Orange Sighs

Little orange flowers littered the wall between the houses one evening. They just lay there like little corpses, unmoving and then, when the winds sighed, they blew away.

We are the Dead. Short hours ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In orange sighs.

Devouring Darkness

Happy Diwali to all of you. If someone could tell me how best to capture the flame with a normal digital camera ( I have a Sony Cybershot W-110), I would me highly obliged. I kept trying for almost an hour, but this was the best I could come up with.

In Immortality's Light,
Darkness dies.

Does the Moon move or Do the Clouds?

The moon, framed between the two hostels was breathtaking as we viewed it standing on the mess lawns. I was initially trying to capture just the moon. Subhash taught me how to frame this one along with the buildings and a bit of the lawn.

Bright with glad mad rapture, fierce with glee,
Laughs the moon, borne on past cloud's o'ertaking
Fast, it seems, as wind or sail can flee.

The Green Stone

One of my favorite earrings. Just got back from dinner and was taking the earring off when I just clicked a pic of it. Then,focal black and white did its magic. Im in love with this pic (yes yes, narcissism). I think I'll make a header of this pic for the blog.

After that evening rain,
I wore earring he gave me
and we bonded our love
With the first kiss.

Such a Long Journey

Took this pic when the bus crossed the railway track. It came out clearer than I expected it would.

A beautiful journey began late one morn
In this special place, not known for such things
It was on that morning on these tracks was born
a love still gives my thoughts wings
I’ll always recall, even now that our time has passed
That pre-destined moment in God’s perfect plan
When through the spring rains, I chose to hold your hand
And my beautiful journey with you, began

Green Leaves

Found these leaves curling up against the wall, in the garden. They seemed brimming with life and playfulness.

The leaves had a wonderful frolic.
They danced to the wind's loud song.
They whirled, and they floated, and swayed.
They nodded their green heads and sang along.

Love

A honey bee perched perfectly on one of those little yellow flowers that look like baby sunflowers.

If I was a flower growing wild and free

All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee.

Pushkar

The first time I went to Pushkar. I was so overwhelmed by the sheer variety of activities that went on within the confines of those narrow roads. A water lorry was bulling its way into a thick crowd of people that were oozing towards the Bramha temple. It seemed like a surreal wave of Indian kitsch.

Multitude, solitude: identical terms,
and interchangeable by the active and fertile poet.
The man who is unable to people his solitude
is equally unable to be alone in a bustling crowd.

The crowded bus

On the way to Pushkar. We boarded this old , rickety bus. The  very colourfully clothed passengers more than made up for it.

The bus never arrived on time. When arrived, it could not take all passengers queued in line, cos it was too packed and crowded like a tin of sardine.

The Cane Chair

A glimpse of stacked cane chairs under the sun, got me whipping my digicam out before the bus could move.

If chairs have but feeling, in holding such charms,

A thrill must have pass'd through your wither'd old arms!
I look'd, and I long'd, and I wish'd in despair;
I wished myself turn'd to a cane-bottom'd chair.

The Green Bottle

I was having a coughing fit in the bus, and there was this kid on the front seat, offering me a bottle of water from between the crevice that the windows and the seat formed.

As the sunlight catches it's lovely
shade of deep green,
It summons a distant memory of a
child, smiling serene.

Brinjals aka Eggplant !

I love Brinjals! And sitting in a farm, relishing fried Brinjal and watching the brinjal produce being sifted through was a wonderful experience indeed on the way to Osiyan.

And my baby cooks her Eggplant,
Bout 19 different ways.
Sometimes I just have it raw with Mayonnaise.

Osian Mata temple

We reached the Osiyan Mata temple at Osiyan - a two hours bike ride from Jodhpur, in the afternoon hours. The sandstone architecture did leave us in awe. A pity indeed that we could not stay until sunset.

To Golden rules and deities

through prayer and song

Show me your strength and faith

ten pillars strong

Spot the Middle Finger?

Motoring a speedboat on the Vembanad lake, I was complaining about how the wind was messing up my hair, how there was too much coconut oil in the food, etc. My cousin pointed out this apt reply to my whining. We could not stop laughing. Almost like God himself was flipping me for whining about 'his own country'.

Blunt eloquent digit—
it points to the sky
I thank god for giving me
everyday to raise here

Row, row, row your boat

They sided their rowboat to let our boat pass. We were heading to the Vembanad lake through one of the many canals. Our resort was on the banks of this canal. We were quite intrigued by the idea of saying ' take left at the 3rd canal on the Vembanad lake, its the fourth house to the right.'

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.

Flowery verse

The green foliage and the bright flowers of Kerala just after the monsoon, bought out the nature freak in me that had gone into hiding living in Bangalore and the deserts of Rajasthan.

Their calypso tones, you know very well;
With petals of exaggerated pride,
And self-confidence, does within them dwell;
For their Latin roots are not brushed aside

Cochin Shipyard

The number of battleships and the ship building yard at Cochin are worth a stop. Take the boat ride out into the yard for a tour of all the ships they have.

A goodly vessel did I then espy
Come like a giant from a haven broad;
And lustily along the bay she strode,
Her tackling rich, and of apparel high.

Waves to Ripples

The ripple smiled - if it could smile

And spoke in softened voice.
`I’ve come ashore this final time.
Because I have no choice.'

Cochin Beach

I wonder where that wave started
Was it from an oceans floor?
Surging upwards through the tides
To end on this rocky shore?

The Tail flower

O were I hovering, a bee, to probe
Deep down within your scented heart, fair flower,
Enfolded by your soft vermilion robe,
Amorous of sweets, for but one perfect hour!

Vembanad lake

There is something about you,
something in your boating rigmarole
something that seems to
surround your rowing pole….

A Purple flower

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
An eternity in an hour

To verdant leaves, or sheltering shade

Not meagre, latent boughs alone, O songs!
(scaly and bare, like eagles' talons,)
But haply for some sunny day (who knows?)
some future spring, some summer--bursting forth...