OCHRE - OSI Prompt

Added on 29.06.10

Ochre Spilled..

A cluster of dark clouds
Teased and grilled
Oh, dear, dear! Rainbow cried
And lo! Ochre spilled..

*****

Ah! Bodily Desires...

Spirit hovers around
Somewhere afar
Quietly gathering all the dust
Hey, bury the body deep
Under the layers of ochre
Let it not rust..

*****

Original Sunday Post

When I visited the OSI page yesterday night, I got inspired to try writing something not only using 'Ochre' but also all the other prompts from the time I got acquainted with this wonderful source of inspiration..hope you will find it interesting..do let me know if I succeeded in this effortless endeavor..

An Ounce of Melted Ochre

Wasn’t it me sitting cringed
In a darker corner
Of an oubliette
In my own inner space
Created out of imaginary walls
Behind which the light hid
Without giving cognizance
To all that surrrounded me
As I thought of seeking help
From the waxed wings of Icarus
To take a flight
From that opening
Where mind was open
Just a little enough
To float through
And reaching out to
A newer dawn, where
Love reigned
I did not find my thoughts
Trembling with fear
No fissures appeared in my resolve
I knew from the core of my heart
That the newer world would be
A Stranger, an enigma
Wearing an invisible mask
For my untouched spirit
That craved to get insulated
Against rust of impurity and ignorance..
Will a coating of
An ounce of melted Ochre be enough
Only if I can know
I would seek God’s soothing hands
For a smooth healing touch
Yes, One thing is certain
God always willingly joins
In any effort being made
To make the spirit spotless
Even if one is vicariously tilted
Towards the world that beckons..

*******

God's Gift to be Savored..

Under normal circumstances
I should have found
My days very long
But having lost
In the world of
Luminous words
Glowing in the light
Of discerning minds
and pious souls
I don’t even notice
The fall of night
As it quietly melts away
Giving way to a new refreshing Dawn,
Another shimmering day begins
To experience, to think
And to write and to share
Ah! God's gift to be savored..

Ah! HOPE Stands Smiling ( OSI Prompt DAWN)

I am back from my native where the factory of my in-laws was completely devastated by fire.. Had been wondering what could be the cause for such a tragedy that befell upon them.. the fire took away every thing, mercifully, without any injury to any human being.. Well, while travelling back had been thinking.. and here are my thoughts.. as I pray for them to come back stronger and better..


Ah! HOPE Stands Smiling

Emanating from nowhere
A tiny spark fell upon a roll of wool
Simmering,
And then turning into a flame
Flame into a blazing fire
Engulfing in its fury
The glorious past of the creator
Beautiful present of the dreamers
Millions of dreams of the new

Ah! With one stroke of hand
God had wiped out shimmering footprints
And shining symbols of decades
Of unrelenting efforts
As everyone watched helplessly
Searching for one hint of hope
In the blackness of the ashes
Scattered all around…
Tears and tears and tears flowed.. why?

A doting father
Purveys brush and myriad colors
To his child encouraging him to
Paint a masterpiece
With all his raw talent and abilities..
Putting all his heart and thought
In each stroke of brush
And using all the sublime colors
Child creates a beautiful picture

But alas! Father isn't happy
Wipes it all
With one stroke of hand
Asking him to start afresh
With greater zeal and imagination
Creating something more meaningful
Befitting to the talent bestowed
The child stands dazed, wondering…
Yet determinedly lifting the brush again..

Yes, now it all appears simple
God didn’t like what was created
So used fire as an excuse
To take all that away
Leaving behind an untouched
Indomitable spirit
Commanding to transform the blackness
Of the darkened night
Into a fresh glorious DAWN..

Yes, HOPE stood smiling
Seeking the first steps
Towards a restart, a fresh start…
And lo! First steps have been taken
Yes, I heard the sounds of a machine
From behind those huge heaps of ashes
A corner has survived the wrath
God left a piece of shining canvas
For a new painting to emerge..

..

Oubliette OSI Prompt # 120

Ah, So Much Unlike An Oubliette

Flashes of memories
From thousands of years ago
Often whisper in my ears, telling
A forgone tale
Of my annihilation
Punished for thinking different
Unwilling to follow the flock
Chained, bruised
Completely devastated
I was thrown in an oubliette
Condemned for eternity
Or so my captors thought
Could those peevish souls
Hold me there forever
No, they couldn’t
And I returned, renewed
In a fresh, new form
To this beautiful world of ours,
Journey into years
And I find nothing much has changed
Only the oubliette has been created
In darkened alleys
Of the conforming minds
Where the radical’s
Unacceptable form stands frozen
But the ‘radical' in me always knew
That he could invent
A different world and lo, he did it
Here I am absolutely free
Free to express, free to share
Living & enjoying a delightful life
Writing my poems
Commenting on yours
Willing to be a captive
In your heart
I won’t mind spending
A few millenniums there
For I know
It will be luminous and warm
Ah, so much unlike an Oubliette..
I have always wondered
Can the enlightened
Be forever kept away from the light
That stems from the source within
Will the ignorant ever understand..

LIPS

I found my childhood friend Pradeep Dhanda through the world of internet after about 25 years.. He had been vey nice to introduce his little daughter Vibha by sending the following poem written by her.. I am sure you will appreciate and enjoy her poem..


LIPS!

They move, they groove,
They pout, they shout,
They talk, they walk,
They blab, they dab,
They eat, they meet,
They sip, they're
Lips!

VIBHAA DHANDA (12)

Well done Vibha.. keep writing.. God bless!

Realisation?

To win him over for a while
I gave him a big false smile
My smile faded as I realized, alas!
My whole being had become false.

Here's sharing my thoughts that prompted the above lines:

It all starts perhaps when we enter into adolescence leaving behind a pure and pious childhood. We start understanding and differentiating between important, lesser important and absolutely unimportant people in our lives. And we are told, by our elders that always be in good books of important people. So at that age as told by our elders we try to keep some of other important elders happy. Whenever we meet any such people, we try to give a feeling that they are liked , admired and respected too. We compromise on our own standards. Sometimes we don’t say what exactly we feel. We exchange false smiles which do not have their roots in our heart or soul but stem from the mind. And it becomes a habit as the years pass-by. We slowly succeed in growing a mask over our faces so that none can recognize our true-self. Thicker the mask, the bigger is the smile on face. Trouble is that the gesture remains the same even when one stands in front of the mirror.

******

The Footprints of Illusion..

Very serene and quiet
Green spread all around
And I felt thirsty,
Eyes wandered
Couldn’t find a drop of water

That’s when from the other side
Of my mind, desert called out
With eyes gleaming in hope
I blindly followed
The footprints of an illusion..

Ah! To find each other again ..

Years of craving and a deep hunger
I only wanted to be understood
Is it asking for too much..

And today I experience a joy, a thrill
Stemming from the knowledge, that
This space attracts discerning minds

I know you will understand me
And you know I will; quietly we will slip
Into the darkness of night, each night

Without carrying any burden
Willing to wake up for another day
Ah! To find each other again

Aren't you all with me, friends..

I Heard Icarus Laughing…

OSI Prompt  # 119 ICARUS

I Heard Icarus Laughing…

 Absolutely on the edge
I was ready t o fly
Flapping my wings
of confidence
Grown over years of
Struggle and effort
As the vast space
Beckoned to take a plunge
Yet, innocent in me
Waited for a push, a blessing,
From a debonair
When suddenly hit by
An unseen force
I found myself swallowed
By complete darkness
With my feet tied, wings clipped
I was left on the cliff
To deteriorate, rust and
Slowly become part of the dust
But then, whatever those forces
Had Missed snuffing out
The light that burnt brightly
In my inner space
Thankfully, the draconian had failed
To recognise the glow..
And the luminosity that stemmed
Helped me lift my spirits
Emboldening me
To grow & nurture
Stronger , indestructible wings
This one time, one last time
Yes, I was being reborn
To renew my long stretched struggle
Far deeper so as to carve
A destiny studded
By a brighter future..
Yet a lingering thought stayed
Only if I were Icarus
And had a Daedalus to bestow me
Once more with wings and feathers
I would have flown
Keeping distance
From the blazing Sun
But mind rebuked and reminded,
“Hey, aren’t you reborn..
Haven’t you learnt your lessons?”
And I knew..I had already
Embarked upon the journey…
And after years of rebuilding
Of rejuvenation
I moved forward, took a plunge
This time without waiting,
As I flew,
I heard Icarus laughing
Perhaps he thought,
I would meet his fate
Alas! He was unaware that
No Sun could ever burn
My wings any more
No unseen draconian force
Could clip them
For I had grown
Stronger and imperishable
WINGS OF THOUGHTS,
As the endless space
Awaited to get explored..
And somewhere
At a distance I could see
My destiny smiling..

cuddled in smooth
Hands of a happier future…

RS :)


Thank you, God, for letting it flow.... oh, it feels light...ahhhhhhhh!!!

Our Photo of Seventh Standard..

First a special slogan created for Environment Day..


Save Trees


Enduring weathers, brave trees
Yes, life matters , save trees!



*****

Our Photo of Seventh Standard..


A black and white photograph
Slipped out of
My old photo album
From the days when
We didn’t have the luxury of colours..

It was a group photograph
And I spotted myself instantly
Sitting in the corner
Next to a quiet girl who sat cringed
In her unshaped feelings, wondering..
Classmates from seventh standard
Faces glowing and smiling, naturally
Ever so closer, and I became
Nostalgic remembering the
Days of gay abandon
No layers of meanness in between,
Yes, those were the times of teams
And groups which prayed, ate and
Stayed together
Today, I crave for same camaraderie
Oh, it remains illusive
Group photographs
Standing and sitting together
Have become rarer
For the inflated egos
Choose to stand apart
And if incidentally the shoulders
Get rubbed and someone wants to click
Smile too gets inflated like egos
The only real thing that
Comes out is the color
And the paper of the photograph..

But then our photo of Seventh Standard
Exuded truth of a pure, unadulterated
And egoless world, which is almost extinct
Perhaps we need to start
Celebrating an ‘Inner Environment Day’




*****