Getting High on the Mountains !

Hello my friends my readers! Am back from my travels! First I was setting up my house in order, then I was going up the mountains and playing golf! In between I changed states, followed elections, two people I knew passed away and one friend FINALLY got married, I attended a few ‘lah di dah’ parties, my kid passed his class to the next class- lower kindergarten. And of course, in between there was the mandatory bomb blast in India, and then one abroad,….. an earthquake, a fire, a celebrity death- Whitney Houston! Hmmmm……..Drugs=Death=Waste of life - Waste of talent.

So, this new year started with a lot of activity and change in general, they are saying it’s a year of a lot of spending and a lot of doom! Hey, that’s the fun of life isn’t it? You haven’t lived if you haven’t lived, I say! And yes, in all this I squeezed in some time to write some fresh poems! So here’s one coming hot from the oven! It’s about the mountains- cool, clean and magnificent. Spring was in the air  with all the colorful blooms on the trees, so I thought why not a fresh poem for all my friends?  The poem was written while looking at the Himalayan peaks of Trishul and Nandadevi- yes, the one some say is the highest point now.

(Have a Look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanda_Devi and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisul )

The poem is not written in a very philosophical tone or in awe, but in a manner very straightforward. I wish to convey the effect of the twists and turns on the mountain road and my destiny which keeps bringing me back to these majestic creations of God ! Enjoy! Gotta go………… my coffee’s getting cold!

The Mountains

Over twisting roads and hairpin bends, will these mountains ever leave me?

Over valleys, waterfalls, lakes and trees, will these mountains ever leave me?

Over bushes and thorny trees, crossing people, cars and birds, will these mountains ever leave me?

Over high roads, white shining peaks , people drinking hot tea and quaint houses, and hardy people with dry wood on their backs, will these mountains ever leave me?

A gush of wind, swaying trees, clapping leaves, as if to bring the sea so high to me, will these mountains ever leave me?

Mellow sunlight, blue skies, sudden rain and sudden frost, will these mountains ever leave me?

Again and again, I traverse through their ways, again and again, all over their sudden twists, dead ends and deep drops,

Again and again, through their villages, narrow lanes and by lanes, again and again, in the distance they wane, and gain and wane and gain, will these mountains ever leave me?

I go to the seven shores, the plains and visit the seven seas, again and again and again, to the ways, I already have known I climb again,

Will these mountains ever leave me?

 

Moments

Hello my friends, my readers! Long time, no write! Well, today I thought I would offer you a poem about all the immeasurable moments in our lives. Get yourself a large mug of coffee with cream if you must, as since I have not written for so long, it might take a while reading!

Well, I am still on vacation! And it’s raining cats and dogs, and I am worried about a flood situation! Not only has the Monsoon set in, we in India faced another one of our yearly routine, of triple bomb blasts which ripped through crowded places and killed a lot of innocent people. And as always, the media is busy and the politicians are doing a lot of blah, blah,( even the statements are getting stale and boring) I am SO tired of hearing the words –‘resilient’, ‘spirit of the people’, ‘the perpetrators will be brought to justice’, ‘US/UN/UK/France condemns the attack’, ’Even we are facing terrorism in our country’, etc, etc, etc.

I, myself, suffered the loss of my grandfather a few days ago, whose health suddenly deteriorated and he breathed his last just a few seconds before I entered the ICU. I was heartbroken that he did not see me coming to meet him, as I thought it was my luck to be in the city on vacation when he was taken ill. I cursed myself as being the worst grandchild in the world, as I left for home. I remembered the whole night all the sweet moments we had shared together , and I dreamt of him smiling at me. But my father then called me the next day, and told me how fortunate I was to not have seen him suffer in the last moments and how I would remember him only as a healthy, happy grandfather. I then felt better, and I let go of him, slowly.

And thus, I realized how life’s moments are precious, and how we have to make the most of them, as you never know what destiny has in store for you in the next moment. Hearing of the bomb blasts and having experienced the loss of a close one, I realized I will have to make each moment of my life count, and not sulk or have any disdain to anyone or for anyone. As I remember from what Mark Antony said, in Shakespear’s classic ,drama ‘Julius Caesar, ’the evil that men do lives after themselves, the good is often intered in the bones’ (this is from memory, kindly check the actual words).

So here is the poem,…… and how about another cup of coffee?

Moment

A moment can last a life time,

A moment can tell all,

A second can be too late,

A glance can make us feel small.

A whisper can say softly, things sweet,

A shout can turn to a brawl,

A touch can cure all sickness,

A hit can make your soul fall.

All we need is a moment,

A moment that says all,

Life goes on and is timeless,

Moments that we cherish and define us,

Are the moments when we make others feel tall.

 Also check out what the Fantastic Cow-Monalisa is up to in her next adventure in My Blog of Short Stories !