Awakenings

This is the first poem I ever wrote...

It was just after watching the movie of the same title, starring one my all-time favourites Robert DeNiro. The movie is based on a true story of what happens when long-term comatose patients start waking up after they receive a revolutionary drug.

A poignantly beautiful movie about the fragility of life, it got me thinking about how they must have felt, when they awoke to a 'Whole New World' & where they might have been during all those years of silent vigil.

I don't know why I've been thinking about it today - maybe it has something to do with 'The Year of the Rat' and new beginnings or the fact I will turn 40 this year, or the fact that we are waiting for our Baby to arrive, or all of the above! Or maybe it's just my gut telling me, 2008 - is truly the year of my Awakening!

Awakenings

What is my cage?
If not of bars, of thoughts,
Of words, of dreams.
What is it that keeps me from myself,
If not a cage.

What is it that brings me joy?
Helps me fly, touch the sky.
Keeps me from drowning, keeps me afloat,
A touch of sunlight, a ray of hope.

Where is my soul if not within,
And is my heart in perfect sync?
My mind, it soars,
My eyes, they bore,
Into the future and the past,
Until I am at peace at last.

- Harsha

MUSIC

Music is all around…

In raindrops falling soft and light,
Or thunderstorms, crackling bright,
In the quick march of army boots,
And the low notes of a night owl’s hoot.

In the pitter-patter of little feet,
In the silence of a golden sleep,
Dreams unleash their silent beats,
Music dwells in every heartbeat.

In a baby’s cry and a mother’s sigh,
On quivering lips and mountains high,
In a lover’s song and the temple gong,
Loud and clear, pure and strong.

In the timeless changing of seasons,
And sometimes, for no good reason!
All around us music plays,
In lullabies and ‘Amazing Grace'.

From swaying trees and rustling leaves,
In the trickle of water before the freeze,
Or wafting by on an ocean breeze,
Music brings a sweet release.

Through the gay abandon of letting go,
In the eyes of parents, all aglow,
In the laughter of children and magic of song,
All around us music abounds.

In the maddening chatter of teenage voice,
Where old friends gather and rejoice,
In nostalgic melodies and modern rhymes,
Music takes us, on a journey through time.

In a beautiful dancer’s form and grace,
Music claims eternal space,
Swaying hips and tapping feet,
Moving to the rhythm of soulful beats.

Over and under, inside and out,
Whisper, holler, yell and shout,
Can’t escape it, won’t let go,
Makes spirits sing and passion flow.

In the stillness of morning and calmness of dawn,
Lie infinite beginnings of magical songs.
Conquering boredom, softening thorn,
In every moment, music is born.

- Harsha

'Silent Night'

I sit silent in the night,
Watching the starry skies.
It’s a beautiful still night,
And the world it seems is quietly resting...

But Mother Nature works on...
Softly swaying trees, reaching ever upward to the sky,
Rustling leaves singing songs to the wind,
Sleepy flowers dreaming of a fruitful tomorrow,
Deep roots, drawing their strength from the depths of the earth,
Travelling farther from home each day.
The night brings them no rest...

Far away the stars shine brightly,
Hurling flames of fire into space,
The moon appears calm and serene,
But what do we know of the upheavals on her face?
I spot Mars, but a red dot in the sky,
How far away he is and yet how closely he seems to watch!
The night brings them no rest...

All over the world there is a hush of peace,
Babies sleep while parents watch,
Parents sleep while babies dream,
Until a cry or dream awakes them both,
And starts again their cycle of life.
The night brings them no rest...

The force works silently through the night,
The heartbeat of this sleeping world,
Moving mountains, flooding rivers,
Carrying hope, spreading seeds,
Bringing moonshine and dreamless sleep,
Come morning, it brings us Joy,
New possibilities to enjoy,
Faith and Hope
Grief and Joy

All through the silent night,
This force of LIFE, keeps us alive.

- Harsha

'Father Time'

Sometimes it’s hard to know,
If ‘Time’ is friend or hateful foe.
Racing along when he should walk slow,
Standing still when he needs to flow.

He’s ‘Father’, he’s money,
And sometimes just funny!
Laughing, crying. angry, sad,
And at times, just plain bad.

He has his own energy, walks his own pace,
While men run his awkward race.
Some with passion, some with grace,
Some with red and puffy face!

He has a mind all his own,
To terrorize, humble, soothe or clone.
No beginnings, never ends,
Worst of enemies, best of friends.

He pays no heed to human emotions,
Traveling along in his own motion.
Raising mountains, filling oceans,
Watching the rise and fall of nations.

Does he mend broken hearts, and heal broken bones?
Or maybe turn men to stone?
He turns tiny seeds into giant trees,
And then cuts them down with scary ease.

He can be as gentle as a baby’s breath,
Or cold and hard, still as death.
How might we stop him, make him care?
To solve his riddle, who would dare?


- Harsha

Where Do We Go From Here?

I believe in a higher power, I do. No names necessary - God, Jesus, Allah, all the same to me. To me, all of them mean Hope, Peace, Strength and Good 'Qi', as the chinese say. But sometimes it's hard to hold on, to continue to believe in the face of all the tragedies that surround us.
The recent tragedy at Virginia Tech is one such event that left me feeling in turns, numb, angry, frustrated,grieved and questioning my faith. That a fellow human being proved capable of such a heinous crime is utterly disturbing - it shakes my faith in humanity, which is already quite tattered. That we live in a world where such events are now unfortunately quite commonplace, is even more disturbing and hurtful.
How did we get to this point?
The world today seems a terrible place to live in. Everywhere there are signs of a 'lack of faith' in our fellow humans, be it Iraq, Africa, Asia or the US. That's the only way I can attempt to make sense, of how a young man of 23, with his whole life ahead of him, thought to pick up a gun and kill no less than 33 people before shooting himself. Perhaps he needed something that we as a society couldn't give him...and though no logic can justify what he did...it worries me that we couldn't help him, prevent him from reaching the end of his tether. The whole episode, to me, says more about the state of our society and conscience than it does about the state of his mind.
I keep thinking about his family...did his parents have a clue that the little boy they were raising would one day commit such a monstrous act? What do they think now...now that he is lost and all the innocent souls with him. What of those families that lost their hopes, dreams and futures on that fateful day? Do they try and find an explanation like i'm trying to or just give up, thinking this is all part of God's master-plan?
How does one continue to believe in God, in a world so full of violence? And yet, my daily life is so far removed from these events that I might be living on another planet. My worries are miniscule when compared to the anguish of those affected families - simple routine worries of keeping my home happy and running smoothly for my hubby and me. I cling to my faith, because somehow through it all, I must find the strength to get up every morning with a sense of hope for the day ahead - hope, that today will be better than yesterday and that it will live up to the promise of a better tomorrow. Sometimes it does and often it doesn't...still my spirit keeps me going. Remarkable instrument - the human spirit, unique and fragile, yet strong and resilient!
And so, here I am a miniscule cog in this giant wheel of Life, trying to find my own way, while keeping in time with the collective rhthym. Where do I go from here? I have no clue, but i'm trusting in my faith to get there.