RAINBOW HO !

Well, the weather here in Cincinnati has been unpredictable and weird since I have been here and witnessed it myself, but the month of April has been the most unpredictable with record breaking (I presume so) rains. Is this really Spring, one wonders. Some days back, I had been reading a news article which mentioned how this kind of unpredictable rainy and cold weather causes depression in people and sets the mood off. In fact, I was sweetly surprised to read how one woman wrote that she has been listening to sunshine songs on her iPod, trying to be close to warmth and sunshine. But I am inclined to think that she would have run out of charge, a lot of times, in her iPod!
Because the sun and shine are too bent upon playing hide and seek here. May has started, but there are still rainy days with bare sunshine.
Some days back, I was on my way to Dollar Store, near Mt. Airy in Cincy.  A weather report actually stated that April 2011 here had only 2 days of minimal sunshine with almost 28 days of rough rainy weather. News of several tornadoes which wreaked havoc in many states like North Carolina and others was really saddening and it seemed like everything is so dull and without any warmth or color.

A Bollywood number was playing on the music player in the car and the red traffic lights were on. The car stopped at the signal, and I casually moved my head towards the right side to have a look outside. I was least interested in the outside. But to my amazement, I saw a real rainbow! brimming with colors of the spectrum. I even made a video of that lovely moment. It was the second rainbow in Cincy (first one I missed witnessing because of my ill luck of going outside) and second one in my life (the first rainbow I ever saw was back in my terrace in my home in India, when I was very young). Posting the video:



Somewhere, the pristine beauty and serenity touched my heart. Coincidentally, the Bollywood song which was playing for that timeframe actually translates to :
" You have been so kind and merciful
Thats why the story exists"

Somehow, the lines fitted so well to the occasion. Surely, God is kind and merciful and Nature never stops to reveal her beauty. The colors prevail in the end.

sab kuch sunn hai...mujhe bas ek harkat ki talaash hai.....

kya ho raha hai mujhe mere khuda.......sunn si ho gai hu main aur mera vajood....main hu ki nahi...ya sirf hai....ek khokhli dastaan....mere raaste sunn ho gaye hain...ankhon me ab ansoo bhi sunn ho gaye hain.....dil main armaanon ke panchhi ke par bhi sunn ho gaye hain....kahin kuch khoya hai kya....ya maine sach mian kuch paaya hi nahi hai.....kya ho raha hai...kya ho raha hai khuda.....

insaan ka shareer to hai par..main baaki insaanon ki tarah kyu nai reh gai hu....kyu muje lag raha hai ki sab kuch band ho raha hai....ek ajeeb sa sannata hai......khwahish , use paane ka jazba, zindagi main kuch kar dikhane ka, maksad pane ka hounsla, sab kahan dhund main kho gaya...
ye main hi hu na ae mere khuda...jise tune is jahaan main bheja tha...
.par kya kare...ye zindagi.....sunn ho gai hai......

har din aise guzar jata hai ki khabar nai lagti.....shab aa hi jati hai akhir.....
ae mere khuda..bata de mujeh akhir teri marzi kya hai....meri is zindagi ki marzi kya hai?
kyu sab se choot raha hai mera vassta..? kyu andar hi andar simat raha hai vo junoon...
main chahti hu ki main apni is zindagi ko sahi tarah se fir se jee saku..bas...yehi maanga tha tujhse...
kabhi kabhi samajh nai aa paata ki kya ho gaya hai...sab kuch sunn lagta hai kabhi....jaise zubaan hi kat gai ho sabki.....ae khuda....tu hamesha apne nek shabd mujeh kehta rahe....mujhe ehsaas hota rahe ki tu sunn nai hai..ki.

mera khuda be-sunn hai...aur muje sun raha hai..meri museebat ko sun raaha hai aur muje keh raha hai...sabr kar....khud se ishq kar, khud ke andar ke khuda ko zinda rakh aur

usse beintehaa ishq kar.....fir sab or harkat hi hogi...aahat hi aahat hogi aur roshani hi roshani hogi ...................................

P.S.: The photo was taken from internet and is not my photo...

Literature Gathering-poem read out- Updated

Hi,
I don't know why I should not have written this post long time back (1 year ago), anyways, I wanted to share on my blog about something, which is more like an honor for me. It was the time when one of my English poems (Words of Pearl) whose theme was based on Persian culture was read in a literature gathering in Edmonton, Canada at University of Edmonton, by Mahdi, a member of the literature gathering. He printed out copies of my poem (with my picture :)) and read it out. I mention that it was more an honor because in that gathering, students generally read out poetries of great poets like Farough and Hafez!



(Picture sent by Mahdi! Thanks again!)

I have decided to post the full poem (it was written in English by me in April 2010). This poem was written from imagination and sheer magnetism of the culture my soul was recognizing at that time of my life...

Here is the poem (its technically not published in any anthology yet):

"

Your words of pearl

 

"O! My Prized possession

O! My Persian Pearl

This is you born in Esfahan.

My Pearl of Persia

My half of world.

I am standing in the bazaar in Esfahan

Waiting for you

And I hear your words from afar.

 

Sometimes,

Your words are like

The flavorful Kermani Gaz

Melting in my heart.

 

Or may be

Your words are like the

Sweet and scented Zafaran

Imparting colour to my white soul

 

Or may be

Your words are like the

Fragrance wafting in spring

Like the Persian rose

Like the Persian lime

 

Or may be

Your words are like the

Colors meeting my eyes

When meadow is full

Of daffodils, tulips, iris, hyacinth

 

Or may be

Your words are like the

Melody flowing

From Santoor

From sehtar

Like the

Symphony of peace

 

Or may be

Your words are like the

Zendeh River flowing

 Through the ragged curves

Of my ear, my body

Reaching my heart

Lying like the Yazd desert

And enlivening it finally.

 

Or may be

Your words are like the

Rich embroidery

On my Persian carpet

The magic carpet

From Esfahan.

 

Or may be

Your words are like the

Refreshing and pure breeze

Emanating from the Caspian Sea

 

Or may be

Your words are like the

Sacred quatrains

Of Hafez Shirazi

 

Or may be

Your words are like the

Chalices of wine

Intoxicating to core

 

Even amidst the clamour

And the labyrinth like paths

Of the Grand bazaar of Isfahan

Your words reach me.

 

The words of

Love on your lips

Are like the sacred fire

Burning since thousands of years

In the holy temple

In Chak Chak

And my lips

Becoming like the

Simorgh bird

When they meet your lips.

 

My Pearl, My prized possession.

We are like the two free

Gay goldfishes,

Going around

And around.

In the same

Glass jar."

 

----Shilpi, 14 April 2010

P.S. I realized that the photo of the part of the poem features a middle name for me, but I should clarify I do not have any middle name, nor is Niloufar (a Persian name of a female meaning blue water lily) my mother's name, as my mother was a Hindu and Indian.. I think it was some confusion as I had originally posted my poem in facebook (which I now don't even use as it's a scam application) with that name using more like a pen name, but its not my name or part of it :))