Dreaming of the Hero...

Uchiha Sasuke ~ courtesy dA

Take me to that secret place
that only you know of,
with heroes and magic unknown.

For on your face is written,
a thousand fairy tales, and
songs of mermaids lone.

Your voice rings out, like
the church bells in morning.
Clear and resonant, like
salvation songs in offering.

In your eyes I can catch, a
glimpse of the clear April sky.
They unshackle my soul,
unbound and free to fly.

The blade that you bear,
slays demons of the deep.
Slashing through my darkness,
conquering vices that sleep.

I know you so well, by
the fragrance of your skin;
That lingers on, even in
the absence of your being.

Who are you?
O, where are you?
Won't you tell me your name?
And take me away ~

Take me to that secret place
that only you know of,
with heroes and magic unknown.

For on your face is written
a thousand fairy tales, and
songs of mermaids lone.

The first drops

There always are and will be things that we don't like -about places that we don't fancy... I happen to be in such a city right now. I don't like this place, its people, the weather and the all in all the whole package. Having said that I cant help but feel that no matter how dreary a place is, there are very places on Earth where a long awaited shower doesn't have a transforming effect.

And so it rained here for the very first time since I have arrived, the dust of the city that is so notorious has settled down as if it has been soothed and put to sleep. A gentle breeze blows and the noisy neighborhood seems spellbound by this sudden shower... After it ceased, I went up to the terrace with a cup of tea. Little drops of unsuspecting raindrops were still making their presence felt... They fall into my tea cup...raindrops mingled with the red amber colored liquid and it tastes like the elixir of life...

The sky is fast darkening with the cover of night enveloping him... A few playful bats flit about above my head (it is the 4th floor terrace), looking for fresh bugs after the sudden respite. Against the gray sky a lively lit up jet plane zooms by like a toy one...noiselessly. It looks like a futuristic taxi cab! Everyone seems to have fallen quiet too. Only the occasional cries of playing children reach me from the lanes below. And I wonder about this new found serenity in this place, there is almost a sense of inconspicuous beauty about this place today... this very place which seemed ugly and dull and harsh just the day before or in the morning itself... The grime and oil spills from vehicles have been washed off the street and swirling down with the rain water rushing along the storm drains, they reflect a myriad bouquet of colours.... liquid rainbows in the drain.

 

A few more tiny bats have joined the airborne acrobatics troop over my head.... I stayed a while longer, covered up against the chilly breeze, drawing warmth from my tea cup with my palms. An elderly couple walks down the now empty, lanes below. It is drizzling and she has lovingly shared her dupatta with her partner... they walk away quietly. Some moments are best shared in silence... As I sat there I realized that one cannot really call off a place as 'god forsaken' until you have seen it transform under a passionate outpour. I DO LOVE THE INDIAN MONSOON..... and its finally here!! ^_^

Lumps of Coal

Once in a while, it so happens that we stop and question all the things that are happening in our lives... and most of the times, it so happens that such times are bad times, times of trial and apparent misery. Great thinkers and philosophers have often said time and again, that everything happens for a reason and that if you look closely, there is a blessing disguised in every sorrow... 

Now, I can't possibly apply it to situations pertaining to great loss like death, but I certainly can relate it to lesser situations. Situations where I feel, things have gone wrong inspite of my giving it my best, doing it with the best of intentions. Situations where I feel I  had worked in vain, that it would have been better not to have tried at all or not to have had the desire to try even... But life really can't be like that, can it? What good are your dreams if you dare not take it out of its envelope of sleep and into the daylight of the waking world, what good are your resources if you do not put them to use.. what good is your time if you do not invest it in something?

The world is not perfect and so in an imperfect world, it is foolish to have the vision of the fruits of our labour precipitating perfectly. I find a grand revelation and a sense of solace in the words 'ichha matram avidya' - I have no idea of its exact origin but I read it in a spiritual text once. It means that to have a desire of things beyond your control is to live in darkness. It perfectly relates to the words of bhagwad gita which says 'karm karo phal ki chinta mat karo'. True enough, I cannot control the fruits of my action beyond ensuring that what I did was in the best of interests and completed with my best effort. Time and fate may mould even the best of my deeds into a bitter and sour fruit... 

The greatest ability of an individual then lies in the fact that he/she accepts it as being 'karm phal', the fruits of a past life or action which we cannot recall. When this acceptance is made out of love and a firm belief in God, one begins to see the good points hidden in even the messiest of situations, like one finds pieces of unpolished diamonds in lumps of coal... When we take out these pieces of experiences and polish them with the edge of our consciousness, there emerges pieces of valuable and precious jewels that shine brightly and light up our mind-scape...

---

Everything that happens, happens for a reason... and I believe something that I read once, that when you do not feel God walking beside you in trying times, it is because he is carrying you in his arms...

In the madding crowd

A blind man gets down from the bus. He wears the cover of night over his eyes, a stick in hand. He is young... guided by a woman of around the same age, he finds his way through the crowd. As I passed them, I noticed he was also wearing something else....a faint smile on his face. 

There was a definite cover of subtle vibrations enveloping them.... the love for a kindred soul or perhaps a soulmate? I know not of the relation between those two who stood out amongst a senseless crowd. One, blissful, in his lack of visual awareness of the world; the other too busy to guide to mind the passing world.

Whatever the karma between them... I was left with a touch of gentle strands of a beautiful feeling clinging to me.

.....

The Hero

We live in a world without Superheroes, but in a world that is just like the world that they live in, in children's books and stories. In a world where fate works in mysterious ways, where destiny and freewill remain shrouded in a translucent veil, in half light and shadow of their own, and where second chances are rare and welcome.

What is a hero? Who is he?

Is he an extraordinary being, who is beyond pain, beyond sorrow... beyond human weaknesses and human failings, beyond pain? I do not think so... because if he doesn't have any human weakness how will he understand the pain of others which is caused by those very weaknesses. And if he cannot recognize them, how will he deliver us, deliver humanity from that yawning chasm.

No... A hero is a being who feels all human pain sorrow, fear, but he is one who can also overcome the weakness and hurt caused by them.

He is someone who can love us when we deserve it the least, he can endure the harshest of our rejections and can still accept us when we call out to him, he can persevere in the face of overwhelming obstacles and thus Persist!

He believes in the power of faith and the miracle of love and compassion. He is generous, for he gives the gift of himself to us. Yes, he is very human... its just that he chooses to overcome his weaknesses and fortify his strengths.

He believes in the the of life over death, of truth over untruth, of happiness over sorrow, of good over evil and of love over hatred. His beliefs are his principles and he lives by them. Perhaps that is why we idolize him and love him. Our love may be wavering, unsure and unsteady but he loves us still... for his love is capacious, steady and stable and he knows his heart.

He fights our evils, our nemesis, protects our identity, gives us courage to go forward, gives us strength, gives us hope, keeps us honest and helps us to live our lives out in happiness and finally when it is time to go, he allows us to pass on peacefully with an untainted heart free of any trace of remorse or regret.

So even when, even if, the hero is defeated by forces beyond his or our control, we know that in his defeat, He is still greater than what defeated Him. He lives in the depths of each and every soul, and we feel his presence in every little act of random kindness and miracles of goodwill around us...

(P.S. - I do love Manga art heroes)

The Needle in the Haystack

I had always felt that the idea of believing in soul-mates is enchantingly dreamy and romantic on one hand and fraught with peril and suicidal on the other hand. If you can see what I'm trying to say here, you probably know what this piece is about. So paradoxical and full of contradictions and 'what ifs' is this particular belief that I think there are fewer emotional chasms that are so so frightfully difficult to get out of, once you have fallen in it; than this one - belief in the existence of soul-mates. That someone out there is made for you and fits you like the glass shoe fits Cinderella.

.....

The idea of believing in soul-mates is terrifying. It means that in a single lifetime, there is only one individual, one soul out there; who will be to you as syrup is to your breakfast pancakes!

That human being who can by his/her existence and mere thoughts/memories, brighten up your room, your day, your mind-scape and your life henceforth. So what is so terrifying about this seemingly harmless and endearingly charming belief...?? 

I think it is the possibility that out of the teeming millions on this planet, you have got only about, roughly 25 years to find this soul-mate of yours, if you want to spend the larger part of your life basking in bliss.

Well, to make things even more trying... Considering that your wandering bee of a heart has found its pot of honey; a.k.a - your soul-mate (seemingly so), what then? How can you be sure... be 100% sure? At such times one cannot help but feel - if only soul-mates came with flashing neon signs which would would say '.....'s soulmate' floating above their heads.

So how can you be sure...?

Maybe I can help here. You see, I think I can be bold and valiant enough to say that I have found the one for me... So let me take you down the memory lane for a little while to prove my point.

Do you remember the time, when as a kid you wanted to go play in the rain, in the grass, in the mud and the grown ups all refused to let you go because you would get dirty and probably a little itchy. But you knew in the bottom of your heart that it would feel great and that the itchiness would not matter as it would go away after a hot shower anyway! 

I think finding your soul-mate is like that. You get that feeling at the bottom of your gut... It begins with a vague sense of familiarity... of second, third and fourth glances. And you know suddenly, that it is the feeling you used to get, when you wanted to go play in the rain... You knew it would be great even if everyone else told you otherwise.

Then comes the feeling of looking into a mirror and seeing a reflection of yourself with a few added things thrown in or replaced with other stuff/traits/characteristics and maybe both... yet the essence of it is the same. And in your mind a voice says 'hey... I know this person'. Be patient though... It might take the other party some time to realize that he/she is looking into a mirror too.

Yes, that is what I believe. You have to get down and get your hands and feet dirty, take off your ego, like kids take off their tee's in the rain and play it out honestly in the sport of a lifetime.

I have got to say... that if you have made it this far then it is very likely that you will be making it to the end of what will be a wondrous journey indeed.

'The Lovers' - by Lee Bogle 

Now this is probably the cheesiest thing I have ever written but I have found this to be true. Look into those eyes... and if you see a part of yourself looking out of them, ...with familiar secrets, familiar hopes, a familiar past and the hint of a familiar feeling; then you know that you have found your needle in this haystack of a world... The one who mends the holes in your heart, evens out those frayed edges, stitches together the fabric of dreams and holds the seam of life together.