Kochi: Adrift in Timelessness

I stood on the banks of this shore

Yearning to reach the other shore 

A ferry tempted me to step inside
But a quaint tea stall drew me aside

By the time I finished my tea
Church bells called out to me
Laughter and children's stare
Distracted me from my prayer

I hurried thru the street
In the humid Kerala heat
Making most of my vacation
Clicking pics of my excursions

I stood again on the river shore
Amazed as the light reflected on her floor
I inquired her where does she go?
"Me! It's you who wants to rush for more"

Stunned I sat down beside her
My mind took a dip inside her
Then and only then did I see
River going but yet not going to the sea

Now I saw a dog idling in shade
Ducks gliding thru the glade
Kingfisher sitting on the tree
Sea birds flying free

Now I amble thru the street

In this different Kerala heat!!

Making most of my excursion

By doing NOTHING this vacation

Title Credit : Michael Chandy

Photo Credit : Jibrael Jos

The Invitation by Oriah

An amazing poem by Oriah :: http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com/.
 I have used this in my classes many times as a short play, extempore. This is very similar in "spirit" to Rudyard Kiplings IF ( http://zinginurwings.blogspot.in/2011/06/if-by-rudyard-kipling.html )

It doesn’t interest me

what you do for a living.

I want to know

what you ache for

and if you dare to dream

of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me

how old you are.

I want to know 

if you will risk 

looking like a fool

for love

for your dream

for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me

what planets are 

squaring your moon...

I want to know

if you have touched

the centre of your own sorrow

if you have been opened

by life’s betrayals

or have become shrivelled and closed

from fear of further pain.

I want to know

if you can sit with pain

mine or your own

without moving to hide it

or fade it

or fix it.

I want to know

if you can be with joy

mine or your own

if you can dance with wildness

and let the ecstasy fill you 

to the tips of your fingers and toes

without cautioning us

to be careful

to be realistic

to remember the limitations

of being human.

It doesn’t interest me

if the story you are telling me

is true.

I want to know if you can

disappoint another

to be true to yourself.

If you can bear

the accusation of betrayal

and not betray your own soul.

If you can be faithless

and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty

even when it is not pretty

every day.

And if you can source your own life

from its presence.

I want to know

if you can live with failure

yours and mine

and still stand at the edge of the lake

and shout to the silver of the full moon,

“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me

to know where you live

or how much money you have.

I want to know if you can get up

after the night of grief and despair

weary and bruised to the bone

and do what needs to be done

to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me

who you know

or how you came to be here.

I want to know if you will stand

in the centre of the fire

with me

and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me

where or what or with whom

you have studied.

I want to know 

what sustains you

from the inside

when all else falls away.

I want to know

if you can be alone 

with yourself

and if you truly like

the company you keep

in the empty moments.