LIFE: RIDDLES AND KNOTS

One of my favorite quotes!

'E' IS FOR 'EARTHEN'.

By the way, Wednesday post is for reflecting and articulating the mystery  inherent in the very concept of life. Life is imbued with multiplicity of interpretations, which are not random but follow a complex pattern. My poem (fourteen lines) roughly is in the form of a sonnet and has three stanzas and a couplet. Here it is:

LIFE is akin to an earthen pot,

Ever rife with impulsive brew on spot.

Smoldering embers, readied for vigilance,

Pre-empt the notion that stifles brilliance.

Well, turn the page:

Festering wounds stay embalmed,

In the chink of the soul securely calmed.

Deep hurts and recurring pains,

Sleep uneasily in shrouds of fake gains.

Go to the next page:

Let life be fashioned in metal and stone,

Newfangled world of human clones!!!

The idea of doom is a deadly cocktail,

Entails despondency and all hopes derailed.

The epilogue:

Human spirit is willed never to die,

Like a phoenix the brave hearts will rise. 

Friends,welcome here as always!

Linked to:ABC Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday,

NATURE NURTURES

ABC Wednesday

N is for Nature

Contemplating about life, environment and nature’s unique manifestations in a fresh narrative is an interesting and challenging intellectual exercise. When the inspiration emanates from ABC Wednesday’s next letter theme, it becomes more special. This week, I’ve chosen the vast reservoir of mother nature vis a vis our everyday life, to write a critique upon. It is a subject, which keeps afloat the subtle sense of wonder in my receptive psyche. The cyclic aspect of natural phenomenon is inextricably linked to the structure of our lives on this earth. Moreover, the very consciousness of this thought makes it worth writing about.

Think of the arrival of spring.  It’s symbolic of the revival of hope, beauty and well-being in the larger context of our lives. All living organisms breathe the glamor of the season and grow. When spring‘s verdure spreads its magical wings, it overlooks our inadequacies and invites us to join in the rejoicing. Its abundant profile shrouds warts and all under its lush green shawl, presenting an image of idyllic splendor. All the eyesores of winter are dressed up in the glow and glory of glistening freshness of new leaves, out to conquer the world with its renewed energy and colorful appeal.

Likewise, we too are infected with the innocent smiles of leisurely opening rose petals and resurgent plant life. The joy of being alive amidst such charm and loveliness loosens the wintry stiffness of the limbs, while injecting the sap of vitality. We strut about with a streak of confidence and assume a sort of amnesia about the issues that plagued us during winter. The glorious spring inspires us to reach our goals as the barrenness of the winter has been morphed into flower and fertility. Our lives turn around, projecting a beefed up enthusiasm for concreting our dreams. Depression and despair take to their heels in the face of childlike excitement of moving around gleaming greenery.

The rainy season soaks the parched earth of sweltering summers with the lifesaving tonic of blissful showers. Flora and fauna rejuvenate after weathering the stifling heat. Monsoon rains replenish the drying water bodies; wash the dust and grime of summer’s dusty storms and serve as a boon for the farmers of our lands. In the freshly washed atmosphere, the sky looks luminous and surreal at night. Glowworms with their peculiar twinkle warm our hearts and make us wonder at the spontaneity of this change. The artists in all fields set about finishing their products with renewed zeal.

Winter has its own distinctive character in India.We bask in the golden sunshine and savor healthy sweet meets loaded with nuts and dry herbs to strengthen our immunity. Availability of plenty of fresh vegetables is an added attraction.

Autumn in the West is a season of shimmering colors and festivities. The charm of flaming red orange and brown foliage leaves one speechless.

Nature is a teacher, pious and all encompassing. The conscious mind drinks deep the luxuriance of its very presence. Even for the uninitiated, absorbed in the throes of life’s constant battles, it soothes his journey by throwing joyfully free interjections from time to time. Nature doesn’t discriminate and gifts its wares betwixt one and all equally.

For thousands of years, nature has been man’s never failing ally. It is indefatigable in its approach of persistently greeting us smilingly.  It has steadiness, which is rock solid. It provides us a reason to live. It has a charm, which is disarming. It keeps us rooted to the ground. It teaches us the sense of wonder. It is a preserver of life. Birds of all types and hues, sprightly squirrels and hordes of living organisms thrive in its protective fold.

Negativity has no place in its scheme of things. It never grumbles or shows furrows of contempt on its visage. It never throws innuendos and invectives to score fake points. It doesn’t intimidate. It never gnaws our insides with faceless fears. Lip service is never on its agenda.  Miraculous benefits, which accrue from this interface, reinforce our resolves.

Taking lessons from the resilience of mother earth and brushing aside the irritants and hurdles, we're motivated to surge ahead on the road of life. Our ancestors must have been unknowingly enthused by the proximity to nature to face the dark dangers of their tough existence. Their relatedness to nature must have boosted their spirits into pro activity. Perhaps this is how our ancestors survived and kept climbing the steps of the ladder of progress and innovation.   

Changes in nature and natural phenomenon run parallel to our enigmatic sojourn here.

Friends, welcome here as always!

REFLECTING ON LIFE'S JOURNEY

Since ‘we are condemned to live,’ it is reasonable to go ahead and analyze our existential position in this crazy world of ours off and on.

Of late, the critique of life has become one of my favorite subjects to dwell upon in my blog writing journey. I enjoy reflecting on the infinite avatars of life as they whet my thinking prowess by unfolding deeper insights of this thrilling conundrum. It is no less than an intellectual challenge to delve into this field of oceanic proportions by picking up some chosen threads. Sometimes out of the blue, sundry thoughts intrude into grey cells, take shape and come alive on the blank pages as follows:

Reminiscising about the lived calendar of one’s life throws out interesting realizations:

Here is the personal narrative:

(a) Contrary to popular belief; it is observed that we tend to change for the better with the passage of time. The change is not like a waterfall, suddenly coming into existence somewhere, after a heavy downpour in the hills. Here the change is deliberate, conscious, slow and steady based on the shifting truths and perceptions of daily life.

Soon to be on the threshold of my seventies, I know how this change has come about in me. The journey of this change has been flavored with bitter sweet happenings, moulding my character in between, cautioning me along the way about the fragility of human bonds and about the power of the spoken word which can make or break relationships.

(b)Yes, certainly confidence declines with age, beleaguered by challenging circumstances in the course of life‘s multifarious roles. Later in life the love and affection of grand children compensates this loss sufficiently.

(c) Life’s canvas gets etched with markings of momentary highs and some long drawn lows out of which the memories are born. However, life never ceases to be interesting and worthy. But this roller coaster of life begins differently for different people.

I started with a protected and loving childhood and adolescence. Got degrees, became a professional. Marriage and motherhood followed. Experienced the pain, when myths of mushy romance, shared with friends during heavenly gossip sessions, while luxuriating in the lawns of GCG Chandigarh, got burst at the altar of hard realities. Later passed through the usual heart aches of married life, smothered in the secret crying on the pillow or sitting on the garage roof under starlit nights. Writing personal poems to blurt out the stifling emotional deluge and finally gaining a state of stoicism via falling and balancing.

The journey’s cobbled path with a few roses thrown here and there remains enshrined firmly within me.  And the prized rosy days are locked safely in the vase of fragrant memories.

Life is no lyrical ballad, it is an epic poem with some sweet pains and numerous heart aches. In fact life’s lyrics get written every day.

(d)Amidst the choking compromises of life, clinging to the memory of those creatively thrilling precious moments gives succor and stability in spite of occasional rough terrains.

(e)For the creatively active there are always some tasks left to be accomplished and lived for and the body basics have to be taken care of, to ensure its support for as long as possible.

(f) To constantly seek some wonder moments is the new logo for being alive. The moments which take your breath away. Like the thrill of unexpectedly seeing a spider’s web exquisitely woven, hanging on balcony’s railing after a rain soaked day.  Is there room for resentments and excesses of any kind to squander this jewel of life upon...?

(g)One has to keep resurrecting the special celebratory vignettes from the bank of memories to transcend the sultriness of life.

(h)To keep the tracks of life oiled and functioning healthily, the crutches of procrastination have to be discarded. Otherwise the ‘Apple Cart’ of life will go down into quicksand impossible to be retrieved.

(i)Even with dwindling energies, the battle has to rage within to stomp over the dead wood of passivity and inch towards some goal with child like curiosity, till the last breath is breathed.

Image courtesy: The Internet

Friends your thoughts are welcome!