Frozen Memories

In the photographs –
Not just the time freezes
Memories too;
If you look closely at the picture,
You could sense the naked emotions of the people in it;
Perhaps the emotions of the photographer too…
Desperate to capture the moment,
A moment – a happy one or one that need not be lived again,
A moment that can never be revisited,
A moment that was taken ever so lightly - until years later
When you look at the photograph -
You remember the years that have gone by;

Remember the dog that you thought you cannot live without,
A friend that you thought who will always remain in touch with,
Now only beaming at you from the picture you are holding in your hand,
Parents who you took for granted believing they will always be with you,
A child who you assumed would never grow old,
A house that you thought you would always live-in,
A bicycle you believed would take you wherever you want to,
The one eyed teddy bear that you hugged tight every day and kissed good night,
The lop-sided but heartfelt smile you believed you would always have,
Life that you held to be intact, not anymore;

Fixing your gaze on the pictures
You remember all -
With tear filled wrinkled eyes,
You smile the lop sided smile one last time,
Before you put the photographs away – you know
Life moves on, but memories live
Frozen in time yet alive,
Either in albums that is tucked away in a shelf or
As frames on the old wall,
Where they will remain waiting to be looked at –
One more time,
Just one more time –
For a smile through tear filled eyes.

People come, People go...

Every day in your life, you meet people everywhere. You meet them when you go to office, when you go to a nearby restaurant to have your meal with a friend or a colleague, when you go to the supermarket, when you go to get gas, or even when you simply take a stroll in the road. Everywhere!

Some of them you smile at, some of them you wave at, some of them you stop to say hello and some you walk by ignoring them completely like they never exist.

Some of them you pat their back, some of them you let pat your back, some of them you say cheers with, some of them you fight with.

Some of them you make friends with, some of them you take advantage of, some of them you let take you for a ride, some of them you let down.

Some of them you like but never talk to, some of them you dislike but put up with, some of them you never care for.

One of them you hold hands with, that one person you let your guard down, that one person you decide to grow old with.

Too many of them you stop talking to because you don’t have the time, too many of them stop calling because they don’t have the time.

Sooner or later you will realize life is not worth it without people you care about in it, so some of them you start being in touch with again to revive what is lost.

Some of them you gain back and become conscious of what you missed.

Years will roll by…

Some of them you will lose as they pass into an eternal sleep, of which few of them you will mourn till it is your time to sleep.

The remaining few days you will sit by the patio, and realize the essence of all our lives:

People come, People go!

I kissed my Soul

I was thrilled. When experiencing new things/events, I get a buzz so high that nothing can ever match the feeling. You could imagine my excitement when I say I was going to experience two spectacular things on the same day.

For days together, I looked forward to it. And after what seemed like an eternity, D day came. After a ‘fabulous’ two days at Vegas, we drove down to Grand Canyon of what was going to become one of the most cherished moments of my life. After a not-so-strenuous drive we arrived at our destination.

We were to take a helicopter ride over the canyon, I couldn't’t wait. After watching the two minute video on safety precautions, I wandered restlessly around the gift shop waiting for them to call me to board. My husband unlike me is the patient one; he waited at the lounge with our cousin and friend to be called.

After a little while, a friendly Mexican spat out our names with great difficulty, then buckled the deflated life jacket around my waist just in case! Followed by a quick photo opportunity in front of our to-be helicopter and thirty minute wait with a happy Brazilian couple, we were on board. News is I got to sit in the front next to the pilot, jackpot! There is no place else in the helicopter where you could get the unobstructed view of the canyon.

Only after a couple of seconds of taking off, we could already see the rim of the canyon, as we neared…

I GASPED.

I was transfixed by the vastness, grandeur and the silence of the canyon. For a few moments, I sat there with my mouth open gaping at it trying to comprehend what I was seeing, the formations that took billions of years to be what it is today.

Stories about the origin of the Canyon are many. Every tribe that ever made Canyon their home has their own legendary heroes and gods that gave canyon its splendor. There were/is stories about gold and gems and all that is valuable hidden in one of the many caverns in the Canyon, there were/are pursuers who were relentless in their search to find them and in the process sadly even gave their life to what in large seems like a myth. Besides the vastness, the mystery that surrounds the great canyon adds drama to the experience.

It was not until I set my eyes on the canyon I knew what platonic love meant. Music poured, heart was tangled in a web trying to make sense of the unknown. In the presence of such splendor, I wished to unlearn all that I learnt over the years making space for something that sans everything I knew until that moment. I remembered something I read: To not endure is to end in despair. I wished to continue the ride, a journey of no-return, keeping company the waning moon and pass into mere oblivion and be what Dyer – the poet said: My mind to me a kingdom is.

It is humanly impossible to write/capture the essence of the Canyon, but it is true that when I was there flying above the canyon, all the reasons of the world seemed trivial almost non-existent. I still see them, even hear them.

I will forever remember that day, because while gawking at the beauty of Canyon, I KISSED MY SOUL.

In the Woods

Woke up from a deep slumber,
Treading softly to the patio,
Eager to see what marvel waits today in the woods,
The sun was slowly rising – greeted by
Chirping birds, cawing crows, buzzing insects
And singing myna in the distant;
Trees were still, leaves too,
Silently standing there welcoming the rays of sun,
Like a friend always have;
Misty mountains looked serene,
I sat there motionless gazing at them,
With a cup of hot coffee as my companion fighting the cold wind,
Even the steam that arose from the cup was soothing,
Unspoken words of the woods was simple,
Life back in the concrete jungle seemed insignificant -
Bordering on illusion,
Just the thought of the metropolis brought
Blaring noise in my mind,
I stopped thinking – welcoming the silence of the mind
And tranquility of the woods,
Just here I will remain as I intend to.

Choices

As I lay there eyes closed, mind open
Looking back at all the years that have fallen behind me
Musing over the memories – of being high and low
Vividly remembering the infinite options – some taken
But repenting none;
There was always a way I learnt
A lesson that I valued more than life itself –
For that is what is life is about,
Knowing it doesn’t have to be superficial,
That there is always a choice –
A choice that will make all the difference.

One got to be either a theologian or a philosopher to be accepted - One can never have liberal thoughts and worse still share it with someone - I am fairly sure the person who lives by his/her values regardless of what the society thinks is never appreciated - but I wonder if it matters at all.

Reality

Examine your presuppositions,
It may just be a delusion of consciousness;
Very often than not,
Reality is never real!