Words Of Wisdom

There are some words of wisdom that stick with us long after the actual event that lead to those words being spoken has passed. Such is the case with the best piece of writing advice I ever got.

It happened almost 15 years ago when I was a young and somewhat cocky boy. Ahh, but, let me tell you the story in it’s entirety.

We had english classes every alternate day of our time table. And before our session started, we heard words that our teacher was an easy grader.

For the most part the class was interesting, challenging, and fun. I really did enjoy it and true to the rumors our teacher seemed to be a pretty easy grader.

The only problem was, that every couple of weeks or so he would give this in class writing assignment. The same assignment. He would have us describe this banyan tree outside our classroom window in 25 words or less.

Every time we were given this assignment some little devil inside of me made me rebel. Each time I would carefully write my name on the paper, followed by a one word description of the tree. Usually something like "big", "leafy", etc.

Each time he would hand back all our papers ungraded and have the best description read to the class. I would sit at the back of the room and roll my eyes whenever I would hear about “Little fairies, dancing on the sun dappled leaves.” or “The whispering of the rustling leaves.”

Through out the session other students tried harder and harder to out do one another and the description of that tree got more and more fantasy like. I stayed true to myself however, and continued to write my one word descriptions “Brown” ,“rough” ,“tall.”

At last the class was almost over for the year. All that was left was the final exam. As the class and I gathered in our classroom pens in hand our teacher announced that everyone would be excused from the final except for Me.

I sat in stunned silence while the rest of the class filed out of the room grins on their faces.

After they had left, my teacher turned to me and said quietly. “I want you to write a 500 to 600 word essay describing the tree outside the window.”

“you’ve got to be kidding!” I protested. “It won’t take that many words to describe that stupid tree.”

That is when he utter the words that changed my life. For several minutes he spoke to me about writing and how to describe something. He told me that a really good writer, would describe the tree in such a way that not only could someone picture exactly what the tree looked like, but what kind of day it was, and even how the writer felt being in its presence.

He allowed me three days to work on the assignment.

Over the next couple of days I spent a lot of my spare time outside that English classroom in the presence of that tree.

I walked around it looking at it from all angles. I ran my hands over its bark and looked at each and every scar and knot that tree had on it. I stood well away from it and viewed it from a distance. I even laid under it and stared up at its branches.

A few of the other students and some of the teachers would look at me strangely from time to time and one or two of them asked me what I was doing.

“Studying the tree.” I would answer.

In truth I really was hoping for some inspiration. I was waiting for something to “click” that would make it possible for me to describe the tree in such a manner that my instructor would be duly impressed. No inspiration came.

The night before the paper was due I sat in my room at my desk, crumbled pages scattered all around me like giant snowballs. I must have tried to write that paper 100 times, and could not get passed the first line or two.

Wearily, I put my head in my hands and closed my eyes. What did I see? That darn tree!

I moaned and opened my eyes a moment. Would this assignment haunt me forever? I wondered.

I closed my eyes again. This time when the tree appeared I was determined to keep my eyes shut until the tree disappeared and something more interesting replaced it.

As I sat there with my eyes tightly closed, I saw a tiny black ant making its way up the side of the tree. Wandering from groove to groove in the brownish gray bark. I watched fascinated as it climbed higher and higher, and higher, until it disappeared in a hole just below the branches.

I opened my eyes and smile split my face. Reaching for a clean sheet of paper I began to write.

The next day I turned in the essay and when I got it back just one day later, there was no grade on it. I felt disappointed until I saw the note at the bottom.

“For a brief period of time last night I became a small ant.”

Writing about a banyan tree was the first piece of writing i ever did.

What If

Havent you given it a thought, how life might have been if time didn't go on..
If happy moments didn't pass on..
What if, life had no time..
What if, happiness never ceased..
Many years later, you think of an incident, laugh to yourself, and then a feeling creeps in,
What if, i could have that incident all over again..
You are deep in thoughts, tensed for something,
you think,
What if those rascals who made my life hell and heaven would have been here..
How life would have been a lot easier, if friends for life would have been possible physically and not just mentally..
You are sitting in your class, waiting for the teacher to come,
And out of no where something hit you hard on your face..
You turn with anger to see what it was, only to find one of that rascal smirking evilly..
You forget about it..
Long after everyone is gone, and you are left alone to struggle on with your life alone..
You think of that incident, cry to the heart felt, curse yourself and feel demean that you even got angry for it..
Tackling a situation with a series of emotion now at present, might not feel right in future..
Your heart cries out, you wish, if only i could have those few back..
Belief me, at that particular moment, no treasure, money or great comforts matters..
Deep in tensed thought does you realise, that money and luxury is indeed not everything in life to survive..
Its essential, but nontheless not crucial..
Mental state is what is crucial to live, to be in peace, to be blessed with a happy life..
I jot down this words, words that my heart not my hand speaks,
Going back by train all alone, totally bored, your body pleading to be crushed to be reliefed of the pain it experience, I think,
What if they had been with me, what if i wasn't alone..
How they would have made me feel better,
How their presence might have sufficed for my body to regain all the strength i lost..
With all this troubled and painful thoughts i write down this blog..
With none to share with, i share all this to myself again and again..
Voila, listen to those words i never spoke, listen and understand those feeling i cant speak out, but each and every cell in me cry it our loud..
What if, i could express each and every feeling i go through, each and every feeling i ever wanted to share, but could'nt..
I always try to get consoled for, but with a heavy heart had to drop it..
What if, you could understand everything without me saying it baby..

Where Did They Go

As the sunlight slowly faded away,
The city lights flickered on, one by one,
Illuminating everything on the outside,
And casting a shadow on the inside;

As time slowly ticked past,
The darkness inched closer and closer,
Spreading its shadows across the land,
My inner self comes alive;

As much as i struggle and curl underneath the blanket,
My fears come alive, and slowly engulfs me from the inside,
And tears up the mask that i so successfully put on during the day;

Fears that torment me from the inside during the day,
Comes alive as soon the light fades away and i am back into my den,
With a mind of its own, tormenting me every single night,
Sometimes i wished i was dead;

Surrounded by many,
Yet isolated and alone,
I try to reach out to people,
But succeed in grasping just empty air;

Struggling to keep my sanity,
I plunge myself into darkness,
For its the only place to hide,
To cope with all this,
I give up and cry myself to sleep;

It’s tiresome to want something you don’t have, and each morning,
I wake with loneliness by my side, each day I walk with it’s presence,
In my footsteps, each night it lies hand in hand with my insomnia;

Perhaps i have become invisible ?
Or have i become just an figment of imagination ?
They cried on my shoulders and i soaked up their tears,
Asking for nothing in return, but when i need someone,
Where did they all go ?

When We Are Together

I sit here watching,
The twinkle of the stars,
The full moon in its beauty,
In the cool night breeze;

A feeling so strong, yet said very less,
A emotion that whirls around like a tornado,
But expressed not even a whisper;

As the gentle breeze tried to play a lullaby,
My eyes just refused to pay heed,
Drowned in thoughts of you,
My mind was as fresh as it can be;

All these times, all those moments,
I can’t believe how i let go,
I can’t understand why i didn’t say,
What my heart was crying out loud;

I’m always thinking of you,
Thinking of expressing myself,
But my words,
When I look at you, when i speak with you,
It always ends up to one thing,
I just can’t think of,
The right words to say;

If only the wind could carry,
The unrevealed emotions,
That my heart is crying out every night,
I would send it as my messenger right away !!

Should I tell you,
How awful it feels,
Giving off our time alone,
Don’t you feel the pain,
When your eyes lock with mine?

Sometimes life can be deceiving,
I’ll tell you one thing,
It’s always better when we’re together,
Promises, i dont make,
Of the riches and wealth,
All i have and all that i can,
Give you is my love,
For as long as i am alive,
To cement our future,
To make our dreams come true !!

Tomorrow Will Be Better Then Today

Its midnight and tomorrow is a better day than today,
My eyes just staring at the wall opposite,
No sleep, no dreams,
I sit and watch the drama,
Unfolding before me;

Like an empty canvas,
Waiting for an artist,
I wait in anticipation,
Wondering when and wondering why;

I did all i could,
So i believe so,
What is happening is beyond my grasp,
And i can only watch as a mere spectator;

A mere spectator in my own life,
One moment its all the way up,
The next its hanging in balance,
The tension is nerve wracking;

Patience is all i have,
And patience is all that i need,
As i watch the things unfold,
And let things take shape at its own pace;

I waited a long time for this,
So what difference it is going to make,
To wait a little bit more,
But for how long should i be the villian in my own life;

I wish i could answer all the questions running in my mind,
I wish i could end all the battles being fought inside,
I wish i do not have to wait for long,
I wish, i hope and i believe,
Maybe tomorrow will be better than today !!

Make My Wish Come True

Searching for answers,
That evaded me for so long,
I got lost in a maze of treachery,
Hidden under a mask of innocence;

It’s been so long,
Words kept me awake,
All night long, making,
Me restless and confused;

Drowning in the wishes,
Of a long lost past,
I let my life down,
I let myself down;

In the midst of the night
Under the velvet skies
I surrendered to life
I whisper for forgiveness;

So with a smile on my lips,
And a wish on my heart,
I give faith(hope) one more reason,
I give life another chance,
To make my wish come true !!!

Incomplete

The grey sky looming above,
Rain drops still dripping down,
From the pregnant clouds above,
We set out on our journey once again;

Around and around we go,
In slow circles moving,
To the beat of the thunder,
And rain that surrounds us;

As the droplets hit the ground,
Shattered realizations lay scattered,
Reminding me nothing is same,
As it seems to be;

As another memory turns to dust,
I cut the lifeline that attaches me to the past,
And i shove it back into the depths,
Where nothing will ever bring it back alive;

The rain does nothing to stop our journey,
Never forgetting, who we are,
We walk these streets of madness,
Knowing that,without each other,
We are simply incomplete.

If You Have A Dream

Don’t wait for some distant day to come,
It may be too late before you’ve even begun,
Not everyone will agree with all you decide.

Be true to yourself first and foremost,
The only important thing in life is what you do,
With the time you spend here on earth.

Don’t be afraid to follow your desires,
They are not silly nor selfish,
Take the time and do what makes you feel alive.

Leave your fears and regrets in the past,
For this is where they belong,
Don’t cloud today with things that can’t be undone.

You have no more control over yesterday or tomorrow,
Than you do the raging of your passions,
Do not quiet these dreams nor quench your desires.

For if you do, your journey is ended,
You have only today to begin anew and follow your dreams,
For in the end all we have are our memories.

When the twilight comes to us, let there be,
No excuses, no explanations, no regrets !!!

Change Of Heart

Thoughts flow through my head,
As i wait to find the place where i belong,
Waiting in line for a long time,
My patience slowly ebbing away;

Searching for a way to find that special place for me,
That place where i can fly, the place where i feel free,
That place thats my own, the place where im totally
Free is right by your side, when its just you and me;

Challenges i met along the way,
Embrace my life with trepidation.
But, a changed person, i am today;

Suddenly the world is different,
The world is new,
The world is a place
Perfect for me and you;

And suddenly everything fits,
The world seems like a perfect place,
I’m no longer alone,
And my life doesn’t seem to be such a waste !!!

Before I Am Dead

Waking up drenched in sweat,
Realizing it’s nothing but a nightmare,
I get up to drink a glass of water,
To drown the fear that woke me up !!

Sins I have done plenty,
I do not know if the good I did is enough,
To grant me a passage to heaven,
Or worse, born again as human !!

Never cared for what people thought,
Never worried about those who left,
Never a minute I spent crying over split milk,
What had to happen, had to happen !!

What I was yesterday is what I am today,
Yet people think I have changed, I wonder why !!
I take life as it comes,
No expectations and no demands !!

With the guillotine waiting at every step,
Uncertainty looms large over tomorrow,
I fear I need to live every moment
Of today before I am dead !!