Passion…unbridled

Looking at my storage shelves one day

I saw things spilling out every which way

Clothes, accessories, books and journals-

Realized I was surrounded by disorder infernal

Too many objects, creating clutter and chaos

Things bought at random, reason “just because”

Acquired for pleasure, but causing irritation

Adding to my stress were my prized possessions….

**

Looking at the mayhem, on an impulse I decided

Acquiring stuff for pleasure was a goal short-sighted

I no longer owned my stuff, but my stuff now owned me

Fettered by possessions, I no longer felt I was free

I had to let go and downsize, of that I was certain

What did I love least-now that was hard to ascertain..

Tempted was I to hold back to objects sentimental

Letting go of my belongings was a task monumental

**

As more of a minimalistic lifestyle I embraced

More unnecessary clutter from my life I erased

Taking this concept another notch further

I stopped doing things non-essential altogether

Discovered the joy of a simple lifestyle

Making life meaningful and every moment worthwhile!

Happiness we pursue relentlessly

Hoping we will find it one day, finally

In an unexpected corner of the universe

This hidden corner must be a curse

Because the earth is round as we know

We can’t find a corner, though far we may go..

Like a mirage in the desert, these corners are

Figments of our imagination, that travel far

Corners are products of human design

In nature sharp corners you may not find

Light cannot around a corner bend

A corner is where a light ray finds its end

How can then the rays of happiness bright

Reach the corners to dispel the darkness of night

**

The message behind these rambling thoughts is actually

Happiness begins not from a corner, but centrally..

From the focal points of our lives, our hearts’ centers

Happiness springs, and dark corners enters. 

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
― Ernest HemingwaySix billion souls on this planet each day

With fresh hope set out on their way

Ostensibly to their places of work, their vocation

In reality, searching for the one destination

The fabled land of contentment profound

The land where perpetual happiness is found..

**

Six billion souls, many often tend to forget

At the end of life’s journey, all they would regret

Is not having enjoyed each moment of the process

Having spent their lives chasing evasive success

In trying to race towards their destination

With steely resolve and grim determination

They never stop to smell the roses on their way

Miss joie-de-vivre of their journey, day after day

**

Interwoven in the fabric of each life is the thread

Of happiness, which lies in the journey,instead

Of being parked at a specific unattainable location

Let’s enjoy this journey, not focus on the destination!

From my vantage point I can see

Throngs of people milling about

Usually they stop to look at me

Because I have that kind of clout

Some give me a mere passing glance

Others give me a long, hard stare

Some comment on my expression and stance

Some would love to touch me, but do not dare

I am used to being thoroughly scrutinized

Discussions on my attributes I hear

You would think by now I’d be desensitized

I already have a permanent sneer…

All sorts of opinions I have heard

Some exalted, some just ridiculous

Explanations abstract that sound absurd,

I am used to attention assiduous..

**

Like a performer on stage perpetually

I have been basking in public attention

I have immortalized my creator actually

Of his talent, I am a representation. 

Now that you are at the end of the poem, let me reveal the somewhat cryptic identity of the narrator- this poem is written from the point of view of a famous statue- I had “David” at Accademia in Florence, Italy in mind. He was created my Michelangelo in the 16th century.

Replica of “David” outside the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy

If I could ask for one wish to be granted

I would choose the gift of peaceful sleep

For in doing so, I would lose all unwanted

Demons hiding in my soul’s recesses deep..

If I could lay my head on the pillow each night

And close my eyes in blissful contentment

Forgive every unpleasant remark, every slight

Let ooze out of my pores all traces of resentment. 

Let sleep, the master seducer preside over me

And in to my marrow, inject some languor

Such that the evil around me I can no longer see

And I fall into a peaceful, dreamless stupor.

**

For sleep is the gift of a content mind

Meant exclusively for rejuvenation

To repair human beings, sleep was designed

It is the purest form of meditation..

It is the glory and good of Art, That Art remains the one way possible Of speaking truth, to mouths like mine at least.
-Robert Browning
Spoken words, expressions, actions can hide

Almost anything a person feels inside

But when an artist displays his art

It unveils the truth hidden in his heart

Truth can be monstrous, unpalatable

Scathing, searing, quite unbearable

Art is a varnish carefully applied, 

Skilfully, the ugliness of truth it can hide

Presenting the truth ornamentalized

Art disguises truth, I have realized

If you look deep into an artistic creation

A painting, a sculpture, a theatrical presentation

You can get a glimpse into the creator’s mind

A bitter truth of life you will likely find..

Subtly presented, aesthetically pleasing

Nonetheless, for recognition pleading..

Art is therefore a necessary invention

From the naked truth to provide us protection!

As on my life I reflect

There are things that I regret

Opportunities missed, desires suppressed

Feelings for others, never expressed

Being held back by irrational fear

Clouded by doubt for reasons unclear

Looking back at all these with a sigh

“If only” is the phrase that makes me cry

Regrets weigh me down each step of my way

Prevent me from enjoying what I have today..

**

In accumulating the burden of each regret

Wallowing in self-pity, I did forget

Whatever I did, made me who I am now

The things I regret have molded me somehow

They were lessons that I learnt the hard way

I would not be the same even if I could replay

And reverse the many errors I committed-

I suddenly felt light when this truth I admitted

The unpredictability of life necessitates

Living it by throwing off one’s back all the weights

Thus I decided to toss my regrets in the air

And face my present with shoulders square.

If every love that reared its head

Was reciprocated, its appetite fed

I think it would be a loss to mankind

Erosion of creative expression we’d find-

For unrequited love’s poignant incantation

Has been the catalyst for literary creation,

Spurred musical compositions mellifluous, 

Inspired poetry, exquisite and scrumptious

For rejected lovers have a need to express

Their heartbroken feelings, so the pain can be less

Trying to piece their broken lives and hearts

Masterpieces they create, in brilliant small parts

While those who have been more fortunate

Are with each other, and cannot wait

To live together, marry, a family start

Worried about everything except the heart

They have nothing that can into art be transformed

Their happiness is simple and unadorned

Art requires the pathos of a rejected soul

Contentment and happiness have minimal role

So painful it is, and heart-breaking, it’s true

Love unrequited has a higher purpose too!

This poem is written from the perspective of a conqueror who has killed countless people in the process of conquering new lands. I was reading a book named “Ines of my soul” which is a work of historical fiction describing the bloody conquest of Chile by Spanish conquistadores, and the book inspired this poem.

The image below is a painting in the Vatican City Museum
The mirror is now in front of me

Reminding me it is time, finally

To face my crystal clear reflection

Be aware of my hideous imperfections

See the scars of experiences unpleasant

Face my darkest fears that are omnipresent

Bringing to surface secrets buried deep

Secrets that torment me in my sleep

I am face to face with the person

Who can change my life, that’s the one

Who spells out the truth, naked and stark

Who reveals the side of me that is dark

Can’t run away from my innermost soul

Every grave error will exact its toll

My demons will haunt me until I repent

Each mortal crime deserves a punishment

This mirror has brought me down to my knees

Penance I seek, Lord, pardon me please.