Sunday, October 27, 2013

In Suffused Light

Village Kitchen from net**


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.)



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35 comments:

  1. In my ancestral village (Himachal Pradesh ) too peopl still cook their food on earthen chullahaas:) and the taste is awesome.

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    1. I 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...

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  2. Thought-provoking. The sacred relation of humans with nature and how often we forget it.
    Beautifully written. I liked the calm sense of coming to a realization in your verses. :-)
    -HA

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    1. 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.
      Thrilled to know that you enjoyed. Please do visit again. Thanks a bunch.

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  3. 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!
    "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...

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    1. Glad you liked this.. I am pleased, Rajesh. Thanks..

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  5. there 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.

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    1. Nature is a consistent food source, and those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the nature must never forget the goodness of earth.
      Brian, Good to see you here... as always... :))) Thanks...

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  6. A beautiful evocation of nature as tamed by man. "I looked at the Zen-inspired succulence in my garden—
    a momentary explosion of beauty and fragrance" - wonderful lines!

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    1. Thank you so much, Gabriella. Just some attempt this one..written in haste. :)

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  7. I 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!

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    1. Thanks so much, Mary. It was just an attempt .... and hence I am thrilled to read your comment.
      Actually, 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..:)

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  8. I agree, beautiful poem. Nature is the best teacher.

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    1. Natasha...Glad you liked this. As said, it was just an attempt.. that too written in a haste. Thanks so much.

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  9. Hi Panchali, beautiful poem. But the font is too small :(

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    1. So 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.

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  10. Lovely lines Panchaliji but plz increase the font na...Thank you :)

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    1. Thanks 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 :((((

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  11. so nicely said Panchalidi....your lines are always a treat.... :)

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    1. Oh...So glad to read your wonderful comment, Sumana. Am thrilled and now even more encouraged to write..Thanks...

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  12. Thanks Loredana...Nothing can compare to the taste of freshly picked herbs!! Smiles....

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  13. As 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.

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  14. We 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.

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  15. Bonding with nature beautifully versed!

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  16. Wow!its nice to keep senses open as nature communicates in more than one way. isnt it? :)

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  17. ufff..ki likeccho....i was just lost in the words and their varied implications!!!

    http://www.myunfinishedlife.com

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  18. In those moments repeated like prayers daily, we see the tiniest changes, the shudders, the relief. Beautiful.

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  19. Purane dino ki yaad dila di aapne. Very beautiful poem!

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  20. the best cooks actually have the utmost respect for their ingredients.you hit the nail on the head.

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  21. There 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.

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  22. what evokes greater guilt? plucking vegetables from plants or being the reason for killing of an animal for our food?
    As Lord Krishna says: "Attachment is the root cause of sorrow."

    Anyways, I liked your verses.

    ~ A vegetarian

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  23. 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!

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