The Kite

I went up to the terrace/To look at the view.
I was feeling down.
I needed cheering up, I knew.
Against the blue sky
And the clouds, grey and white,
I found it flying….
A solitary kite.
Not coloured, but black.The string was taut, not slack.
Tethered to realities
That lay on the ground,
It yet soared with hope.
Perhaps it had found
The truth that although
Our moods may be stark
We should reach for the sky…
And find the light in the dark.
I came back downstairs
With a heart that felt light
I’d learnt a good deal
From that soaring kite.

Chandra, and hope

It seems but a few days ago, O Moon,
That I saw you wasting away to nothing.
Yet here you are, sailing serenely in the clouds,
Smiling at the earth, and at those who see you.
When I am troubled, I should think of you:
After waning, you will wax again to fullness,
Bringing the shining light of eternal hope
To us mortals on Earth.

Blood Moon, and Total Lunar Eclipse, 081014

Some images I took, though half asleep:

It was, really, a blood moon:

The moon almost looked like Mars!

Sunset, Fire, and Outer Space, 050414

As we waited for dusk, so that the Slender Lorises would become active, we were treated to the sight of a beautiful sunset.

However, as the sun sank, I watched a villager set fire to the edges of his field:

When I asked him, he said he was burning the Lantana bushes.

I am still not sure why he had to burn them, but the sun and the flames seemed to compete.

It seemed that, along with the fires, the whole sky was aflame:

I watched the fires rage…

I walked away, down the trail, and watched the moon and stars come into their own:

Lovely to see out into space, while waiting to see something in our little world!

The Holi Full Moon

The full moon of

Holi

festival where evil is burnt up…..

She came up when we were visiting our friends.

She rose along the side of the buildings:

She told the children in the playground that it was time to go home:

She looked like a sandal-paste moon:

But later, she looked more prosaic:

The moon in the clouds

Here’s the moon in the clouds.

Or…is it a ghost in shrouds?

Is she a woman heavily veiled?

Or is it just vapour in a trail?

The Bard and the birds

I went to see Twelfth Night at Forest Park.
But it had not yet become dark.
I went to hear some immortal words;
But everywhere I saw the birds.

In the trees of Shakespeare’s Glen,
I saw a little Carolina Wren.
There was a pretty Northern Flicker,
Taking pity upon this clicker.

I looked up and saw two Mourning Doves
Sitting…and watching,…on a wire above.
A family of pretty Kildeer
Came quite near, without too much fear.

Robins and Starlings came to witness the sight
Of a rehearsal of Twelfth Night.
But the biggest fans of the famous Bard
Seemed to be the waddling Mallards!

Several of these ran up eagerly
And, along with the audience, settled to see
A famous play…I’m sure its creator
Never imagined birds watching his theatre!

I’ve put up some of the photos of the birds at the rehearsal of the play…

click here for my FB album

They are the commonest birds imaginable…but they utterly delighted me! Where else can I get Art and Nature together like this, except Forest Park?

Robin

Flicker

Mallards side

Mallards diagonal

Mallards near seats

Mallards near stage

Mallards near audience

Tree sunshine

Cherries

Sunset Trees

Moon leaves

Sunset

Grass

Sunset Leaves

In memory of Akash

My friends Sujata and Ravi Dube’s son Akash passed away exactly a year ago, to leukemia. Akash had fought back spiritedly, and even organized a Terry Fox Run in Chennai. I think he conquered the illness with his outlook.

I made friends with Sharbari Lahiri through Facebook, as a mutual friend. She lives in Ontario, Canada. We’ve become firm friends now..and I’ve been enjoying getting to know her family as well.

In memory of Akash Dube, Daniel Presta, her 16-year-old son, has written this:

AKASH

I am the morning
The sunrise at dawn
A calming reminder
All dark skies are gone

I am a tulip
On a snow-covered hill
A symbol of nature
My presence there still

I am an eagle
Soaring over the fields
My spirit held tightly
My smile it does wield

I am the ocean
So vast and composed
Yet bold and courageous
No fear will I show

I am the watchman
The guardian of dreams
An unafraid leader
With a kind-hearted gleam

I am bright laughter
Pure pleasure and joy
An uplifting man
An inspiring boy

I am the reason
The sun burns so bright
That sadness is shattered
That darkness is light

I am a dreamer
Tears I do not cry
I am a champion
I am the sky

-Daniel Presta

Dresser Island, Missouri: 130413

Will be uploading photos later, but couldn’t resist sharing this video of hundreds of American Pelicans soaring in the sky above the Mississippi:

Phobjikha, Bhutan, 271112…scenery

We see, in Bhutan, a land full of prayer, in the form of wheels and flags that flutter in the breeze:

Perhaps, if we were surrounded by such beauty in the mountains and clouds, we’d send prayers winging up, too. Here are some views:

And, perhaps, benison would come down like the sun’s rays through the clouds….