PEARLING OFF THE LAYERS

I saw a pearl once, and called it mine.

Polished and opaline,

A single gleaming bead.

A tiny bit of the ocean, I said

And I wore it around my neck.

It hangs low and deep -

A solitary pearl strung with silver

Extending all the way to my heart.

It takes me back, underwater.

Geared up and fish like in fins,

I cut through the water in silence,

save for the sound of my breath.

The wonders I see, all the way down

Colonies, much like ours.

The fish zipping around, they mean business,

While the sea urchins lounge about.

The sting ray buries itself in sand,

The parrot fish glazes over sea grass,

The clown fish is very very shy.

Colours the scream out-

We’re here, even where there isn’t much light!

A world that may seem so distant

But very much a part of ours.

If only, you allow yourself to imagine.

And then we get back to the pearl,

This special charm I cleverly hold

Rolling it between my fingers,

When I feel anxious or cold.

My little pearl from an oyster,

I made you mine and gave you a new story,

Until today, when I heard someone say,

‘An oyster that has not been wounded in any way does not produce pearls, because a pearl is a healed wound.’

So now your story I change.

THE EGGNOG

Skip and Chip, they fall in love. Together, they decide to build themselves a home. So day and night they work hard, for in love, they wanted to rise and not fall. 

So they build a home made of wood, brick and stone. And inside, they filled it with warmth, cookies and lots of eggnog to put them to sleep. But the longer they stayed inside, they weren’t quick to realise, there’s a terrible snow storm brewing on the outside. Colder and colder it got outside, but they didn’t sigh, they were warm inside. 

There was but one little thorn. Every time they opened their front door, in blew the storm. So Skip would hear the neighbour’s cat calling to be let in, but if she did, in with the cat came a cold cold draft. Chip likes to buy fresh greens, but by the time he got back in, the greens were frozen beans. 

They enjoyed a good party, oh they loved their friends to come over. But when they opened their front door to let more in, the cold cold draft would come and stay within. They would light a fire, but to feel the warmth, it would take at times even a whole hour! 

‘’What shall we do about the cold?,’’ Skip ponders aloud. ‘’Maybe we should go out no more?’’ A shiver runs down her spine and she shakes away that ridiculous thought. 

‘’Let’s build a zone, from the front door, a buffer zone before one can make their way to the core.’’, suggests Chip. 

‘’Hmmm…intriguing… a buffer zone where all storms are welcome, but settle before it reaches the door that leads you to the core.’’ Skip nods approvingly. 

So they set out to design, a perfect buffer to transition from a state of cold to warm. As they tried and tested, fitted and moulded, this little buffer zone that would keep them warm. Night and day they worked, heads down and focus first. 

And then came the day, the buffer zone was ready. A momentous task, but once complete, it brought then a huge smile and a sense of relief. They stood there, at the end of the hall, looking at the main door, a twinkle in their eye. 

‘’Shall we give it a go?’’, asked Skip, excitement in her voice. 

‘’Let us! We shall walk out and back in, no fear of the cold!’’ Chip throws his fist in the sky. 

Hands intertwined and brimming with excitement, they walk over and open the front door. 

And there they stood, stunned and awed. The storm! The storm! It was gone!!! Bright blue skies and the sun so warm, smiled back at then, as though saying, ‘’look who came back while you were too busy to see!’’

Shocked and in disbelief, they stay stunned, unable to speak. 

Skip finally let’s put at first, a whimper, then a cry. ‘’ I’m happy, I truly am. I had never so much wished for the sun and the bright blue sky. But all that work, all that effort, what to do? A beautiful buffer zone, to trap all the cold, but now there is none left to trouble us anymore!’’

Chip bites his lip, holds back a tear. Then he gathers up all his will and repeats, ‘’All that work, all that effort, what’s the point?’’

They stand at their door, looking outside - poofy white clouds, like ships in the sky, their thoughts get on board and sail away, until they see it move further and further, up, up and away. All that remains is the warmth of sunshine and the smile it teasingly claims. 

‘’Oh well, it’s warmth we desired, and it’s warmth we got.’’, Skip accepts and prepares to move on. 

‘’And ofcourse, the sun too was once gone. We can never know when the storm will be back on. The work will not be wasted, for we are all just seasons under the sun.’’ Chip affirms. 

So they go back inside to cozy up and enjoy a cup of very cold and very delicious eggnog. With a super strong kick of rum. 

*I tried some egg nog for the first time yesterday. I always thought it would taste eggy, but it did not. I wish I could describe its taste but I’m too busy getting drunk while gulping it down!

If you’re in goa around Easter or Christmas, don’t forget to drop in at Padaria Prazeres and try their eggnog. What’s even better, they have a deep fried apple pie with custard too! 

LIMITLESS - II

There is a beauty. All

around you. Within you

Simply, close your eyes

and you will see it.

Yet, these moments of

chaos blind you. In rapid

succession they consume

your soul. Enveloping it

in a mindless madness.

Ravaging. Pushing.

Choking.

Until you break through.

Only to realise,

That there is beauty all

around you. Within you.

Simply open your eyes and

look into the mirror of

your soul and you will

see it.

You are limitless, like

the stars in the sky that

whisper ancient secrets.

Drawing you in to their

embrace. And you flow

with it. Past, Present

and Future are mere words

to your soul as it lies

entranced in this moment

of limitless unity.

LIMITLESS - I

I AM

My name

My body

My skills

My thoughts

My consciousness

My experience as a conscious being

My awareness of my experience as a conscious being

My awareness of your experience as a conscious being.

My awareness of your awareness of your experience as a conscious being

Our awareness of everything around us

What we create with our awareness

LOVE

A SIMPLE KIND OF LOVE IN A DECEPTIVE KIND OF SEA

This is a story of time, of life, three friends and a journey to the soul. 

The festival was over

And we were at the sea. 

Addy was at the shore, waving at us both 

While we played like little children in the sea, maybe a little too deep. 

‘’Have you seen how a wave looks from below when it crashes?’’, you ask me. 

‘’No, but now we must find out!’’

The trick is to wait till the right moment, until you flip back and hit the sea bed and above you will see 

The most beautiful swirling wave 

Frothing gushing passing over your head

Filled with a million flecks of broken coral glistening in the sunlight 

Like stars in a bright white sky

The secret of life reduced to this moment in time. 

But this is a story of love. 

And after every ride comes a fall. 

In an instant, the moment of bliss comes crashing with the wave,

In the next, it’s taken me away!

I hear you say, ‘’get back, it’s too deep’’

But it’s too late. My feet can’t find the ground, my arms they begin to flap around.

Like a helpless bird, staring in the face of its own demise, I turn to my right, I turn to my left, desperate, with nothing to hold on to.

The sea has turned into a monster! What will I do?

I see Addy in the distance. He doesn’t look happy. Will this be a tragedy? 

In an instant, you are by my side. Holding  my hand, you look into my eyes 

‘’Swim with me, we will make it.’’ 

I am unsure, but I try. 

Keep swimming forward. 

Keep. Swimming. Forward.  

But my mantra is not enough and soon my arms start to give up. 

So this is how I drown. 

The fear escapes my lips and into your ears

‘’I am scared, please don’t let go of my hand.’’

But this is a story of love. 

There is no room here for fear. 

For you, love is simple,

Like the sun, that can be trusted to rise each morning. 

And as easy as the morning sunrise, these simple words were etched into my heart. 

You say to me, with utmost certainty, 

‘’I will drown with you, but I will not let go of your hand’’

And those very simple words 

I will never forget 

For they awakened in me,

A courage buried deep inside 

That is far mightier than fear, 

A place where there is no more ego

Only a universal truth. 

Just two kids fighting to survive

Determined to live. 

Lost. Drowning. 

No one to help 

No one to call 

But we are enough 

To make it back

Together 

We will and we can. 

At the shore, addy waits for us like a grounding rock

‘’What is this madness? these idiots’’, he thinks. 

The first of many. 

Because where there is love 

There is also madness 

And we are all mad here. 

Even Addy.