Passion…unbridled

There is a rebellious streak in me

That makes me disregard advice doled out for free

How to do my work the right way

How and what to eat, how to exercise every day-

I really do not welcome such advice

On the other hand, it would be nice

If I could get feedback and criticism constructive

When I ask for it, when I look for advice in a manner proactive..

*

There are aspects of my life with which I am highly satisfied

I get more advice to change them, I have tried

To tell people gently that I do not need

Their well-intentioned advice indeed

In all other spheres of life where I ask for advice

If I get a satisfactory answer, it is a surprise

*

In writing this verse, I had the opportunity

To remind myself that I would do unto others what I want done to me

Therefore I resolve not to give unsolicited advice

But if asked for advice, I would try to oblige

(a person who expresses opinions on matters outside the scope of their knowledge or expertise)

You start explaining something you know well, but are interrupted

Your train of thought is rudely disrupted

By your know-it-all colleague who chimes in with an explanation

Stealing your thunder without hesitation

Except, despite the eloquent speech the content

Is woefully inaccurate to a great extent

Your colleague had fibbed to displace you

You’ve seen this before, this is not an action new

Your colleague likes to explain anything under the sun

Sometimes it is annoying, sometimes pure fun

*

It is exhausting to have ultracrepidarians around you

Who hi-jack every conversation and proceed to

Expound confidently on topics they have no idea about

Thinking this gives them tremendous clout

They give opinions with the authority of an expert

Pass judgment on others without effort..

*

Unfortunately in the current era their tribe

Continues to grow, as influencers and leaders they thrive

Watch out for ultracrepidarian experts so you do not get drawn in

To the spiral of their rhetoric, and believe the lies that they spin

Writer

I start a sentence with a half-formed thought

And the sentence takes me on a journey I had not

Anticipated at all- I let the sentence lead me

To write the whole paragraph, or verse, as the case may be

My writing acquires wings and takes a life of its own

My only contribution is the initial idea whose seeds I have sown

*

Dramatist

I conjure up two characters and try to write

A dialogue between them, at first it appears trite

But soon the characters become well-defined

And just like that, a story between them they find

When I try to write further, my characters dictate

How they behave, they almost determine their own fate

*

Actor

I rehearse my lines, I try to get under the skin

Of my character, gradually the character draws me in

When I emote on the stage, the character I portray

Determines how I come across in the play

I become the character I am playing, he is me

In my best performance we are intertwined inextricably

*

The creative process we consciously initiate

But our creations help us sustain and propagate

Our craft- we become observers of our own imagination

And develop an endless supply of inspiration..

One day I was having a conversation with my son

And I mentioned to him how things were done

When I was younger, lived in a different country

I had to explain to him complex politics and history

He was intrigued more than I expected him to be

He was eager to know more of my history

As I tried to go back further in time I realized

I did not know my family history, I was surprised

That I had never asked my elders about their memories

Now it was too late to hear some of their stories..

*

Once this realization hit, I decided I would find

More from my mother, ask her to rewind

Her life’s experiences, get to know

How life was for her five and six decades ago..

I resolved to document her stories in some way

For my future generations to discover them some day

*

One thing in our lives we should explore

Is our family histories, we should be more

Curious about our origins, we should ask in a manner proactive

Our parents and grandparents their narratives

And preserve them in some form for future generations to know

Because where we are from affects where we may go..

So many books start with a great deal of promise

Of having a unique story, an interesting premise

The first few chapters seem to plant the seed

Of a good story, intrigued, you continue to read

Midway through the book the plot thickens and there are

Multiple threads that extend in different directions quite far

From the overarching theme- you hope those tangled threads

Would be unraveled by the time you have read

The entire book- so you keep reading until the end is reached

But you feel let down, as if your trust in the book has been breached

Because the story leaves loose ends hanging everywhere

The tidy conclusion you had hoped for is simply not there!

*

Some people read from a literary point of view

And like to analyze and derive their own conclusions too

I, on the other hand, want the story to be complete

I want the author to tie all loose ends in a manner neat

I like a story that has an ending well-defined

I do not want to over-exercise my mind

There is uncertainty in life but I read

To escape from the vagaries of life indeed

Therefore I want to read stories which do not make me guess

As a reader I do not want to deal with that stress..

When a fictional story is created

In film or in writing, it is clearly stated

That any resemblance to people or events real

Must be considered purely coincidental

But the backdrop or setting should generally be

Believable for the place and time period of the story

Therefore storytellers research for periods of time extended

To set their stories correctly, not make factual errors unintended..

*

Sometimes the narrators deliberately deviate

From facts, what they portray is inaccurate

In the spirit of artistic license, facts can be

Distorted or bent to better suit the story

Sometimes it is done in such a subtle way

That only someone familiar with the subject can discover it anyway

At other times the anomaly is glaring enough

And discovering it is not for anyone tough

*

The practice of resorting to artistic license

Often comes under criticism intense

Some even find it irresponsible indeed

To deviate from facts, in can mislead

The audience into accepting artistic depictions to be true

For a work of historical fiction, this can have serious consequences too..

*

My take on this is that fiction involves

Imagining something new, a story unfolds and evolves

In the creator’s mind at its own pace

To expand freely, a story needs space

That should not be constrained by facts hard and cold

Therefore the spirit of artistic license I uphold..

When a maelstrom of emotions is going through your mind

You don’t really know how you feel, it is hard to find

The predominant emotion, at least one that you can name

You know your emotional state is heightened, all the same

If only you could distill down your emotion to its essence

You could create something powerful and intense..

*

After reading a book, myself in this situation often I find

The characters and the story leave imprints on my mind

That I cannot shake off, fiction and my reality collide

To create a weird emotional turmoil inside

Which as neither pleasant nor unpleasant I can describe

(Those who understand what I mean would constitute my tribe)

*

After a few hours I am back to my baseline emotional state

Still in a fictional state of mind, I am able to create

A piece of poetry in order to express authentically

The emotional tapestry the book had given me..

I have plenty of opinions and suggestions to share

But unless specifically asked for, I do not dare

To put forward my opinions and thoughts

Usually it is because confident I am not

That my suggestions would be taken seriously

On the other hand I wonder if I would inadvertently

Annoy someone if my opinion I were to state

Therefore I hold my tongue and wait

For others to share their often strong views

Only then do I speak, to go first I never choose

*

Often I find myself at the receiving end

Of advice that people without my asking for extend

Perhaps because my opinions I do not share

People think I do not understand or that I am unaware

When such situations occur I wonder if I should be

More forthcoming with my opinions about issues that I see

*

I envy those who audaciously believe

That their suggestions would be well-received

Their thoughts with confidence they express

No doubt people who hear them are impressed

Maybe I should just give it a try

Express my opinions without being shy

Maybe the hesitation lies purely in my mind

Let me share my thoughts and see what I find

I want to be energetic and vibrant every day

But some days I cannot shake fatigue away

Sometimes I am disenchanted, disengaged and unmotivated

I feel my enthusiasm for work and life has completely abated

I chide myself, try to trick my brain to believe

That if I tried harder, a hyper-energetic state I would achieve

I liberalize my caffeine intake

Hoping that a positive difference it would make

I start worrying if that state of mind

Is going to last long, but then I find

That if I just take a step back and let things be

Getting through the day is a bit easier for me..

*

We expect to be highly efficient and productive

At all times, on roller skates we try to live

When we find ourselves unable to meet

Our exalted expectations, we feel a sense of defeat

We expect nothing to come in the way

Of our efficiency from day to day

Aren’t these expectations unrealistic

Fueled by a society highly materialistic

Sending us towards mental and physical burnout

Certainly this is something we could do without?

*

To listen to the body when it tells us to rest

To slow down sometimes is in our best interest..

When you are going through a rough patch

You look for support to which you can latch

Sometimes it is a kind voice, a willing ear

That lets you overcome your fear

All the simmering resentment inside

You pour into this ear, you confide

All your woes and all your weaknesses too

You trust the other person would not betray you

*

You feel better, life goes on until one day

Your friend in a gathering decides to say

Something about you that you don’t want the world to know

And that gives to your trust a rude blow

Next time you would be more discerning, you decide

Before you let others know the thoughts you harbor inside

*

This competitive world is rough

To find a safe place to just be yourself is tough

When you expose your vulnerable side

You open the floodgates wide

For exploitation anytime by those

Who you as your confidants chose

By being burnt multiple times you realize

To express everything you feel is unwise

You learn to exercise restraint when you interact

You learn never to reveal your true feelings, in fact

*

The only lament I have here-

In hiding our vulnerabilities, we lose authenticity, I fear..

I don’t know how or why I was asked that day

What I really liked to do, I am embarrassed to say

That I instantly felt flattered, because I could not recall

An instance when anyone around me had cared at all

To find out what I liked, it had probably never crossed anyone’s mind

To ask women this question, they were supposed to be blind

Followers of the men, who with their wealth and position in the society

Were free to make choices, indulge in whatever they happened to fancy

*

Being from a wealthy family, I was privileged, I knew

What other women lacked, I had the freedom to do

And yet my opinions were considered unnecessary

I was supposed to be a bejeweled, bedecked accessory

But that one question energized me to explore

My likes and dislikes further, to try to be more

Than just a mute observer in a world that was exciting

The thought of being an active participant was inviting..

*

I realized I was passionate about education, I liked to teach

I started a school in the village in order to reach

The girls who were confined to household chores

I worked with their families in order to ensure

That they had the time, the resources and the flexibility

To learn how to read and write, and to grow up to be

The kind of women who were not afraid to state

What they liked, who were not resigned to their fates..

*

This was more than seventy years ago in India newly independent

I faced challenges profound, but never wavered in my intent

As I reflect on a life well-lived in my last days

The question that started my journey stays

Fresh in my mind- never in my wildest imagination

Had I thought I would teach multiple generations

Of women just because someone asked me

What I liked- and it became my destiny

It is believed that experiencing awe makes you

More peaceful, happier, more grateful too

It sounds a bit ridiculous to talk about

Being awestruck, it’s the stuff of dreamers, no doubt

Not for people who are practical, who live in reality

The experience of awe seems quite otherworldly..

*

Awe is not something I had felt much at all

Apart from a few times during travel that I could recall

But this year has so far bestowed upon many including me

More than one opportunity to be

Awestruck at incredible spectacles of the universe within a short span

We’ve directed our gaze upwards, like the earliest of men

Marveled at the spectacular cosmic dance

Grateful to have received a chance

To see the extraordinary in our daily lives

Filling us with emotions difficult to describe..

*

In a world where natural disasters increasingly make news

It is exhilarating to see these breathtaking views

To experience a sense of awe, feel a burst of positive energy

The solar eclipse and the Aurora Borealis have thus captivated me…