The Little Things In Life

A young boy was once walking by, Whence he saw a very old guy. He was digging a hole in the ground, Seeing him, the young boy frowned. He asked him what he was up to, As he was digging the hole through. “I am digging a grave for me. For I may soon need one, you see.” “Oh, but who digs their own grave?” In shock, the boy went on to rave. “But sure everyone these days, Why? Does this you amaze? The rivers poisoned and the soil defiled, The air maligned and Mother Nature riled. The skies explode flooding down a city, Whilst another dries out in extreme pity. Extinct species will topple food chain, Causing imbalance, that’s just not sane. While melting icecaps drown away islands, How safe, you think, are our highlands? For surely, you know this is man’s doing, And he has Nature long since stewing. And should Nature choose to strike back, All of this would lay in dust, in just a smack. And thus, my boy, my own grave I dig...

Opened its beady, little eyes, a tiny, little bird, Looked around everything bright and blurred. And thus began a journey in a world unknown, With a thousand chirps, and a squeaky groan. Tiny bites of food mother brought every day, Under her tender care, he grew day by day. His siblings learnt to fly, and flew the nest, But Chucky  dawdled, and took not the test. His mother urged him with many a song, "My son, the sky's where you truly belong. Slight not the gift that you've been given, For such neglect shall not be forgiven." "You have been made with wings to fly, But fly you would not if you do not try. Your failures may leave but a few scar, But find you must who you truly are." But Chucky tried not, and was stubborn still, And shook his head with a deep, loud shrill, Until his mother grew ever so annoyed, And pushed him off the edge as he toyed. A flutter of emotions filled Chucky's cry -  Anger and shock, an...

The Academy Awards this year was about celebrating diversity and ethnic inclusiveness. From Roma to Bohemian Rapsosdy , every single movie that won the Oscar stood out in a special way. And there was one such movie that I was particularly rooting for, not just because I am a self-professed Marvel fan, but also because the movie was so special and touched so many hearts -  Black Panther . Black Panther is phenomenal for a number of reasons. For one, it tells the story of the rise of the underdog - a third-world African nation, that lived far too long in the shadows, is now a pioneer in cutting-bleed technology. It doesn’t tell the story of distress or suffering of the Blacks as most Black movies do, but rather tells the tale of Black victory and empowerment. It kind of  struck a chord with me  being from a third world country myself (we don’t call ourselves that though). The movie explores a range of human emotions and dogmatic dilemmas in a skillful ye...

Leaf by leaf each little one comes down, As it changes hue from green to brown. And each little one has a story to tell, Of the glories of its life before it fell. Of the days of joy in the bloom of spring, When the cuckoos and the babblers sing, Of the gleaming moon on a summer night, When it beams in full glow, pretty and bright. Of the rains that poured down with purpose, And with playful pranks tickled its surface. Of the whispering winds and their gaily song, As all the leaves gleefully murmured along. Of sheltering a weary man on a sunny day, As the scorching sun blazed its brightest ray. Of how it saw a little bird’s offspring hatch, And watched it learn life’s ways from scratch. And now as the dusk of its life is ever so near, It is all set to go, but spares a tiny tear. A tear of joy mingled with a twinge of sorrow, For life’s bounty's here today, and gone tomorrow. #TheLittleThingsInLife #Fall #Autumn #Nature By the gra...

The fiery sun hung low in the sky, The river tides were supple and spry, A deep crimson filled the horizon, As scarlet waters danced in unison. She sat down on a lonesome rock, With her heart full of qualms amok. For life had made her weathered and worn, And she stared at the sun, tired and forlorn.  The roaring river merrily gushed by, The wind whispered its gentle lullaby, She let it quietly seep through her soul, As God’s grace embraced her whole. And a voice from within her rose – Do not be distressed by the trials of life, And lose not your calm in the face of strife. Gather yourselves and hold your head high, Quiver not anymore or let out a tired sigh. For these troubling times will make you tough, Smoothen out the edges that are hitherto rough. Your struggles will make you great and strong, And prepare you duly for the place you belong. Like a fierce warrior you will bravely rise, From the ashes of your failures you wil...

Ever since I have started paying attention, they have become inevitably ubiquitous -  on my way to work and on my way back home,  early in the morning and later in the evening - their chirpy, little birdsongs seem to be following me everywhere. The cuckoo has now given way to lesser known species such as the red- vented bulbul and the Indian rock-chat. The mynas are always out there, as are the pigeons, and slowly as the seasons change, I hope to learn more about different birds and the sounds they make. But as of now, I have this story to share. One morning, I woke up to tiny, little warbling sounds coming from our balcony like some newborn chicks were chirping away somewhere very close. I went to the balcony and peered all over the place, only to find nothing there. This went on for a few days until I finally gave it up as a bad job. Then one day, I was talking to our neighbour from across our other balcony, and she told me that a little bird had made its nest rig...

Far adrift a great, deep ocean blue, A lone ship quietly sailed through. Under the mighty sky by twilight, It drifted along with no land in sight. Morning came and all was still the same, The test of time is ever so tough to tame. Night changed into day and day into night, Drearily the ship sailed on with no respite. The occasional storms rocked her bleakly ship, But she steered on relentless not losing her grip. The crashing waves hummed their eager song, And only miles of blue she saw all the way along. A tremendous calm followed the tremulous storm, Her heart mirrored in the ocean as it changed form. A squall of turbulence followed by a placid quiet, A pensive silence at times, at times a furor of riot. Profound resilience gave her constant company, As she braced herself for this ceaseless journey. For goodness knows when she'll find her feet, On those hallowed grounds, her final retreat. But, of course, she knows she must quie...

Life is a beautiful journey. But sometimes life sucks. And it is precisely in those times that we need to get our act together and work towards bettering ourselves, to rise above and beyond who we are in order to become what we wish to become. And while you are at it, here are some quick quips that you might find useful along the way. 

Wondered a precious, little flower one day, Whether it fit well into the world’s way. And knew it not where to it was bound, For it had not, hitherto, its purpose found. It looked at the rose with awe and wonder, And upon its own flaws it began to ponder. The rose was fragrant and delicately made, Whilst it was plain, and in shadows it laid. The mighty rose adorns the hand of a bride, And is fondly every love’s first gift of pride. But our P recious was not so well-known, It stood in a corner, weary and forlorn. Then came a sunbird to suckle its nectar, In that moment P recious felt like a victor. It saw how a rose is a rose, and a lily is a lily, To compare one with other is so lame and silly. Each little thing has a place of its own, An inimitable place none can disown. If the whole world were just one flower, Spring'd have nothing much to shower. You are truly special and one of a kind, Your own sheen in no other soul you’...