Several times
An impregnable reality
has slipped
away
Unnoticed…
The drudgery of daily cooking
With lavish
spices; for replacing the
Odors, aromas
nearly every day
never outlived my perceptions. Until one
day,
A green shoot
–while getting blanched in a vessel
Gave sly-glances
at me, and
almost knocked me
down!
It's condensed suggestiveness
Suggested undertones….thankfully, I could follow.
I was used to
listening to such voices within…so
In the
cacophony of pots and pans, I heard the secret murmur
I looked at
the Zen-inspired succulence in my garden—
a momentary
explosion of beauty and fragrance,
embodying all
the mysteries blinked;
Gardens are a
shorthand representation
Of man’s
connection with nature…I realized
A smell of
burning reached my olfactory nerves
my mind warned, heart murmured again…
I had hoarded their worthiness
Without realizing
the need to pay homage...so, it was time to reflect!
Many thoughts crossed by; with added ranting, raving
I wiped my hands .....drying with sighs ..
The
freshly plucked veges smiled
in relief….
(The guilt
lodged in my heart will never leave.)
In my ancestral village (Himachal Pradesh ) too peopl still cook their food on earthen chullahaas:) and the taste is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI can never stop yearning for rotis and dal cooked on earthen chullahs. Wish, we could use them in our homes too...thanks Vandana for stopping by...
DeleteThought-provoking. The sacred relation of humans with nature and how often we forget it.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written. I liked the calm sense of coming to a realization in your verses. :-)
-HA
HA---Thoughtful people have always understood the kinship between nature and man! Nature intermingles and co-exists with, and constitutes the invisible dimension of, the human world.
DeleteThrilled to know that you enjoyed. Please do visit again. Thanks a bunch.
Welcome to my space, Daniel...:) Thanks for reading it so well. I went through the link just now and I quite agree to what the writer says!
ReplyDelete"You will be surprised at how much you can achieve by simply being able to consistently sustain some little positive habits each day over a long period of time" Amazingly true...and good to find someone else thinking on a similar line.. Thank you! Hope to see you more on these pages...
Very though provoking.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked this.. I am pleased, Rajesh. Thanks..
Deletethere is much to be said of nature...and of the garden...so much we can learn in the patterns and in the growth....first the planting, putting your hands in creation, but then as well the cycles and...oh i could go on...i am a student of nature....smiles.
ReplyDeleteNature is a consistent food source, and those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the nature must never forget the goodness of earth.
DeleteBrian, Good to see you here... as always... :))) Thanks...
A beautiful evocation of nature as tamed by man. "I looked at the Zen-inspired succulence in my garden—
ReplyDeletea momentary explosion of beauty and fragrance" - wonderful lines!
Thank you so much, Gabriella. Just some attempt this one..written in haste. :)
DeleteI really like the idea that gardens are a shorthand representation of man's connection with nature. I never really THOUGHT of it in that way before, but I think you are right. A beautiful poem, Panchali. So good to see you here again!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Mary. It was just an attempt .... and hence I am thrilled to read your comment.
DeleteActually, this one was written in haste this morning; we had some guests over for dinner, so I could edit it in peace only now after they left..
Coming back to blogging makes me happy too..:)
I agree, beautiful poem. Nature is the best teacher.
ReplyDeleteNatasha...Glad you liked this. As said, it was just an attempt.. that too written in a haste. Thanks so much.
DeleteHi Panchali, beautiful poem. But the font is too small :(
ReplyDeleteSo good to see you , Purnendu after a long time..Thank you so much for your visit and appreciation. Feel so much encouraged. The font is creating a bit of a problem..I tried to increase the size, the lines got haphazardly aligned, so I quickly came back to the original font...Maybe, some technical glitch, I shall try again, Btw, can you not increase the font from your end?? I can...:) Please try...am not so tech savvy..hence, suggesting. Smiles.
DeleteLovely lines Panchaliji but plz increase the font na...Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteThanks my dear....I tried to edit the page, as soon as I increased the font..the whole page got messed up. So, I quietly came back to the original font. Shall try again tom...But I think, people can adjust their browsers. No? Just try...I am struggling :((((
Deleteso nicely said Panchalidi....your lines are always a treat.... :)
ReplyDeleteOh...So glad to read your wonderful comment, Sumana. Am thrilled and now even more encouraged to write..Thanks...
DeleteThanks Loredana...Nothing can compare to the taste of freshly picked herbs!! Smiles....
ReplyDeleteAs I read this poem, the same awareness came to me - we sometimes thoughtlessly cook without SEEING the magnificence of the offerings in our pans. I love this poem and I LOVE the stone kitchen in the photo. I have a photo of a Tibetan kitchen on my kitchen wall. Ideologically, so much closer to me than my Western kitchen.
ReplyDeleteWe always have a choice to go with progress, or stay closer to nature, eat home prepared food, use the herbs from our garden... Good for you, and good for others to remember about nature offerings...Nice poem.
ReplyDeleteBonding with nature beautifully versed!
ReplyDeleteWow!its nice to keep senses open as nature communicates in more than one way. isnt it? :)
ReplyDeleteufff..ki likeccho....i was just lost in the words and their varied implications!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.myunfinishedlife.com
In those moments repeated like prayers daily, we see the tiniest changes, the shudders, the relief. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteNice read.
ReplyDeletePurane dino ki yaad dila di aapne. Very beautiful poem!
ReplyDeletethe best cooks actually have the utmost respect for their ingredients.you hit the nail on the head.
ReplyDeleteThere is a satisfaction in growing vegetables, in tending to our flowers in the garden. I remember once Amitabh Bachchan saying that "I too want to grow my potatoes and tomatoes". I guess there is a farmer within all of us, may be because we yearn to be close to nature.
ReplyDeleteInsightful and lovely.
ReplyDeleteMadeleine Begun Kane
what evokes greater guilt? plucking vegetables from plants or being the reason for killing of an animal for our food?
ReplyDeleteAs Lord Krishna says: "Attachment is the root cause of sorrow."
Anyways, I liked your verses.
~ A vegetarian
have u ever thought about putting all these little gems of poetry that u keep weaving into a little book and publishing them? if u have not done that already u must do it soon! u have such a way with words!! u know what? guilt is our side of the story, there is a greater karma involved that nullifies our guilt, because after all we are just playing to the tunes of the Master! great composition!
ReplyDelete