சின்ன மகளே

சின்ன விரலால் நெற்றி தொட்டு
மின்னல் குரலில் நெஞ்சம் தொட்டு
பள்ளி செல்லும் அந்த வேளையில்
துள்ளும் கனவை என்னில் விடும்
சின்ன மகளே-
உன்னில் என்னை  வைத்துப்பார்க்க
உள்ளம் முழுதும் ஏங்கும் போதும்
அந்த எண்ணம் தூக்கி எங்கோ போட
விரைந்து வரும் நனவுக்காலம்-
நானாய் இருந்த காலம் கொஞ்சம்
தானாய் வாழ்க்கை பிடியில்
இறுகி இளகி சிரித்து அழுது
ஓடும் நாட்களில் ஓடும் கனவாய்  வேண்டாம் மகளே
நீயாய் இருந்து
நிஜமாய் நிழலாய் அனலாய் குளிராய்
எல்லா முகமும் நன்றாய் உணர்ந்து
ஓட்டம் நடுவில் அமைதி புரிந்து
சிரிப்பாய் சிறப்பாய் இருப்பாய் மகளே ....

Granted

Some days, life cruises by you when you are still trying to figure out what exactly went swooshing by. Some weekends are gone in a flash. Like this one. I had about a million things to do. Work, go with my son to watch him play, volunteer a little bit, visit a friend recovering from surgery, do some shopping to get the house ready for March, my best friend's visit, cook lunch, complete a bunch of assignments that I had agreed to complete.

And its almost 11:15 Sunday night. I am still trying to finish up my work. But not focusing. Too distracted. Life seems sometimes so taken for granted in all aspects. I hadn't called my parents this evening, neither my sister nor my friend. Cousin yes. he tried to explain forgetting something special...we all understand. Like I said, between running around and sick kids, life swooshes by. Its OK. As long as we care.

Hadn't washed any of the cloths from all the three laundry baskets. All three of them overflowing with cloths that need washing. Hadn't planned any of the weeknight's meal or shopped for fresh veggies. (Well stocked up of frozen veggies, so they'll come in handy). We have no apples or bananas.

We drove about 250 to 300 miles this week end only, for the practices, games, scouting and volunteering. I called a few of my friends here. Visited a couple between practices and driving back home.

I didn't make time to exercise this weekend. We ate an entire day of fast food yeaterday. No veggies involved... We shopped for another round of shoes and cloths for kids. In a few hours, the morning will be here. Another week of rushing and running.

Am I taking life for granted? How long am I going to run around like this taking my parents and my immediate family for granted? Letting other folks I care about, including my kids to take me for granted?
Where is the mutual-ness (is there a word like this?) in everything? The sharing, caring and support - am I taking that too for granted?

Kural-amutham

A tiny seed started couple of years ago, shows promises of growing to be a big banyan tree to provide a shady support for treasured Thirukkural. Bay area Fine Arts Thirukkural Competition 2015.

About 230 kids and adults. I am sure more than 1330 kural recited. Recited with meaning. More than $8000 in prizes. Its all from a little seed and a lot of water. If we look at the seed as the origination of thought, the water is the volunteer energy. A completely passion fueled energy motivates the young and not so young Tamil immigrant community in the bay area to revisit a tiny book with enormous meaning. I can only compare Kural with atomic power. Its just so small, 7 words of all, one and a half sentence long.

I was lucky enough to be there for a brief period to listen to an amazing 11 year old and another amazing mom J The 11 year old recited 100 Kural with meaning. And I could discern that she had a clear understanding of what she was saying from her confident demeanor. The friend recited 129. She is a busy mom of two kids, working full time and taking care of family. She still made time to learn,  and recite. What dedication!

Reading Kural is all about understanding and following. I hope the Bay Area Fine Arts continues nurturing the inspiration to learn Thirukkural among the Tamil community not only in the bay area, but slowly in all of the USA and all over the world.

The far away past...

Gently frozen memories of yesterday

Refuses to thaw in harsh sunlight

Cold, hard and not forgotten

In the deepest darkest chambers so faraway

Refusing to melt vaporize and vanish

In shafts of blinding sunlight…

Sending shivers of chilled memories

Sits that far away past-

Farewell

In a totally different context, we bid farewell to a bunch of folks at work today. A farewell that wasn't very fair. Or very necessary. We'll miss them.

When you stay and see your work buddies go, no matter how you worked together, there is a little unexplainable pain. There are times you go into total in communique, buried in work and life or in-between a combination of both. But they are there in the background doing their thing. Out of nowhere someone decides to go for lunch. You come out of the haze to enjoy the breezy sunshine of the people. Refreshing, rejuvenating, fun and interesting, all these. While having fun doing what you do, the load you pull becomes totally bearable with people who care for each other and care for what they do.

Yes, I know change is the only thing that never changes. We can never be eternally married to the work place. We might move on at some point and choose another path to walk and talk or walk the talk. Still it is sad to see friends leave :(

I wish they fare well after this farewell and life treats them fairly well.

Friends...

Its the little acts of kindness and little moments of sharing, caring and understanding can make random people we would not have otherwise known, as great friends for life. it can be a colleague, someone who went to school or college with you, a neighbor or your kids classmate's mom you met in school.

How does this happen? We may know someone for a long time.  But internally we would never connect at the same plane. Its strange how friendships are reciprocal, yet unbinding and non obligatory. Friendship flows like water, nourishing the landscape it flows, as it goes. Possessiveness and control can try to contain water, only to see the flow escape the boundaries when the pressure builds on.

Friendship helps you to be yourself while enabling a strong non-restrictive support and life long bonding.  Your orchard may be all apples and your friends orchard can be all pears.  You share the goodness of apples and pear all life long without forcing the other person to uproot his orchard to replace with the fruits you grow in your garden.

Distance or lack of it is never a factor in friendship. You can live thousands of miles away from each other, but still can share the love beyond the distance with simple acts of  love. An email, a phone call or a text is all that matters to keep in touch. While all these are not absolutely necessary to retain the friendship in your heart, these kind of sharing comforts the other person in times of need. You will never be too busy to do such things if you really care. But your friend does not expect this from you! That is the beauty and love we share in friendship.

Volcano

In the innermost recesses 
Lies the combusting coal...
Amidst the multitude of opportunities
To erupt into a fiery volcano...
Runs life seemingly orderly.
Some sneaky moments
When mundane guard goes down
Escapes steamy words
Shocking normal life - unaware.
And momentarily cools down on the exterier
Still combusting coal
Emanating unbearable heat 
Skillfully covered in the day to day sweat.