Words

I have cherished words all of my life. With a heart brimming with gladness, with tempestuous eyes or with a soaring spirit, I have loved words. The joy of seeing the teacher’s note on an essay or on the first publication in a newspaper was all an inheritance from words.

The gurgling of the brook, the quaint little town of pines, the soliloquy of the minstrel or the pied beauty of autumn - paint pictures through words. The chant of the ‘Om’ and the ‘I can do it’ self-fulfilling prophecy radiates the incredible power  of words.

The sanctity and serenity emanating from words have mysteriously enriched life in ways indescribable. Spoken or tacit, written or unwritten, words have added meaning and ecstasy beyond words.

Dreams Unbounded

I was sitting by a small window in an attic with a view of the hills and the horizon. In my hands, I had a book which was about clouds and their beauty. To my extreme amazement, as I read the book, the sky in front of me changed to the same translucent shades I was reading about. The view was enchanting - the pastel pinks, the restrained teals and muted oranges all engulfed by the delicate cerulean. On leaving the kingdom of slumber, I realized that this was a dream.This was back in my college days, but it bewildered me since then as I wondered how a dream could be so splendidly ethereal.

I found my answer recently on seeing a picture taken by one of my friends from school in Barapani, Shillong. Growing up in Meghalaya – the abode of the clouds, clouds of every colour graced so many twilight skies. They are part of my fabric and the dream was only an extension of real magic of that land. 

During the same period, I had another dream that was absolutely mystifying. In that dream someone had given me a small figurine of a female form. It was about two inches in height and very slender. I tried but couldn’t identify who it was. After a long time and a lot of searching (all in my dream ) I suddenly noticed that she was holding a Veena*. That day I woke up with a smile.

When I saw the picture of the clouds posted by Devyani on Facebook and came to the realization of the truth of my beautiful dream about a month back, I wondered why I never saw such dreams ever again. This was at bedtime and magic struck again. This time I saw myself riding a cycle passing by a serene structure that some told me is a ‘Buddhist Church’. The building was about five stories high and made of wood with a burnished finish. The place exuded a divine grace as it rose up high behind me. I kept turning back to look at it, while riding the cycle by beautiful green gardens that were in front of it. I woke up with hopes that someday this place with extend into reality.

*Veena - A musical instrument played by the Indian goddess of learning, Saraswati
Photo courtesy: Devyani Sen

.......................***Providence***.........................

The morning dew

O’er the green grass,

Leaves of every hue

Fate’s image cast

A last wish,

A fancied tint,

Orange, yellowish

Or still a green hint

Candles burn brilliant

Ere the flames go down,

A conquest vibrant

Ere they renounce the crown

A Spring’s awakening,

A Mid-Summer night’s dream

The most winsome -

Man’s favorite season, Autumn

Magic

The miracle moon mirrors

The magic of her eyes

To mythical lands

Of myriads of mirages,

Of mystique

And muses

The shimmering moon steals

The sparkle of her stares

To sacred seas

Of seraphinas,

Of soothing sands

And silvery silences

The glistening moon gifts

The glint of her gaze

To starry skies

Of salvation,

Of the surreal

And sages

*Seraphina (from Seraphim): An angel of the highest order

Heterodoxy

My first attempt at a piece of verse, from when I was in my 11th standard. I don't remember all of it, but wanted to share what I do.

No walls separate one man from another,
No ill-feelings we carry,
No ill-feelings for one another,
And we speak in voices free

We don't say-
I, You, He or She,
We say 'We' - In unison!
Communion is decree

This is all a dream,
And truth is reality,
Pandora opened the box of troubles,
And there's wide-spread calamity

'Hope' still comes to preserve our integrity,
Making our dreams real for posterity


* 'Hope' is the fairy that came out last from Pandora's 'Box of Troubles'

Untitled

Ek ehsaas puraana sa,

Naye andaaz mein aayaa

Ek saaz jo kho gaya tha,

Nayi aawaaz ne gungunayaa

Ek anjaam,

Nayaa aaghaz layaa

An old feeling,

A new spring

A melody gone missing,

A fresh humming

A closing,

Ushers a new beginning

Silence

The sun shines,
The seconds strike,
The silica spies
A sylvan stance,
As I sip my swirls
On my silent seat

Surrendering
To my screaming soul,
While I seek
The soul of Silence,
For some significance
In solitary stupor

Surreal moments
When the lips don't split,
Are silently seeping,
Soaking the heart,
In this surfing sojourn