The Silent Song

His footsteps echo in forest path,

Wanders unknowingly, why he incurred the wrath.

Run as he may, to the corners of the earth, reprieve isn’t found,

And so, he takes out his flute, letting his anguish unbound.

Stops beneath the shades of a tree, the memories torment,

Inhales the bloom of jasmine, yet reminded of the scent.

Words aren’t enough; through the flute he conveys,

And the symphonies bring out what has been suppressed for many a days.

The rustle of the leaf and the chirrup of birds slowly fade,

As the wind pauses; still becomes every grass blade.

Ripples in water die under this symphony so intense.

Poignantly rendered, the music itself becomes the silence.

With every forced breath and rising octave, the storm in him subsides,

Human in this moment, revealing what otherwise he hides.

Higher and higher, the octaves engulf his every sinew,

Even the nature sheds a tear, the foliage soaked in dew.   

As he reaches the zenith, grasping for air,

Breaking the reverie that was too much to bear.

A wry smile on his lips, as he starts trudging along,

Time remains still though, caught in the rendition of the silent song.

Sunrise Along River Shores

A boatman casts his net far and wide, rippling the surface,

his silhouette slowly gains form, touched by the morning rays.

The boat drifts gently into the thinning mist, into toils awaiting,

Splashing sounds of its travel soon lost to the cuckoo’s singing.

A shepherd roams the banks, taking his flock along,

Searching for greener pastures, softly humming a song.

The bleating sheep, munching cattle leave prints in the dew soaked ground,

As the pleasant silence soon gives way to human sounds.

The engines coming to life, the bustling markets,               

Hawkers, vendors, squatters, pickpockets searching for their targets,

Casting long shadows as the sun slowly climbs atop its perch,

Morning prayers and bells ringing in every temple and church.

And as the placid waters turn to waves, glistening in sunlight,

The moon lays ensconced amidst clouds; sole remnant of the night.

In front us yet beyond our ken, so engrossed are we in daily chores,

The ephemeral beauty that lingers; of a sunrise along the river shores..



©Copyright Darshil A Shastri

Fading Lights

The dusk fell as I stared out of the window,
Driving along the road amidst a breezy flow.
Landscape loses form, only the outlines stay,
As the earth unwinds itself at the end of yet another day.

 Unforgiving yet unsparing, darkness envelopes all,
The fall of night at first casts a gloomy pall.
But the eyes forced to adjust, search for specks of light,
Pupils widen, in dim light, their focus adroit.

And darkness reveals, what the sun had concealed,
Restores parity, the river as dark as the barren field.
Surroundings hazy, but clearer at the ken,
Don’t we all need to see the larger picture every now and then?

Moonlight is all, but sunlight that’s been reflected,
But perspective ponders if the excess light has been rejected?
Thus, at the fall of every dusk, lies a new opportunity,
Maybe we need to turn of the light at times, to see with clarity.

And the darkness that once terrified, now offers solace,
Who knows if its the nights that precede the days?
The time spans merge, change the accepted wrong and right,
I drive on, a mere speck in those fading lights...















©Copyright Darshil A Shastri

Leap of Faith

Travelling from across the globe and the country, braving crowds and inhospitable travel conditions, replete with the heat and dust of India; the Kumbh mela continues to be a symbol of relentless faith. People continue to levitate to this awe-inspiring event, with a trickle having become a downpour in the last few years. Reason: To wash away their sins, by a well-orchestrated dip in the holy Ganges, or for blessings and good luck in their coming lives. No mortal so far has been able to convey his journey of afterlife, into their next lives. Yet, here we all are, performing various ceremonies and ablutions, just for an insurance policy. And we really don’t know if it works, but still do it. I often wonder why? What separates humans from other animals, apart from the obvious? The answer is faith.

Before the reader begins to wonder whether this is a religious outpouring or whether the article is written by a preacher or a wise old man wanting to proselytize, there needs to be a clarification; this faith has a different aspect and it is just not religious faith that governs our lives. Faith is an emotion, a belief that we have in ourselves; that others have in us; that we have in others. We have often heard players saying, ‘the captain and the coach had faith in me and backed my talents,’ or our relatives, saying ‘that I had faith in him to bail me out of trouble.’

The very fact that we pray to God, despite him/her being intangible, is a proof of our faith. That is what religion basically is, a form of faith that just goes by various names. And to think of it, faith is that bridge, which binds our physical world with our mental attitude. Precisely why, it plays such an important role in our lives, knowingly or unknowingly.

Sadly, we all seem to be losing out on this aspect of our lives, constantly questioning and probing, often becoming cynical. The loss of faith in humans is alarming. We lose faith in our leaders, (their actions are to blame), faith in our system (our actions to blame), faith in people (cumulative effort of the aforementioned two). And that’s when the fabric of society starts to disintegrate.

The protests in Middle east, borne out of discontent, but fuelled by the fact that people lost faith in the system and the leaders, the multiple processions and the rage towards the Delhi gang rape victim, when people lost faith in the judicial system. Even in our very own lives, we tend towards pessimism and self doubt when people lose faith in our abilities. Protests and uprisings are not anti-social but the lack of faith forces humans to act in this manner. It makes them feel vulnerable. And a scared mind, devoid of faith is the most dangerous, for we neither can predict its behavior, nor reason with it.

During exams a common sight is all the students flocking to their respective gods and goddesses, asking for better results. We do not know the outcome, but we do have faith. So, why not be a little more faithful in our everyday lives? Believe in people; let them know about it, back their abilities. Have faith in one’s self, and faith that we can change systems, for the better. Just like creation of matter occurred with the aid of small, intangible “god-particle, Higgs Bosson”, the call for change and revolution already has the right ingredients, all it needs, is a little, intangible yet palpable faith.

   

©Copyright Darshil A Shastri

Life on a fast Track

A cascading waterfall, quaint pond amidst the trees,
the backyard of a farmhouse, filled with wandering geese,
Perched atop a hillock, a cottage just beneath the cloudy sky,
All of this and much more; rush by in the blink of an eye.

The transient beauty fails to register for my thoughts are astray,
fretting over the sandcastles of the coming day.
Preparedness is one thing, but how often do I cross the line of obsession?
Muddled by the questions of what is worth the digressions.

Screeching sound and a jolt, breaks into my reverie,
The air is filled with the aroma of something savory.
I descend amidst the bustle, amongst strangers finding their way,
the honk of the train pulls me back, the discovery of what lay beyond, yet again postponed for another day.

I jump aboard, rush to my seat, to catch some sleep,
where did that road go, what aroma was that, who could I have met, the questions slowly creep.
And the landscape is already changing, yet I crane my neck and look back,
the view already blurs, after all, it’s life on a fast track...

 ©Copyright Darshil A Shastri