Sunday, December 30, 2007

A thought for the New Year

I guess it would be
a bit of continuity
and a bit of change ,
for the better .....
and wiser ....

Akash

Neelakurinji

Lovely name .
Lovely flower .
To me
it is beauty ,
it is patience .

It blossoms just once in twelve years , filling hills with a blue carpet.
Bringing the sky all the way down to earth ....
And how ..... ?

Happy New Year to All ,

Akash

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Expansive

Drifting effortlessly into
being by the side of an ocean
all day long
with clear , azure skies
circling horizon
and my heart and mind steadfast
on the golden , light brown sand
slipping through my fingers
like a name reverberating
through echelons of time .


Akash

A poem by Van K. Brock

Notes

I am trying to understand why the plain unstained
wood squares in the ceiling satisfy me. The rhythm
in the repetitions of the same balanced proportions,
or the resistance of the wild grain of the wood
to the squares and rectangles, the dense bloodknots
of the pines in bright summer when light at last can
open the recesses of the dark pitched ceilings: all
remind me of those northern timber structures
where the weary scribe looks up now again through me
and finds the forest's tangles in the grain of his plain
unstained coffers and understands, or thinks he does.

How vain to try to give my eyes to his medieval eyes,
or open to his vision of the world. There is a vast field
of sunflowers far below the balcony of Albergo Italia.
Swallows circle around me. In a half medieval town,
halfway up the mountain, we are only halfway to heaven,
a medieval monastery of southern stone above us,
sensuous sunflowers below. I like standing on a tiled
piazza in the air between sunflowers and monastic
rock. I do not want to endlessly circle and soar in the
air between, nor bow with the thousands who bow
nor go blind among the sunflowers' fertile eyes.

One must become vapor or dust, for every atom
to disperse in space, then come together again
recombined and reconciled with the dust of those
whose openings exclude you or at least do not include you.
Listen to the paradox of becoming: it is chanted
from the minarets, interrupting our meditation: nothing
tells us that whatever brings us together requires our
passage through ports never before gone through,
and through which we cannot even think of returning.
I could explode into a galaxy of galaxies,
ever expanding outward and curving back into myself.

Van K.Brock

Van K. Brock is a poet to cherish - and read! - for his sense (wisdom) and skill in bringing the secrets of our time to us without spoiling the mystery. These lightered poems give brief strong light to family tragedies, evidence of ancient, too-present crime. And there are folktunes here, much music in the words for dancing, the washing screaming to be hung "in the sun like saved sinners." -- Michael Mott

Heartening

Heartening to see idealism still alive .
That someone can leave all the comforts of a highly paid job for working for people ,
and is so humble and silent about it is truly humbling and inspiring .

Did you hear ?

Don't ask me if it is dream or reality
for what separates the two is
this one thread thin laced curtain
swaying beautifully on the edge ,
a bit of dream like reality
and a bit of reality in dream ,
and I try my best to sing the unsung song
in a voice that carries my heart
waving through all that mystery
delicately hidden in the morning fog ,
the dew scented fog .


Did you hear ?

A poem by Bino A. Realuyo

Procession

In memoriam, Father Narciso Pico, human rights activist

Air descends in spirals. On a street,
a flock waits, not in their usual Sunday white
but black, a long line, spiraling as well.
Their sweat you can't see.
Their faces would make you wonder what really
matters to them-the wait or the destination,
something you often asked: the now or what comes next.
In this village, whoever dares ask that question
does it in murmurs, in twists of fingers,
like their ears and eyes, attentive to every house
they pass: who still lives there, who doesn't,
what's gone, what remains, their names, mentioned
every time they think of yours.
They recognize the thoughts behind fallen lips,
sunken skin: where does a dead priest go,
the one gunned down for leaves and soil-
tell them, if not, they would simply guess, if there is an
opening in the sun, then there, into its eye, to watch
shovels rise above the ground, your own, the sprinkle
of soil over your casket, of dust, prayers, and names,
once again, the names of those who will fall next to you.


"Bino A. Realuyo has that rare gift of transforming modern horror into art. In The Gods We Worship Live Next Door he writes of his beleaguered country, the Philippines, in ways that reveal universal truths. The land is vibrant and alive, real with mythical shadows-rituals, dances, work-and, at the same time, racked by persecution and death. The book is passionate without a trace of sentimentality, a compelling account of destruction under a silent god."
- Grace Schulman

BINO A. REALUYO was born and raised in Manila. He is the author of the acclaimed novel The Umbrella Country. His poems have appeared in The Kenyon Review, Manoa, The Literary Review, New Letters, and The Nation. He is the recipient of the Lucille Medwick Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America. He lives in Manhattan.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Liberating

Imagine
filling a clean glass
with suspended droplets
of freed vapor
each free to form a rainbow
and stir it
delightfully
slowly
with your own heart
and feel yourself
whirling
with hands outstretched
in the breeze
slowly
rhythmically
liberating ......

Music

Shhhh .......

Just close your eyes .

Listen
Just listen quietly
to the beats
of your own heart
and the rustle of wind .


Feel an infinity pass
through you ,
feel your transition
into infinity.

Power

Power can be real and positive .
Real power is in
empowering others .

I am enlightened to see
some people
who actually do that .

Thursday, December 20, 2007

With both hands

How will you welcome New Year ?

With both hands ,

and a smile .

Some invariants

Surely there are things which are invariant in the flow of life ?

Are there any such absolutes ?

To detach

Perceiving the reality of an end
makes it easier to detach
oneself in the true
sense of the term
from all ?

I want to rewrite it .
It can't be just perceiving .
It has to be
walking right into middle of
fire without as much as a
shadow of fear .
It has to be living
the life that you want to
see around ....
It has to necessarily forget
these words
that shift constantly .

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Hopefully

A wave of gratitude
swells .......
hopefully towards hope
hopefully towards truth
hopefully towards a future
where hands reach out
in humility .

Why ?

At times
sometimes , like now
all this breath taking beauty
from the valleys of flowers ,
from the meadows in Alps ,
from sweat glistening
on the skin of a laboring human being ,
from the snow white clouds
breaking away from the blue skies ,
from every nothing and something
descends here to be
to be me .

Why ?

Sane and insane

A little insanity
just a little of it
makes sanity
possible and
enjoyable.

Never ending

This puzzle
never seems
to end .

Designed for isolation ?

Are our lives designed for isolation ?
Each of us becoming a little island ....
far removed from reality ,
jailed by our own ambitions , comfort zones ?

Friday, December 14, 2007

Ascension

It has become a habit
to stand by the balcony in the evening
and watch the sky
just watch the sky
transiting
in feelings
colors
flavors
with a new look
in each of the stages
colors fading slowly
into new shades
a solitary , majestically solitary feeling
in ascension
in mind , body and soul .

Saturday, December 8, 2007

The choice is clear

There are times of indecision .

There are times when the choice is clear -

-between transparent and opaque .

-between reliable and not so reliable .

-between gentle and harsh .

Often boundaries blur .......

Accept only the necessary

Accept only the necessary:

what will widen your heart
what will enlighten your face .


Rafael Jesus Gonzalez

Sustainability

The most important word , concept , emotion and thought ........

Can our goals , designs , plans , emotions , thoughts , changes
be prefixed by this word ?

We are not there just for a moment . Are we ?

In sustaining ourselves , in preserving ourselves ,
we preserve our near and dear ,
we preserve the future ,
we preserve the earth , with love , with patience , with perseverance , with coherent action .

Systems -- yes , we need to build habits and systems which are sustainable.

Friday, December 7, 2007

My mind takes wings ........

On the road lined with
trees of ancient wisdom ,
with the twinkling of
light and shade ,
in the benevolent
breeze of the swaying trees ,
my mind takes wings ......

Beyond tears .......

After tears , it is peace .
It is about getting back to life .
Responding to day's call .

A Clarification

In my previous post I mentioned strength of tears .
Yes , it is strength that I am talking about .
Not the vulnerability .
Tears that change the direction of course of your life
for the better .
Which make one look at the world differently ...

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Let them flow

Tears wash like rain ,
in the dead of night , right in the middle of afternoon ,
they shower you , to keep you cool and fresh ,
it is a strength to be able to feel the sorrow that cannot be helped , deep within you
and let the tears flow...... like a dear friend .....

As though one does not exist

Is there any need to utter the word love
when it is just there everywhere
hidden in every gesture ,
every effort to reach out ,
without being known ,
as though one does not exist ?

Silence

How is silence born in the heart ?
How does it grow ?
Working quietly together .........
Listening to each other as though there is no other sound in the universe ......
Understanding , accepting agonies of the past in peace of the present .....
To be content to be here ...............
in a home built in harmony ,
for all ,
by all .

Friday, November 23, 2007

Switzerland in my dreams

These days I dream of Switzerland
for no apparent reason ,
just want to stand and
watch the mountains climb
and tower my imagination .

When will I be there ?
Will I be ?

Autumn , winter

Soft snow
replacing
rustle of dry leaves ,
subtle changes in the shades of sky ,
slight chill in the air ,
mist in the mornings ,
rings of steaming coffee rising in the air ,
so many ways
a change
makes itself felt .

Perception

Perception ,
mine , your ,
his , her,
their , our

how similar ?
how very different ?

wonder that we are still here ,
still together ,
very much together ,
inseparable .

Emotion , reason

Emotion , reason ,
reason , emotion ,
both are charming in their own way ,
each of them can be enriching ,
each of them can be bothersome
when limits are exceeded ,
it is always a mess
when limits are exceeded .......
perhaps avoidable mess .

One of my favourites

Not that I have read much .
One author whose memory is soothing to the heart is that of Pearl.S.Buck .
Life poured itself into her writings with gentleness and grace of moonlight .
The pace was really relaxing . I wonder how she was as a person !
I would have liked to spend some time with her .
I surely would have liked to .

Encircled

As though we have imprisoned ourselves
in these repetitive routines ,
recycled thought patterns ,
actions , reactions ,
as though this is the only path
leading to salvation ,
as though there is no other ,
as though .......

Friday, November 9, 2007

Stars , stars , stars ..........

Little hearts , stars of my life , all around me .........
Singing , dancing , just being there with a smile or a tear ,
making me one among them , of them .

I am here , now .

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Words

Words are bridges at times ,
blockages at times ,
up to us as to what we make of them !
Occasional silence works
like a fast
to cleanse
the arteries and veins of
communication
and brings us together.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Love

All of us need love - true love .
Love could be the anchor which
helps us to connect to the world
a little more softly ,
a little more compassionately!

I consider myself incredibly fortunate ,
for i have received love in infinite measure.

I can never fully express enough gratitude
for this precious gift .

I wish to return it to the world in
some or the other form ; that perhaps
is the only way to preserve love.

Trust

Trust is comfort to the soul.
Trust is something which is built
between two entities through a lot of
initial distrust and a whole lot of trust-building situations .
As they say , through thick and thin .....
Till then , it may be healthy to have a streak
of distrust.....

Poetry

Poetry can be powerful ,
incredibly beautiful ,
unscrupulously ambiguous;

I like to forget the ambiguous ones ......

Pleasant or honest ?

I do like pleasantness around.

There are times i get carried away by it.

But i respect honesty more .

For relationships to sustain in the

longrun , honesty is a necessity.

That is how i feel.

I don't have the capacity to be

very pleasant.

I lose out in the shortrun ; i have

gained in the long run -

few friends who are there forever ,

the reason for me to celebrate life !

Friday, September 21, 2007

Between yesterday and today

A chasm or an abyss

between yesterday and today ......,

too deep to cross ,

too real to be brushed aside .....

testing my strengths , vulnerabilities !

War within

Why am I at war with myself ?

I could write pages , without a

simple answer .

Why is one part of me unable to

accept the other ?

Peace

How does one get to the root of peace , the deepest root that feeds peace ?

Prayer , meditation , thought , word , articulation , action ???

Each one may have their own path.

I would think that unambiguous and mindful action -

as small as a deep breath is the right step towards peace -

unambiguous peace.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Happy birthday

Today is the birthday of my younger son , Prashant.

I wish him a very happy birthday,

and a lifetime of happiness.

He fills our days with so much cheer and happiness .

I thank him for all that he is ........

Is this life ?

To feel close to nature
in it's most pristine form
to give form to that closeness
to feel alive every minute of existence
and vapourise into
an eternity in search of purpose ......

Is this life ?

Where are you ?

Where are you ?
I keep asking myself
to be afloat
in the lowering densities
of ambiences around ;
at times there is no answer ,
at times i don't hear it.

Like light itself

There are times you are choked with emotions without
apparent reasons
there are times you feel utterly lifeless
like the tides
like the waves
it needs two extreme intensities
to make the energy flow ,
freely , beautifully
like light itself.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Impermanance

I seek permanance
knowing fully well that
this person called me
itself is a guest
to the world.
Ends are
more often than not
abrupt - very abrupt.
One should be prepared
to face reality ;
stark and illusion-free
reality.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Success , failure

Success and failure - are they different ?

At times i think about it this way -

A reasonable amount of failure is needed

for a successful life !!

At times i want to be reasonably successful....

Supernatural

Do you believe in the supernatural ?

I am inclined to .......

Some coincidences leave such

profound impact on you.....

You are at a loss to understand ;

What , why , where , when .....?

Expectations

Is it really possible to

live without expectations ?

It should be , it could be.....

I find it difficult to

practise it....

Farewells

Farewells are integral part of life .....

painful and necessary .....

could also mean a different course .....

life takes you through different routes

at different times...

have to accept the changes ,

to continue with the thread of life.

With best wishes for all .....

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Borders , dividers........

To live , to really live ,

we need to cut through lots and lots of

borders ; sealed borders , opaque borders ......

How do we do it ?

These dividers crystallize day by day ,

night by night into unbreakable entities

with their own agenda .....

How do we survive them , thrive through them ?

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Melting Cheese

I love the cartoon Heidi and the novel Heidi by Johanna Spyri.

Pure innocence and sheer delight to have Heidi's doting

grand father's melting home made cheese .

Even more delightful to watch young Peter gobble it up.....

One day I would like to ascend the heights of Alps to be

with Heidi , Peter , grandfather , the goats , the snow.....

I want to be as resilient as Heidi.

Moments .....

I love the hazy images of the world

through the gentle threads of mild rain,

a certain purifying ,

freshening feeling ......

just to watch the leaves

in their bright green rustle

just after the rain .....

defines life for me.

I live moment to moment ......

Die between the moments.....

Yesterday , Today ......

Today grows on the support of yesterday

into a tomorrow.

Hopefully a better one .....

Hopefully a beautiful one......

Disturbing

Times are disturbing ......

As much for a child as a (wo)man.

As much for an angel as a demon.

Well , we do have a bit of both in each of us. Don't we ?

Endless are the questions searching for answers....

Truely , truely endless .....

Do you have any answers in search of questions ?

I love .....

I love almost everything in nature .

Right from the infinite emptiness of the universe ,

through the sky above us to the dust around us .

All things are bright and beautiful.

Need i mention the green , the infinitely green ?

Order , disorder

I like certain amount of order.

Certain amount of disorder too !!

I think that it is their combination

that makes the world tick .....

I am not sure that i am right .....

I might not be right ; might be....

Learning

How do we learn ?

How do we unlearn?

Have you any thoughts or feelings to share ?

I am at a loss .......

I wonder how we allow learning to consume us ?

New excitement

The thrill of seeing the words in neat
orderly print is still fresh in my eyes.....

Are the words mine ?

Can i claim to own words ?

Where did they start ?

Where are they going ?

Questions as much for me as the visitor ....

Me

A normal human being like anyone.
Like the idea of sharing and caring.
Like the idea of coherent joint family .
Family can be as big as the universe.