Monday 3 June 2013

Transition

(From Magpie Tales by Morris Graves)



The light splash of warm water---
a day to begin where things are wrapped in seconds
like roasted peanuts in a paper,
hot and crispy, I wish I never miss the continuity
I never miss a nut, to crack open and taste
what life holds in, wrapped from my sight.
A lady with a bandaged leg walks
with her bag, straight to work place, I guess
she doesn’t stop, she can't, I guess.
Little kids in rain coats, their first day
in school accompanied by June’s down pour-
ing dreams. Wet and busy roads,
pondering and calculating, like that
spiked cashier there at the counter
on things gone and coming.
A cuckoo sings from somewhere inside
Not like that teenager’s headset that keeps her
aloof from the world around, for she didn’t see the
old woman standing while she was seated in the bus.
My cuckoo sings lovely, and I saw her in many
other eyes too, she sings from the darkest woods
from the vastest skies and deepest waters,
she keeps me in touch, and I see her in many others
too, life goes, not like those lads’ cigarette smoke
and not like those ladies’ venomous gossips
its transition, here silence sings, light talks
and smiles takes us on walks.
Amidst daily rush, some like us flies,
and its transition always;
the cuckoo sings on. 

28 comments:

  1. Nice take on a world gone cuckoo.

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  2. How lovely! I must admit being present and in the moment is not one of my finer attributes, I strive for it and I certainly notice things others miss but I spend a lot of time in my own head, too much time

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    1. lol... thanks for the visit and the lovable commend...

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  3. You are a magician - "here silence sings, light talks and smiles takes us on walks." How do you come up with such enigmatic thoughts? Wow !!!

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  4. Wow! This is chock full of insight ~~ a wonderful read!

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  5. Lovely and delicate and the words - like a vase.

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  6. Lovely opening lines, I missed that warm roasted peanuts in a paper ~ The details of the day expands on the transition theme ~ Stand out for me was the lady with bandaged leg, probably because I see myself in that situation two weeks ago ~

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    1. Get one paper cup full peanuts then ..its fun... I hope your leg is fine now....

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  7. beautiful... this is the only moment we've been given... we forget that, ignore it too often.

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  8. Fantastic! vivid imagines, astute observations, critical without being harsh, and hopeful and compassionate all sprung from an image. That's art.

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    1. Thank you so much for this appreciation...

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  9. not like those ladies’ venomous gossips
    its transition, here silence sings, light talks
    and smiles takes us on walks

    Silence is golden so they say! It is true! One does not antagonize others and life is fun! Nicely Ma'am!

    Hank
    P/S Miss your drawings!

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  10. to crack open and taste
    what life holds in,

    and

    Not like that teenager’s headset that keeps her
    aloof from the world around,

    Those two lines were my favorite. We must be present in the day to day, engaged, aware if we want to make a difference. Nicely done.

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  11. Beautiful piece...there is so much in this to see and hear. I think because I love photography I see more than most. I am always looking for a shot.... :)

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    1. Oh yes and that is your creative mind.... thank you Susie...

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  12. i like that you keep bringing back the cuckoo in this...there is so much to see when we are aware of the world around us...many so embroiled in their own world they miss it...wake up...cuckoo cuckoo...smiles.

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    1. I second you in that wake up call.... Smiles and thanks...

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  13. This poem about mindfulness, living in the moment (we used to say in my hippie days, "Be Here Now"), is potent stuff, Sreeja. Using the cuckoo, which has wonderful double entendre, is great. The girl cutting herself off from the world via IPod, an all-too-common phenomenon. Hard to be present in the world with all those distractions.

    Very impressive poetry! Amy

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    1. Thanks a lot Amy.. I try my best to practice mindfulness but it is difficult at times...

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  14. I like the repetition of "The Cuckoo sings on." To me this says that no matter what is going on outside, one is listening to one's own internal voice, experiencing life, and smiling! I enjoyed your write, Sreeja.

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  15. So beautifully evocative...I could smell the scent of the hot roasted peanuts...

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