Of Shadows and Light...

So long that I am turned away from light,

I see a spectre, my own shadow - 

My darkness, lying beside something bright,

Like a gloomy, veiled widow.

I turn to the light, my shadow takes flight,

I face the source of my eternal glow.

The shadow exists, but is out of sight,

And stretched ahead of me is a divine meadow.

I turn my sight away from that source,

Shadowy spectres still outline my course,

But when I fix my gaze upon what is right,

Undeterred by shadows, I see light.

---

Mr. Anil Sawan links his composition - Dark Could Signify Life 

An award...

Gratias, Kajal. All right populi, up for grabs! Display this token on your blog - proudly so! :)

And blog updated - 11th April (title - Food for Thought) .

Sea Fever

I needed this break! Here is a poem that sums up the past week. Read this way back in '94 - '95.

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

- John Masefield (1878 - 1967)

An Unborn's Plea...

Staying in your nurturing cradle,

Counting away to daylight,

I feel a poke so cold, so... fatal,

Embryonic dreams would never take flight.

A Princess from the fable, I would grow to be,

As the doctor went about his work,

Longing for a Prince to set me free-

I was numbed by a surgical dirk...

There is no room, for me, it seems-

The unfortunate result of sin.

Gaia's breasts, but with life, teems...

Yet, I am decreed: a has-been.

A future undone, a mother's strife...

A Freedom that never covered me.

"Please protect an unborn life"

This is my humble, dying plea...

(Afterword-)

"Alone on the cold table, silence cries...

Snatched in haste from a mother's womb,

It will be discarded once it dies.

The trash can will make-do as it's tomb."

---

Will be away from Blogsville for a week, populi. Au revoir.

Peace.

The beauty that is, Friendship...

Life is long... It’s all our own; but when we are with friends, ‘estranged’ will be a word never to be heard. Time is the number of moments we find, and it fills our lives with joy and happiness. But when we part from friends, time will no longer seem what it used to be. We never know what the future has in store, yet  the  thoughts of  friendship  and  the bonds we  share will bring us much needed  solace. They  say  time heals; nevertheless the moment of estrangement will be hard to heal.

The shadows of life will grow longer

Some days will be happy, some sad,

Yet the fiendship you’ve made will grow stronger

As you think of the good times you’ve had.

A sincere friend is a precious possession,

Whose value increases with years;

Suffering may come to assail you...

Empathetic friends can allay all of your fears.

The days that are gone will leave memories,

And memories are precious to keep;

They bring solace to life like pleasant melodies 

That charm you and lull you to sleep.

Our days gather speed in their passing

With multiplied ills that attend...

Yet, you’ll weather safely each hurdle

When you feel the embrace of a loyal friend.
---

Did someone say 25..?

UPDATE (04 March 2009)- If your blogroll/dashboard directed you to this post, please go here for the latest post

(Pasted from Facebook)

These tags irritate me. My Blogger friend Gauri needs a life. If anyone has an overdose of it, please lend. Good karma will return to you.

25 random things about moi... Geronimo!

1. I am an unabashed egotist and a hot-head. *You know it? Didn't take Einstein, did it? :P* But I maintain that I am level-headed and patient.

2. I refer to God with an upper-case *G*, and I also refer to myself with an upper-case *I* (I leave it to you folks to draw analogies, dissect or, worst case, leave it. :P )

3. I am my worst critic.

4. I do *not* believe in having ONE *best* friend. For that matter, I do *not* believe in the concept of having *best* friends. 

5. I have friends. I do not discriminate among them. They make my life count. They know it. *tips his hat* Cannot thank you folks enough.

6. I say I am a good singer. Listener's loss. Not mine. Ha! I am pretty good with the keyboard/piano too. Well, I used to be! Long time since I ventured near one...

7. My handwriting is indeed that *damn* good. My notes have had the darned (read: blessed) fortune of spending helluva lotta time in the women's hostel. No, I said "my class notes". Not "me".

8. I am pragmatic and an ambivert.

9. I do not like sweets. Gulab jamun, Kaaju kathli, Mysore Pak and Twix (yes, that chocolate) are exceptions though.

10. I maintain a childhood rivalry - which is prolly 20 yrs old and counting. I *hate* Australia. Restricted to cricket, of course. And I hate it when that friend of mine calls me up every time those YELLOW-OCHRE (yes, I am racist. Sue me.) creeps win a tournament. 

11. There are times when I border on over-confidence. That is probably one of those things I am learning to overcome. 

12. I love to be alone. Or, with a small group of friends.

13. I am told I am good at comforting people. But I needn't be told that I am good at irritating people. Especially the fairer, and more garrulous sex. ;P

14. Back in 3rd Standard, I realized I was Shakespeare-cum-some-looney-Prophet reborn. Reason? I came up with this - 

Eashwar and Allah went to a mall;

Where Christ and Nanak were sitting on a wall.

The four of them became best of friends,

And will stay on till the world ends.

15. I love to philosophise. I love to think and engage people in discussions. Topics like God/Religion/Life/Death are my favourite. 

16. Point 15. owes to the fact that I, a Hindu Brahmin, had an Anglo-Indian, Methodist Christian upbringing (albeit, till seventh standard) in what was a pretty Islamic area in the city. Yes, I can chant/recite the Lord's Prayer, the Psalms (especially 23 and 121), the Vishnu Sahasranam, the Kalima Tayyab and a number of other religious verses with equal fervour. 

17. Science - the concept of Time and Creation, to be more specific - fascinates me. 

18. I love pooches... They are blessed creatures. Very.

19. I am a cleanliness-and-orderliness-freak.

20. The English language has been my *only* passion all these years. That said, I have taken a particular disliking for the American influence on the language. But yes, I do use the word *dude*, quite often. 

21. History (Ancient & Medieval) and Mythology vie for the top-spot in my list of interests. And oh yes, I do have a number of *weird* interests that include researching on Astral Travel, NDEs, OBEs (no, el stupido, not Order of the British Empire!), the Paranormal, SHC... 

22. Going to the cinema, or even watching one at home isn't my thing. And yes, I do not see any sort of blasphemy in not having watched "the Titanic", et cetra. Of course, I am never tired of watching "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly", "The Illusionist" and "The Great Escape". The last one, courtesy my good friend Rituparna. 

23. I have cut down on my reading habit... However, I am concentrating on my writing and I am trying to ensure that my reading doesn't have much (or any) influence on my writing. 

24. To some of you, this will be like opening a can of worms - I am not a particular *fan* of Gandhism. The only thing I liked about the great man is that he was for the *truth*. But, I do not quite understand why he stuck with non-violence. And I may never know, either. That said though, in no way do I imply that I harbour any feeling of disrespect for him.

25. Last, but not the least - I believe in the usage of basic courtesies like "Please." and "Thank you.". 

---

Got anything to say about me? Feel free to add.