It’s a collection of Beautiful soulful poems and reflections by the author during covid lockdown period. Each and every poem is so poignant, Well written, relatable and asking you to pause and reflect upon it and your life. The writer takes you along in her journey of thoughts , introspections, spiritual evaluations, emotions and learnings. This is definitely a book to be digested poem by poem, line by line. It was hard for me to choose one for my posts, but this poem ‘Keep’ is close to my heart, keeps me going. I absolutely recommend this book !
Is it really a mask we are wearing ? or is it a mask off to the invisible masks we wore every day . No longer can we hide , behind those fake smiles wide across our plastic faces . Hiding pains, Anxieties , pasts and Emotions. Do you feel relieved ? Or are you anxious? That now people do see you ! Looking directly in your eyes. Where your soul resides. Isn’t it relieving being yourself ? Or it makes you feel nervous? You think You are invisible Behind these cloth masks. The masks In reality though have fallen My friends.
Somebody remarked You are short ! Another told me Look at your hands, They ain’t pretty. Someone pointed my feet were silly. Few told me I might be cute But I ain’t pretty. Some assured me I can look good Just that I Need to weigh A little less. From 20s to 30 I kept stressing How I looked What I ate Self-conscious Self Doubting Hardly happy Or Carefree. Whatever I do I was never good enough.
And then 30s struck With a big blow, All the stress Self Doubts Had transformed Into disorders of Autoimmune. Here I was sitting Looking back at that pretty girl in her 20s Wishing back that body , hair and skin Which I never really liked or appreciated then.
Last 5 years have been Self reckoning Self caring Self learning Transformational Healing Forgiving Appreciating Gratifying Learning Unlearning Relearning On my Self- journey .
Being Happy With the woman I am becoming. Grateful for Every thing Little and big. Feeling Beautiful And meaningful. Inside and outside.
Don’t wait for your 30s or 40s to love yourself and outgrow your insecurities. Discard them now, live truly and enjoy your life !
Look at the soul’s joy. The water, When she sees. Desiring to coalesce And flowing faraway . From the altitudes of mountains And the depths of seas, Determined to soar she is. Prior to, As if aware she is, Of these pathways. Her happiness , Similar to the person hopelessly lost and wandering . On finding himself back in his alley.
Tried my hands in Hindi/Urdu with transliteration:
khushi dekhiye Rooh ki paani ko dekhkar ghul jana chahti hai Beh jana chahti hai Kahi door chale jana chahti hai . Pahado ki unchaiyyon se Samundron ki gehraiyon se Parwaaz karna chahti hai. Pehchaanti ho jaise In raasto ko Pehle se. Khushi ka alam aisa Jaise na ummeed koi guma hua insaan Bhatakte huye apne hi gali mei aa gya ho .
I have a cherry blossom at home and these Mourning doves are regular visitors during the sunsets. Sometimes there is one singing his sad song , sometimes there are a group resting but yesterday it was a pair and Beautifully captured in my camera.
It was amazing how my mind signals me one dove for lonely , two as in couple and group as merry. Perhaps one was just a happy single and singing his freedom . However the ones which captured my attention most was this pair finding comfort in their company. How good it is to be home with in the warmth of your loved ones and under the security blanket of their love . This covid has made some people feel real loneliness and others find solitude . What about the ones who lost their partner or family member due to covid ? and got further alienated by lockdown rules where nobody could come to share your grief or you cant travel to them or anywhere just for the sense of wandering . I cannot imagine what it is to be like in that situation. I can only pray for them and express gratitude for everything I have.
A short poem I wrote recently.
Empty branches missing leaves and the birds. The lonely nest ownerless , rests On a cherry blossom tree .
Nothing but a black cat roams around Once on a Wintry dark night.
Does this lake know How beautiful it is ? These trees, grass The dirt road and dried leaves together, All of them making this beautiful scene! Do they know their bigger purpose? Or they too are in self doubt!
Are we too like them? insignificant, small, ordinary. But together a part of Something beautiful . And someone out there Admiring it too like we do to these views!