Summer of 2017 – Part 1

When I started this blog, I promised to myself that I will not turn it into a diary of my daily activities.  However this summer a few unplanned activities had provided me some photo opportunities that I would like to share with my readers.  Readers beware, this is not a post about poetry. So if you decide to proceed no further, I will understand.  I never claimed to be a good narrator or a writer of prose. So the description below may come out flat and boring. My apologies.

PART 1: June 15, 2017 : Thursday:

I was hoping that the kids were to be picked up from their dorms by Saturday morning only.  Even before the summer had actually started, days were getting really warm and I was not looking forward to this duty.  Suddenly on Thursday morning, I was told that the kids would need to be picked up by 8:00 PM latest by Thursday night as the dorms would close for summer by Friday 12:00 noon. To make matter worse, we could not be there before 2:00 PM as they had finals.  So there we were in two cars ( for two kids ), hoping that everything would be packed before hand and we should be able to start back before the traffic starts.  Well, we hoped.  Estimated two hours turned out to be nearly five hours, with last minute packing, cleaning, locking room keys inside the room, elevators that took an eternity to come up ( or down) and other events that I would not bore my readers with.  And then I hurt my back helping my son carry a most unwieldy load from the elevator to one of the car.  When we had dropped them in their dorms nine months back, everything was loaded in one car.  How can one accumulate so much stuff in nine months is beyond my comprehension.

To make matter short, I cooled off my heels sitting under a tree, enjoying a cool breeze from the ocean while my wife helped my daughter in packing up.  I took this opportunity to take some photos and sharing  these here.

And this visitor from the wild enticed, enticed by a girl with some food.

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To be continued.

©All photographs in this post were taken by the author.  Readers are free to use with proper acknowledgement to the author.

Storm

Storm

There was a storm here yesterday,
And I saw this tree
Bereft of all the beautiful colored foliages,
Strewn all around it on the ground.
One leaf was clinging to a branch
Quivering in the winds, trying to hang around.

I wanted to tell that single leaf,
Hang on, winter will be over and in spring
All your friends will come back with new hope,
Spreading happiness to all who come by.

I promised that on my way back home,
I will pick up that single leaf
and keep it between the pages of my book
till spring comes and everything will be happy again.

Mom, I am sorry I will not be coming back home.
Not to-day, not ever.
Little did I know the evil storm coming for me,
To rob me of my spring forever.

There was no warning, nowhere to hide.
The evil came from everywhere,
and when the storm was over
like the fallen leaves around the tree
We were all lying there.

Alas, unlike the tree
Spring will not bring back rejuvenation.
From here on it’s a long dark winter.
Mom, it’s cold, damp and dark here,
How I wish for your warm embrace,
But it’s not going to be

All around me I see dark shadows
All who have come here before me
From four corners of the world
From every nationalities.

Unanswered questions
Will remain unanswered.
(Because) those brokers of peace and death,
Those clad in the grab of patriotism and religion,
Clad in the grab of nationalities and language,
Will lip sync to “Never Again”.

Yes Mom, it will never again be spring for me.
But till the day every parent takes a stand,
To teach the real meaning of peace and respect
To their child,
This storm will visit many other unfortunates,
To rob them of their spring.

Mom, it is too dark and cold here.
Will the summer sun warm me up ever?

Mom, do not grieve.
Like the leaf between the pages of the book,
Do not keep me hidden in your heart.
Be my voice and shout to the world, NEVER AGAIN!
Do not allow another storm
To blow away thousand springs.
And when your work is done,
And time for a well deserved rest has come,
Look for that lonely leaf,
I will be waiting for thee.