The Love of an Umbrella!

On a busy rainy evening,

people walked around,

crossing the puddles on the street,

umbrellas in their hands and

warmth of home in their minds.

One umbrella travelling West,

fell in love with another, travelling East.

'Unite us, Oh dear God!'

prayed the umbrella, hoping for

a Happy Ever After.

The wind blew fierce

The rain grew heavy

The umbrellas flew 

 away from the clutches,

to come together on the rainy street. 

Paintings by Mrs Ratna Pochiraju 

The Eternal Sky- Part IV: Star-struck, Love-struck

Star-struck, Love-struck

What can I say about the star-studded night sky? The scatter of tiny looking shinning dots across the vast dark sky, twinkling and winking at us, is a sight to behold. The moon is the guest here, with the waxing & waning and rotating positions across space.

Personally, I love the sky with no moon in it because then, the stars are the real heroes. The darkness emphasizes their beauty, their natural shine. As an amateur sky watcher, I love searching for different constellations spread over the vast expanse.

Being a layperson, I use a very useful app called the "SkyViewFree". It enables me to track all the planets, constellations, star trajectories and man-made satellites. How fun it is to be looking at a planet or a star and imagining that some extra-terrestrial life might be watching me at the same time!

The star formation, their lifespan, their death and the evolving of a  new star from the same dust makes the stars special. Look at a star that is possibly a million years old. Try to imagine the process it has endured to shine at us.

Each night when I look at the stars, I am star-struck, love-struck again and again.

Picture Credit: NASA (Instagram)

The Mystic Stallion

Out of the swirling mist
into the valley
came a mystic stallion,
pale as silver,
strong & silent as air,
with its coal mane dancing
in the wind..



Reaching the crystal lake,
the mystic stallion appearing
golden in the sunset light,
stood admiring the dusk;
While I secretly marveled
the reflection of its majesty,
in the clear water of the lake.








Paintings by Mrs Ratna Pochiraju

Illusion

I was reading Agatha Christie’s 'They Do It With Mirrors' when I got a vague idea to use ‘Illusion’ as a main theme in an article. Later, visiting a store that sells electrical equipment I liked the various glass forms and designs. All the pieces gave different effects and reflections. I searched the internet for the meaning of Illusion and have many results ranging from mirage, hallucination, fantasy, sham, delusion, pretence and many more.

So I randomly asked a few people as to what is the first thing that comes to their mind when I say ‘illusion’. The replies I got were as different as the people where. So many perceptions, so many thought processes. I tried to define their answers in my own way.

Rainbow – a play of light and water drops.

Magician’s tricks – quickness of hands.

Ghost – product of the fear of unknown.

Mirrors – optical reflection.

Kaleidoscope – mirrors again. Reflections and refractions.

A straight line – depends on line of vision. Parallax error.

Joining of sky & earth – trick of mind. Wishful thinking, maybe.

Life – this is the reply I liked the most. It was given by my teacher. Sounds philosophical initially, but then all the above replies are a part of life.

What we see, hear, feel may be quite different from what actually is the truth. Life is most of the time a guessing game. Do we always see what we want to see or what others want us to see? I think it’s both. And that keeps us thinking and wondering about the versions of truth, the possibilities.

Now with so many people acting effortlessly in their daily lives, it has become all the more important to recognize an illusion and separate it from reality to understand the true nature of a person. The society demands and forces a person to create an illusion for the sake of others and one by one everyone begin to live the illusion to a point where they are no longer sure about the reality.

I suddenly remembered a poem I read written by Gabriel Okara, a Nigerian poet & novelist. This poem talks about the change in the society and the attitude of people from one generation to another. This poem, in its own way suits my version of ‘Illusion’. 

Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, son,

they used to laugh with their hearts,

and laugh with their eyes;

but now they only laugh with their teeth,

while their ice block cold eyes

search behind our shadows.

There was a time indeed

they used to shake hands with their hearts;

but that's gone, son.

Now they left shake hands without hearts

while their left hands search

my empty pockets.

‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again’:

they say, and when I come

again and feel

at home, once, twice,

there will be no thrice-

for then I find doors shut on me

So I have learned many things, son.

I have learned to wear many faces

like dresses – home face,

office face, street face, host face,cocktail face,

with all their conforming smiles

like a fixed portrait smile.

And I have learned too

to laugh with only my teeth

and shake hands without my heart.

I have also learned to say, ‘Goodbye’,

when I mean ‘Good-riddance’:

to say ‘Glad to meet you’,

without being glad; and to say ‘It’s been

nice talking to you’, after being bored.

But believe me, son.

I want to be what I used to be

when I was like you. I want

to unlearn all these muting things.

Most of all, I want to relearn

how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror

shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!

So show me, son,

how to laugh; show me how

I used to laugh and smile

once upon a time when I was like you.

The Solitary Leaf

Lying in the shallow water pool
barely rippling the surface,
looking brown and wrinkled,
waiting patiently for its friends to join,
thought the solitary maple leaf:
"My end is the beginning of new life.."


Painting by Mrs Ratna Pochiraju

Path to Infinity

Waking up on a misty morning
feeling tired and lost
in the race of the world
I reach the deserted dock.

The broken planks stare silently
daring me to walk ahead, making
my own path among the pieces,
to sail the success boat or drown into infinity!


Painting by Mrs. Ratna Pochiraju

The Lighthouse

The full moon rose from the sea

pure white against the black sky,

a circle among the twinkling stars,

illuminating the sand to silver dust.

The waves rolled higher and higher,

crashing against the rocks louder and louder,

arriving and leaving again and again,

turning the rocks black to silver to black.

Silhouetted against the vast sky, 

standing tall with head held high 

stood a sturdy Lighthouse sending,

beams of golden light into the roaring sea.

Listening to faint ship's horn,

from the gallery of the Lantern room,

was a little girl eagerly waiting

for her father to sail home...

Painting by Mrs. Ratna Pochiraju

The Eternal Sky- Part III - Drama At Dusk

Drama At Dusk

Sunsets are the most beautiful creations of Nature. Do you know that no two sunsets are same? At least to me, they are not. The glorious colors of sky ranging from golden yellow to hot pink, bright orange to a soft red with a few clouds scattered around and there you have, one of the priceless artworks of nature entirely free for us to see and feel.

Sunsets are dramatic. The unique play of colors, the constant traveling of the sun, (north to south & south to north), clouded or clear sky, all are a part of the drama. But this drama is peaceful and soothing. There is neither turbulence nor any hyper unspent- energy. The splash of colors lighting the treetops and turning them golden is a sight to cherish forever.

No matter what kind of day we have had, a sunset always manages to set it right just by its presence in the background. All we need is to take a moment and enjoy its beauty, breathe in the peace.

I personally never get tired of watching the sunsets every day. They are the best conclusion a day can have. The changing seasons, the clouds in various shapes and sizes only enhance the beauty to dusk and dramatize further.

The Shepherd Girl

In a pale patched frock
and worn-out boots,
with her hair held by a blue ribbon,
walked a shepherd girl
herding her sheep,
followed by a faithful dog.

Standing atop the hill
staring into the vast space ahead,
wished the shepherd girl
with all her heart:
a better life for her family,
and an adventure for her soul.

Painting by Ratna Pochiraju.
Thank you for allowing me to use it on my blog.

The Eternal Sky- Part II- The Looming Clouds

The Looming Clouds

I have written about the sunrise and morning rainbow in Part I  of the series.
The second part of my never-ending fascination with the vast sky deals with the monsoon sky.

Observing the varying cloud patterns and textures in different seasons throughout the year is a pastime of mine. The monsoon clouds (June- October) and particularly dense and rich in a much bigger size compared to the rest of the year. The cloud colors also are darker, ranging from pale grey to rich grey and soft black.

These are the clouds that reflect power, force, strength, and stability. Their silent presence covering the blue sky with their muted grey gives an impression of impending doom, whereas, in reality, these are the main cause of life in plants, farms, and forests.

Sure, these clouds have the capacity to destroy everything with a single strike of lightning; But the power to destroy is not misused by nature. Powerful yet distant, the grey looming clouds manage to pull and tug at the heart with their constant presence.

There was never a moment when I ever felt threatened by the sheer force of their wind or the magnificence of their rain and lightning. The sky with its unlimited span has always been my comforter and soother. I wonder at its patience to hold in control the power and look so graceful and regal!

The Eternal Sky- Part I- Beauty of Dawn

 I've always loved the sky- the unlimited span, the changing colors, the various clouds & their weird shapes, the sun, moon, stars & their changing positions, and finally the effect it has on people's moods.

Not being a morning person I tend to miss watching the sunrises, but yesterday I was lucky enough to watch and capture the most beautiful sunrise coupled with a rainbow.

      Opening my sleepy eyes to my mother's call, I noticed through my room window a burst of golden and pink clouds spread across the eastern sky ready for the sun to rise. When I got up to reach my mobile phone to take a picture, I saw one end of a rainbow towards the west. I ran into the balcony to get a decent view and to take pictures before the rainbow disappeared.

My father came out surprised to hear me running about at 5.40 in the morning. It usually takes me 15-20 minutes to get into active mode after I wake up unless of course, it is a rare occasion like this one.

     Realizing that I could see the complete arc of the rainbow, I was elated. The sky was pinkish-blue with a bright inner rainbow and a very faint outer one. The inner rainbow has red on the outside with blue on the inside. The outer rainbow has red on the inside and blue on the outside. This is because of the difference in reflection and refraction of light on the dew drops.

    Taking pictures of the rainbow and the dawn sky alternately I observed that as the sun rose, the rainbow lost color and slowly disappeared. The entire spectacle lasted for some 5-7 minutes, but it was the best morning of my life. The colors of the sky always do that to me. They bring peace, silent strength and a sense of content and happiness.

   I went back to sleep with a smile on my face and rainbows in my dreams.

Live Life

Fly across the sky
and collect the starry pebbles...

Swim across the ocean
and collect the shiny shells...

Walk across the forest
and collect the smelly nuts...

Live life the way you want
and breathe in the peaceful air!

Lightning

Lightning is such a paradox-
it illuminates the world
and strikes with force which
plunges the world into darkness;
all in the span of a heartbeat.

Pendulum

Between the happy smiles
and the warm tears
oscillates the pendulum
called Life!!!

Sounds!

The sound of fluttering birds
in the dead garden...

The sound of fallen trees
in the city streets...

The sound of crushed hopes
in the broken soul...

The sound of advancement
from a city to smart city...

Memories, Words & Poems

In the strings of letters,
are my meaningless thoughts,
what if...
they get lost, like an innocent child!
I just hope they are safe,
to come back to me as a beautiful poem.

If writing a poem was a dream,
I would gladly fall asleep
closing my eyes tight to dream,
again and again & again,
on every dawn of my life.

In the memory fields,
the seeds of letters don not grow easily,
and bear the fruits of poems...
The words are squeezed,
from depths of the heart,
and then comes, a beautiful poem.

The words I write now,
trying to fit them on this sheet,
are the lessons I am learning,
from the greatest teacher, life.

No matter how fast the words tumble,
and how bizarre they are,
the words reflect my thoughts, my memories...
Maybe that is why,
the poems of my childhood,
have whisker'd letters.

Letters and words are just like us,
the more in a group,
the more noise they make.
For me, poetry is...
that hidden part of me,
I didn't even know existed!!!


Free Translation of a Telugu poem by Dr. Virinchi Virivinti Sharma

Another Spring Night

On an April evening, after a mild shower,
ancient silence surrounding the place..
Power cut! These are the days with nothing modern,
the familiar dusk-light of childhood days envelopes us.

The sprinkle of sunlight on the tree tops
from across the beautiful blue sky,
the droplets of sunlight hanging on tender leaves,
threatening to fall on the playing children.

A silken sheet of twilight appears,
the full moon begins to rise towards the apartment tower,
only to slow down midway & settle on the wall,
as though responding to an unseen signal.

An unknown mix of emotions,
excitement & uneasiness, not knowing what to do,
to speak or not to speak, tensed & happy
is the moon, as if meeting its favorite one.

The moon sensing its own turmoil,
decides to rise slowly, over the stairs,
onto the terrace, throwing waves of silver light,
with houses resembling boats, another spring night has begun!!!

Free Translation of a Telugu poem by Sri Vadrevu Ch Veerabhadrudu

An Amber Dream!

Once upon a midnight
I noticed an universe
with an amber dream
outside my window
parallel to my world.

My world had friends,
enemies, objects & half-finished jobs.
The parallel universe was a beauty,
with vast, blue sky,
a few pure white clouds & eternal grace.

I sat upright on my bed,
and began to think,
How should I bring together
the parallel worlds?
Can I even attempt it!

Between the branches,
among the tree leaves,
the golden lamp swung
helpless, I stared at its glow,
awake till the dawn.

One part of me took the lamp,
and traveled into the amber dream
while the other stayed back,
to wake up at dawn,
& start the old life again!

The amber dream remained a pleasant dream,
which my reality never met!!

Free Translation of a Telugu poem by Sri Vadrevu Ch Veerabhadrudu

My Tiny Bird

A tiny little bird
lands on my windowsill,
sings for me to wake up,
on every delightful morning.

Bright as a candle flame,
awake before the dawn,
you keep flying around,
to help the sun rise.

Such a tiny little bird,
where is your throat,
where is your heart,
i cannot help but wonder!

My bird begins to sing,
its tiny body vibrating,
letting its heart out,
to be one with nature.

I do want to sing,
and forget my worries,
just like you,
my tiny little bird!!!

Free Translation of a Telugu poem by Sri Vadrevu Ch Veerabhadrudu

Concert of Stars

The city has fallen asleep
and heaven began its concert,
reminding me of the fishermen,
who go to fish at midnight, into the heart of sea.

The curtain of clouds,
give way to the bright stars,
to flaunt their talents,
unaware that i was awake, and witnessed the magic.

The language unknown to any,
the sounds understood only by babies,
the concert continued till dawn,
and now i wonder, will i ever sleep again!

Free Translation of a Telugu poem by Sri Vadrevu Ch Veerabhadrudu