Sunday, April 16, 2006

Reflections of a Strange Flat

Part III Miles Away

A million miles from home,
My legs struggle to roam,
The sun beats down on me,
As far as the eye can see,
Strange voices in a crazy land,
Born out of nothing but pure sand,
To live as one does, dreaming of old stories,
That are kept alive by your own memories,
Far from home am I, so it seems,
Impossible to leave except in my dreams,
Trapped in my own mind,
Fiddler on a roof of a certain kind,
Visions of people and places do I feel,
Nothing ever felt so far, yet so real.
Father, father your help I need,
To ease the pain of distance on which I feed,
Send me an angel or a mirage of truth,
Fill my heart and my sorrows soothe,
Let me forget the miles and see from afar,
The life before me, a new door is ajar.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Reflections of an Empty Flat

Part - II The Silence

Oh! When I see the bareness before me.
How I pray for the hint of company.
The silence is most still even it is the loudest day outside.
The loudest silence I have ever felt.
The emptiness is deathly and it closes in.
Oh! To hate to be in the silence of the empty flat.
But to know that we all live by choices in life.
Oh! How weak is our faith in God.
He can speak to you through a pamphlet dropped at the door.
That brings more joy than you ever thought possible.
Suddenly you are attuned to every little sound.
Almost as if waiting for the silence to be broken.
But praying that the sounds that come are not from creatures hidden.
So you take it upon yourself to put some music in your life.
But suddenly, even though you have heard the words before.
And certainly know some of the songs by heart.
The lyrics have a whole new meaning.
As if you are truly feeling them for the very first time.

You scream out the words at the top of your voice.
As if you are the end to the silence.
Which, in a way, I guess I am.
I find myself talking to me more.
As if the entities could separate, and be the companionship that you crave.
Oh Lord! Sweet God of mercy.
Make this silence grow on me.



Monday, April 10, 2006

Reflections of an empty flat

Part - I Alone

No matter how much you think it.
No matter how much you know you feel it.
You never really fully understand it.
The different levels of loneliness.
I thought I knew it.
I thought I was prepared.
I thought I knew what 'alone' meant.
But when it comes to flying solo, there isn't a manual.
Life throws it up at you.
You pray you know how to handle it.
You feel both peace and pain.
Along the road that is the path of gain.
You can be alone in a crowd.
You can be alone in your thoughts.
Alone in your pain,
alone inside your heart,
alone in your beliefs,
alone in your dreams,
alone in your fears,
But you are never really alone when you have faith in God.
Look for the light in the darkness.
Pray for loneliness to teach you life's lessons,
that only solitude can.
Oh! loneliness, I pray that I can used to you.
Oh! hollowness, I say goodbye to you.
Oh Lord, cleanse my soul.
And give me the peace that the world cannot.
And cannot ever take away.

Monday, February 06, 2006

THE FIVE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE - Nelly and Shruthi's wedding



Thank you most of all to Nelson and Shruthi for giving me the five most wonderful days of my life. With memories I'll never let go of and a closeness that is impossible to express, Shruthi and Nelly made the celebration of their marriage a time when I felt truly grateful that I had the amazing privilege of calling them friends and family.

I guess these days were really all about family. Like how Nelly and Shruthi always made you feel like a brother or a sister. How Saikat's emotional speech tugged at your heartstrings. How Sharon made you smile and laugh. How Sanjaya made you raise an eyebrow. How ACJ 2004 really is a big family. I think Nelly said it best: "You know guys, what was special about ACJ was that every one of those 90 odd people was unique and they all brought something special to us."

The last five days may have gone by in a flash but there was something to cherish in every moment. Looking back, one can only get teary eyed reminiscing after barely a day has passed. It was simply surreal seeing all of you again and we missed a lot those who couldn't make it. Seeing Nelson and Shruthi together, seeing them happier than you would ever imagine possible for two people to be, reinforces your faith in how beautiful life can be.

I love you both. I feel really lucky to have been able to be a part of this very special time in your lives.

Vineeth