A Young Heart and Taj Mahal

A tender heart treads softly
There at Taj Mahal …
And the marble gleams bright
On her …
As she wears a young love –
Endlessly searching through timeless steps …

Marble dreams reflect a young girl’s wonder
Taj Mahal, Agra

Suddenly, I can’t quite understand why I wanted those shoes so much …

I still love the shoes I wore that day, and I remember the feeling of walking around in it. It was our first trip abroad—just the three sisters, our brother, and our parents. We sisters were fond of this type of Lehenga, which was very popular at the time. So, I chose one and matched it with the perfect shoe. We bought these in Kolkata (Calcutta) and traveled from there to Delhi, then Agra, Jaipur, and other places.

On that day, we chose to wear this attire specifically for our visit to the Taj Mahal. It was such a beautiful day—I still remember it vividly. We got ready to see the Taj Mahal in person, wearing our special outfits. My jewelry consisted only of earrings and a watch. In our youth, we didn’t need any makeup, and we three sisters looked stunning in our attire. I still remember how much my father loved our outfits and took great care of us. He made sure we all took pictures in front of the Taj just like this.

Needless to say, I felt incredibly elegant in my own skin—beautiful, serene, warm, and quiet.

I was a very quiet girl back then—so quiet that my close ones used to call me ‘Dead Beauty.’

However, I wish to visit Taj again ..

Do you wish to visit with me?

Weathering

My dear,

Often these days
My thoughts are spreading out to you
With too many questions hovering upon me..
Is the heat too intense where you dwell?
Are you navigating it with ease?
What’s the moisture like in your realm?
What’s the humidity level there?
I sense the weariness in your words;
It seems like a struggle for you;
Are you truly alright?

Here, we’re also dealing with scorching heatwaves –
Yet, amidst the swelter, my mind wanders to you
How do you cope up in this relentless weather?
Often these days
It crosses my mind …

Do you think of me too,
Sometimes?

Do you remember my disdain for humidity,
And how it worsens my headaches ….
Do you remember my aversion to doctors,
Yet now they’re an inevitable part of life?

My heart, already broken by your absence,
Feels the toll of days passing …
I find myself overthinking,
Lost in thoughts of you,
Especially in these days,
Days of relentless heat,
Days of suffocating humidity ….

Though
You may never grasp …
There’s an essence about you that I can’t shake
Even amidst these sweltering heatwaves …
A grip on me akin to
The greatest tale left untold …

So,

Could you narrate an episode or two from your journey?
Could you paint a tale of your eccentric existence?
Could you recount an experience
For me?
To me?
In these sweltering heat
Amidst the scorching waves there? …

Meanwhile
Take care, my dear,
Know that I pray for you …
In every moment
In every humid day and night
Of these days ….

Yours truly
^^

I do drink lots of water in these scorching conditions. I do keep my body cool. Though I hate to use sunscreen, just I avoid sunburn. I do like coconut water a lot. And Nimbu Pani too ☺️. Then I love ice cream too 🤷🏿‍♀️

Do you?

What It Is

It is madness
says reason
It is what it is
says love …

It is unhappiness
says calculation
It is nothing but pain
says fear
It has no future
says insight
It is what it is
says love …

It is ridiculous
says pride
It is foolish
says caution
It is impossible
says experience
It is what it is
says love …

What it is by Erich Fried

Love this poem and read it many times. Do you love such poems?

I love many of them …

First and foremost, allow me to share Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43, ‘How Do I Love Thee?’

It begins with the iconic lines:

‘How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways…’

These two lines alone contain volumes of meaning, and I find myself revisiting them often …

There’s another poem, I love, and that is ‘Hope’ by Emily Dickinson

‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all’ …

I may not be good at recitation, but I have a deep passion for reading and appreciating the intricate artistry of language. The way words are arranged to evoke emotions, convey wisdom, and capture the essence of life, love, and nature resonates deeply with me. It’s in these moments, amidst the twists and turns of expression, that I find myself enamored with the beauty of language and the emotions it encapsulates …

See, when you read ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ by Robert Frost, won’t you just love this famous poem?

‘The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep’ …

Here’s another eloquent excerpt from the renowned poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost:

‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.’

This poem resonates deeply with me and holds a special place in my heart, as I often find myself reflecting on its message of making pivotal choices that shape one’s journey.

I have a profound admiration for another poem, namely ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.’ Its expression conjures the sense of companionship, as if the lover is spiritually present, ensuring one is not alone:

‘Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky’ …

Isn’t it beautiful?

I’m certain many of you appreciate these poems. There are numerous others, but I’d like to share just a few of my absolute favorites with you all, such as ‘Leisure’ by William Henry Davies:

‘What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare …
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.’

To selectively share excerpts from the poem is my means of conveying:

Please delve into the poems I’m presenting here—
read them when solitude surrounds you,
read them in the company of your beloved,
read them among friends,
read them with strangers,
read them in tranquility,
read them amidst chaos …
but above all, I hope you
read them in their entirety …

Read

Sharing one of my recent painting video from ‘Chaos’ series. Hope you may like it. Also I tried to read the poem ‘What It Is’. Hope you would like listening to it as well ….

And also please do share here about your favourite poems …..

Let Silence Reigns

Let silence reigns…
Afterwards let words flow freely, endlessly through us, like a gentle stream ….

Let certain words remain unsaid …
Let some words remain unheard …
Let silence reigns …

For if all is voiced
What remains in the silence?
For if all is listened
What remains in the voice?

Let blank pages be as it is
For me and you, for the time being or for long, long time …

Let silence reigns …

Afterwards let words flow freely, endlessly through us, like a gentle stream, unbound, serene and graceful ….

Hijr

Your thoughts are coming in waves …
Ceaselessly, constantly …
Crashing upon my mind’s shorelines;
Uncontrollably …

Hijr/ urdu
(n.) the feeling of having lost or been separated from a loved one ….

Meraki

My canvas of delight is
Dancing bright …
My passion is igniting
A colorful sight …
My soul is painting
A tranquil choir …
My emotion is healing
With peace and fire …

Meraki
(v.) to do something with soul, creativity or love; to leave a piece and essence of yourself in something you do …

What If

What if it all works out?
What if you get that call?
What if today goes unexpectedly well?
What if you have what it takes?
What if you meet someone unexpectedly?
What if today you make the day best with what you have?
What if someone is praying for you?
What if you receive that one mail?
What if someone has special feelings for you?
What if someone tells you that?
What if you go on that trip with someone for a day or two?
What if the trip takes you to another state of mind?
What if you return with a complete different state of heart?
What if you do not know what’s next?
What if the best is yet to come?
What if great things are on the way?
What if you don’t search for any answer?
What if the answer is within you?

I love all the ‘What ifs’ …
What ifs’ give me hope …

Little Joy

So she was absent for one day

And came to school the next day and she came to my desk room to see me. She was standing at the doorstep and she called me softly,

‘Miss’ …..

I looked at her, and got up from my desk and went closer to the doorstep and touching her soft cheek, I said,

‘Hello Mumma! How’re you sweety? You were absent yesterday. I heard that you had toothache. How’s your toothache now?

I was saying all these to her at a go …

And she said to me ‘Did you miss me?’ with such deep affectionate look at me and with a softer voice that it almost melted my heart with pure bliss …

It was so heartwarming, I immediately gave her a hug and said, ‘Of course, I missed you dear. I missed you so much.’

It seemed she felt good to hear those words for her and then she hugged me for a few seconds and smiled ….

And then she noticed my buddy taping fingers

‘What happened?’ – serious concerns with full of innocent sympathy

‘It just was an accident my dear.’ I answered.

‘Is this hurting you?’ She couldn’t get it what’s that!

‘Well, yes! A little’ ….

‘How did it happen?’ – asked like an adult as if she would understand the whole situation …

She kissed my buddy taping and asked me, ‘Should I draw something on your bandage? So it’ll be cured faster.’

‘Oh dear! Really? You can draw of course.’

Then she brought out her special colour box and said to me, ‘I want to use the colors that you prefer today. Cause it’s your bandage on your hand.”

Then I chose some colors, pink, purple, green yellow …

She drew this one. She drew a heart, a flower …. For me ….

She asked me, ‘Did you like it?

I know you all know what my answer was to her …

Now you tell me, ‘Do you like this Little Joy’?’

Do you value such little joy in your life?

How sometimes we get someone’s affection and we don’t even notice ….

How sometimes you know that you’re someone special in someone’s heart, and yet you do not care much or ignore or you take that for granted …

How often we do not acknowledge these little joys of life …

Often I do find these ‘Little Joy’ moments in my life and I value them deeply. I believe life is made up of these little moments, precious memories, vulnerability and love that all add up to create a big canvas of your life. We should know that the bigger picture cannot be made without all the small moments that bring it all together. So

‘I hope you find, as I did, that happiness comes from noticing and enjoying the little things in life’

Steadily, Casually

Steadily, casually
I’ve become accustomed
To reading your words ….


What an enchanting time
It is ….
To be drawn to you
To be close to you …


Steadily, casually
Reading your words
I’ve become accustomed
To finding my heart …

Oubaitori

Lost, found, blooms anew …
Mountains stand in silent strength …
Far, but near, a song unfolds …

Oubaitori/ japanese
(n.) the idea that people, like flowers, bloom in their own time and in their individual ways ….

A remarkable day today, A Monday! Je t’aime comme tu es ….

I♥️

Humepenthe

Steam swirls,
Chaotic warmth in coffee cup,
Awake, senses grace, within ….

Humepenthe/ made up
(n.) someone who makes you forget er your pain and sorrow; someone with whom you forget all your worries ….

Humepenthe is a made up word (@cosmosbyrudra) made with combination of human + nepenthe which human form of a drug which was given to people to forget or lessen their pain and suffering in ancient time ….

Missing You is Love

It’s
quite
a feeling
normalising
missing someone …
Missing you is love …

Don’t you think so?

Yuanfen – Paintings

Let’s walk the path
And find a way …

Not knowing where

Let’s be lost in the path
And find a way …

.

Yuanfen (n.) : the belief that destiny or fate plays a part in bringing two lovers together …

Emotion

Emotion
True as a moment in a setting sun
That pursues the thoughts so striking …

Emotion
As beautiful as nature
That celebrates youth so blossoming …

Emotion
As true as moon hanging up always on the sky
That rises at nights, in beauty
so high springing …

Emotion
As a fine morning dew on a petal
That falls lightly like a beautiful tear never ending …

Emotion
As a pillar with a promise
That makes countless impossibility, gathering ..