a mystery
During introspection he was revealed
I think I can call it serendipity
That I released him from where he lay concealed.
He is there for me when I need
At other times he will hibernate
I am fortunate to have such a friend indeed
Within myself, I’ve found my soulmate.
P.S. For those who wonder why I called this friend a “he”, I was thinking more about a voice that counters my innate nature. It is the more masculine side of me, the one that is more into concrete thinking and problem-solving, i.e. the male energy or yang.
Here are my entries for the challenge-
Sculpture- at Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey
Peacock, Napa Valley
Shamu, the whale performing at Sea World, Orlando, Floarida
Look at my graceful long neck!
Replica of the statue of David by Michelangelo in Florence, Italy- epitome of grace in human form
Throw thorns her way
You won’t see her weep
Hurt her day after day
Silence she will keep
She will not display
Her abject discontent
Impassive she will stay
You will not hear her lament
Stoicism she has learnt
Over the merciless years
She has been burnt
By her helpless tears
*
She waits, in vain
To be unveiled some day
To expose her hidden pain
Her deep scars to display
When you peel off her layers
See her wounds scream
Hear her silent prayers
Witness her destroyed dreams.
She will still not speak
Of all she has been through
Do not think she is weak
She’s silent for she loves you
She may never forget
How she was treated by you
But if the past you do regret
She has already forgiven you.
Interesting, eccentric, and unique
I can be subject to critique
Whatever it is, of one thing I’m sure
My characteristics you cannot ignore
I am an oddball and this challenge’s for me
So take a look at my eccentricity!
Balloons and film rolls..
Decorative masks for sale in the Bahamas
?Candy plant- at Yankee Candle Village, MA
Dedicated to all the strong, beautiful, vivacious and mysterious women out there!
The photograph above depicts the Pieta (The Pietà (Italian pronunciation: [pjeˈta]) is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture.- Wikipedia) at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
Chain me
Will happen never
Restrain me
The ropes I’ll sever
Silence me
Words will find
Defiantly
Thoughts in my mind
Challenge me
And I shall rise
Gallantly
I’ll watch your surprise
If you inflict torture
Retaliate I will
Forgive I may in future
Forget I never will
Think I am weak
Strength I’ll display
Consider me meek
Hear me roar, I would say
Don’t need validation
From you of my beauty
I have affirmation
From within, you see
I am the fire
That keeps your hearth warm
And if I require
I can unleash a storm
I can stand by your side
Applaud your success
But I will not hide
In a dark recess
For I’m valuable
To the world just like you
Confident, capable
And inscrutable too!
Lost in a maze
The universe a haze
Cacophony of voices
Excess of choices
Conflicting sounds
Confusion abounds
Myriad directions
Countless selections
Rugged terrain
No path free from pain
I stop in my tread
My heart full of dread
Paralyzed by fear
Of a future unclear
The path undefined
Benumbing my mind
To whom shall I turn
For some direction?
**
I looked all around
And finally I found
I needed to look within
Block the background dim
In quiet introspection
Came to me the solution
A friend, philosopher, guide
I found all of them inside
I realized how I unwittingly had
Been running away in dread
From my demons internal
Blaming it on events external
As I found illumination
My soul received salvation
Succor and solace did I find
All within the depths of my mind.
Passion...unbridled 
