Friday, July 25, 2008
Blessings!
Bless the roads my father walks on!
So pavements are smooth and traffic slow.
And every turn that he takes
is to home.
Bless the people on the roads!
so they turn and look ,
and smile and nod as he goes.
Bless the doors of my mothers home!
Through which naught else ,
but light and love flows.
Bless the people around my parents home !
so they are watchful
of their neighbours who are old.
Bless my parent's daughters,
their husbands and their children-
by blood and law!
So they can love from deep within
and forgive each others flaws.
Bless my parents in their sunset years!
so they can cherish their love's labour
and be with peace and calm.
( I was deeply dissappointed when my old parents chose to continue living independently, despite my husband and my earnest pleas that it was now time for us to serve them.Both of us deeply believed, and still do, that we could offer them a more comfortable and safe life with us , and also perhaps more happiness.
For a long time I could not understand my mothers refusal- even though I know it is ultimately Gods will that prevails. Why was I not accepting Gods will?
This morning I read in TOI about Irish Blessings- the Celtic tradition of Ireland , Scotland and Wales . It said that blessing is a spiritual act where we acknowledge and remind the ones who are blessed of the connection between them and divine.The author ,Marguerite Theophil says " The true beauty of blessing is how it affects everything-by the fact that we live we are blessed;we have the power to bless others and they reflect love back to us . In the very act of blessing we are blessed".
On a sudden inspiration I wrote the above Blessing for my parents . I am already feeling more at peace . People who know me will understand more clearly that each line in the "Blessings "that I have written points to the very reason why I want my parents to live with their children now.)
So pavements are smooth and traffic slow.
And every turn that he takes
is to home.
Bless the people on the roads!
so they turn and look ,
and smile and nod as he goes.
Bless the doors of my mothers home!
Through which naught else ,
but light and love flows.
Bless the people around my parents home !
so they are watchful
of their neighbours who are old.
Bless my parent's daughters,
their husbands and their children-
by blood and law!
So they can love from deep within
and forgive each others flaws.
Bless my parents in their sunset years!
so they can cherish their love's labour
and be with peace and calm.
( I was deeply dissappointed when my old parents chose to continue living independently, despite my husband and my earnest pleas that it was now time for us to serve them.Both of us deeply believed, and still do, that we could offer them a more comfortable and safe life with us , and also perhaps more happiness.
For a long time I could not understand my mothers refusal- even though I know it is ultimately Gods will that prevails. Why was I not accepting Gods will?
This morning I read in TOI about Irish Blessings- the Celtic tradition of Ireland , Scotland and Wales . It said that blessing is a spiritual act where we acknowledge and remind the ones who are blessed of the connection between them and divine.The author ,Marguerite Theophil says " The true beauty of blessing is how it affects everything-by the fact that we live we are blessed;we have the power to bless others and they reflect love back to us . In the very act of blessing we are blessed".
On a sudden inspiration I wrote the above Blessing for my parents . I am already feeling more at peace . People who know me will understand more clearly that each line in the "Blessings "that I have written points to the very reason why I want my parents to live with their children now.)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Verses for my very dear Dipu
Should I wait?
Will my words cause pain?
No this is not the aim.
In its place
I pray for grace,
to touch your life
in every way.
Nay ! just take -
Its every where.
Have faith!
for truth is there
for all to see.
Be Aware.
I await to see
the cheer on your face.
Rest my friend
Sleep deep!
so deep , you reach
your first year
on earth.
When all rejoiced ,
for you shone so bright
and all knew
its Gods light.
Then wake up
New!
And the river flows
There is no last
no middle , no first.
just this .
A point where old and new join.
Same love,
in new places
new faces and spaces.
There is no pain,
but incessant rain of change.
Be strong with us .
O friend
Welcome home.
(And Dipu I wrote this haiku for you a long time ago when I was going through a bad patch)
Your words combed
my tangled thoughts
then poured
down the slopes
and I rested
as if after
a warm
oil bath.
.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The Spirit and old age
Old age is the balance sheet of how we have lived, loved ,resolved and evolved. When the body is frail and sick, kith and kin far away,the environment unfit and unsafe; it is our spirit that keeps us " whole".
Spirit is that part of us which is God, and its nature is pure, pristine, emanant, and self sustaining.It does need nourishment from a job , status, money, or those hundreds of things we hanker for all our life---- and because it does not ask for anything, has no wants , it lies often undiscovered and ignored within us. Often under a heap of hurts and grudges that we accumulate through life.
In old age when the body is weak and cannot stand on its own,the props of material life have gone away , and number of friends and relatives decresae every year ,then it is the spirit that holds us.
And thus :
I pray for myself and on behalf of all humanity : "God ! guide me to take all those steps today , that keeps my spirit pure and strong , so that in my old age it is fully revealed and holds me in splendour."
amen
Spirit is that part of us which is God, and its nature is pure, pristine, emanant, and self sustaining.It does need nourishment from a job , status, money, or those hundreds of things we hanker for all our life---- and because it does not ask for anything, has no wants , it lies often undiscovered and ignored within us. Often under a heap of hurts and grudges that we accumulate through life.
In old age when the body is weak and cannot stand on its own,the props of material life have gone away , and number of friends and relatives decresae every year ,then it is the spirit that holds us.
And thus :
I pray for myself and on behalf of all humanity : "God ! guide me to take all those steps today , that keeps my spirit pure and strong , so that in my old age it is fully revealed and holds me in splendour."
amen
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Slanting Rays
Every day we meet
on this table , to dine.
In bed we sleep
together, on each side.
In sleep you touch
to caress my face,
But not when I am
wide awake.
You ask why?
I do not reciprocate
But when asleep,
How can I?
You write mail
to communicate,
but remain quiet
when face to face.
Your pain?
mine?
ours?
all pain is same?
Our hair is grey
Let us say grace.
With your hand in mine
it is thanks giving time.
Though there were thorns,
the nest was warm.
See how they have grown
tall and strong.
They stand together
like pillar and beam ,
for us to lean ,
and sleep beneath.
At the dawn of love
we remained unawake
and later the glare
was hard to bear.
Now , in evening
the air is balmy
come let us rest
it is home coming.
on this table , to dine.
In bed we sleep
together, on each side.
In sleep you touch
to caress my face,
But not when I am
wide awake.
You ask why?
I do not reciprocate
But when asleep,
How can I?
You write mail
to communicate,
but remain quiet
when face to face.
Your pain?
mine?
ours?
all pain is same?
Our hair is grey
Let us say grace.
With your hand in mine
it is thanks giving time.
Though there were thorns,
the nest was warm.
See how they have grown
tall and strong.
They stand together
like pillar and beam ,
for us to lean ,
and sleep beneath.
At the dawn of love
we remained unawake
and later the glare
was hard to bear.
Now , in evening
the air is balmy
come let us rest
it is home coming.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Joy of Living
All street children look busy, energetic and happy. You have to just observe their behaviour on traffic signals where most of them are- selling , begging or just hanging around. Even the most forlorn looking one will break into a smile if you make eye contact and look long enough.
But this child was different -did not have the " happy go lucky" demeanour of a street child. With a bag on his shoulders he had a cultivated appearance ; but he was crying - silently to himself. I was standing outside a multiplex near the main road waiting for my car to pick me when I saw him standing near by.
Unable to ignore , I moved closer and asked him what was wrong.
It was a book that he needed to buy and he had no money. The school teacher had warned him of dire consequences if he did not bring the book to school the next day .Looking at the disbelief on my face he opened his bag and showed me his class exercise books. I found he was a student of class six and exceptionally good in his school work.
He told me initially he was in a school meant for poor children but because of his good grades he was nominated to a bigger English medium school where the fees were not charged but he had to pay for the books. I found the boy could speak English well.
Encouraged by my interest and the appreciation that must have shown on my face he asked if I could give him eighty rupees for the book. He quickly added that his father was a watchman in a building across the road and he could take me there to prove he was not lying.
I gave the child eighty rupees , more because of the impression he had made on me and less due to pity. He thanked me profusely and promised to study well and had happiness writ on his face.
I was about to go when he tugged my hand and with a gleam in the eyes asked if I could give him twenty rupees more. Pointing towards Mc Donald's he told me he had never gone inside and really wanted to eat something from there . He had also found out that the cheapest item in Mc Donald's was for twenty rupees.
As if hypnotised I gave him another twenty rupees and and saw him run inside McDonald's . He was out in five minutes with a burger in his hand , and seeing me still standing came running and pressed a five rupee coin in my palm. He said " It cost only fifteen rupees" and ran away before I could say anything.
I stood there - looking after him---for how long I don't know ---- wondering where my car was ----it was hot , the pollution was unbearable ----
But this child was different -did not have the " happy go lucky" demeanour of a street child. With a bag on his shoulders he had a cultivated appearance ; but he was crying - silently to himself. I was standing outside a multiplex near the main road waiting for my car to pick me when I saw him standing near by.
Unable to ignore , I moved closer and asked him what was wrong.
It was a book that he needed to buy and he had no money. The school teacher had warned him of dire consequences if he did not bring the book to school the next day .Looking at the disbelief on my face he opened his bag and showed me his class exercise books. I found he was a student of class six and exceptionally good in his school work.
He told me initially he was in a school meant for poor children but because of his good grades he was nominated to a bigger English medium school where the fees were not charged but he had to pay for the books. I found the boy could speak English well.
Encouraged by my interest and the appreciation that must have shown on my face he asked if I could give him eighty rupees for the book. He quickly added that his father was a watchman in a building across the road and he could take me there to prove he was not lying.
I gave the child eighty rupees , more because of the impression he had made on me and less due to pity. He thanked me profusely and promised to study well and had happiness writ on his face.
I was about to go when he tugged my hand and with a gleam in the eyes asked if I could give him twenty rupees more. Pointing towards Mc Donald's he told me he had never gone inside and really wanted to eat something from there . He had also found out that the cheapest item in Mc Donald's was for twenty rupees.
As if hypnotised I gave him another twenty rupees and and saw him run inside McDonald's . He was out in five minutes with a burger in his hand , and seeing me still standing came running and pressed a five rupee coin in my palm. He said " It cost only fifteen rupees" and ran away before I could say anything.
I stood there - looking after him---for how long I don't know ---- wondering where my car was ----it was hot , the pollution was unbearable ----
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