Friday, November 15, 2013

An Experience

I was walking over the icy sheets of the north. I was chilled by the gusts, numbed by the frost, and stunned by the solitude. The temperature was dropping steadily, and no layers of coats were able to warm me. I looked up in despair and closed my eyes. Then suddenly I saw the enchanting colours blazing in the sky. I looked up with unconcealed awe at the swaying hues above me. Only one thought came to my mind: The Northern Lights. I drew myself up as I gazed at the shifts and flows of the dancing Auroras, in dazzling shades of sapphire blue and violet. Though there was no improvement in the weather, the lights seemed to emit a fiery glow that instantly encased me in its warmth. I thought about how fortunate I was to be able to witness this unearthly apparition, and how the isolation was actually a blessing in disguise. The auroras would have lost its charm if there were a hundred others gaping at it along with me. Time lost its meaning as I continued to stare at the haunting tints spread out like a kaleidoscopic curtain before me. I could have been rooted for hours, or days, or even years. It was only at this entrancing phenomenon’s conclusion did I come back with a start. The night was  frozen, but somehow, the Earth appeared to have inherited a bit of the beauty that this aesthetic show had provided. 

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

The Noon Moon

I looked up from my demanding books, one lifeless summer noon
with formulae floating around my head, and praying for a distraction soon
But next, in the sunny sky, I saw the strangest sight
(an apparition I witness only from the darkening evening till night)
Brimming with wonder, I craned my head; at the yellow sky I had squint
it was then did my curious eyes catch the slightest, steely glint
I jumped up from my table, rushed to the balcony, and pushed open the rusted door
and came across the queerest vision I had never seen before
An eerie gray mass- perhaps a sphere- against the blinding sky it hovered
my head throbbing from the incredulity of what I had just discovered
Sadly, as for my ephemeral discovery, it had been very skillfully shroud
by a truly aggravating, refusing-to-move, fluffy, marshmallow cloud
My mind began to soar to all those story books I had read
so could this strange mass possibly be a pendulum suspended by a thread?
Could it be a well concealed bob, flawless in disguise,
fashioned by an evil spirit- so that mankind is hypnotized?
Or could it be a nocturnal comet, housing ice, dust and grime,
a chunk of rock so peculiar it was frozen in the depths of time?
Or perhaps a spectral, extraterrestrial, critter
ready to mystify humans, by venting out feelings so bitter
In a trice, there promptly blew a powerful, gusty breeze
instantly whipping through my hair, instantly jingling my keys
I stared in awe as those insulting clouds gracefully began to part
It was dull gray against blazing white, it was a splendid work of art
The glaring sun had reached its peak, it began to elicit tears
but that was when I could view the mass, all too very clear
I could vividly see pits and depression- I didn't know which was greater
and hollows, and pockets, and crater after crater
Crater after crater....

I can now very proudly say, that I am the very first girl
to have seen what no one has ever seen- no one in the entire world
What I had unintentionally seen on that stifling summer noon,
had been- you'll never guess!- it had been the moon

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Purple and Green

I was wandering through the dark, the darkness so black that every nerve that didn't feel frayed, prayed that I hadn't gone blind. I turned in all possible directions, looking for the source of a spark, however faint, that may lead me out. I groped unknowingly with trembling hands, but all I could feel was the rough surface of a rugged wall. There was a heavy scent in the air, a suffocating one, saturating my nostrils until I could smell no more. The walls and floor were wet and sticky- it felt like I was plundering through quicksand. I cursed myself repeatedly for having fallen for such a predictable trick.

That woman had known what I had been searching so relentlessly for. She had seemed a trustworthy, charming lady at that time, with truly penetrating green eyes. When she had finally wormed it out of me, she had motioned her piercing fingernails towards the west, and had told me that no matter how unappealing the situation, I must jump. Her vague instructions made sense when I reached the western coast. A reluctance for water and swimming was something innate, a trait I couldn't help. Bad memories came flooding towards me as I stared warily at the churning, purple waves. But... that woman wouldn't lie to me. She could have probably sensed my desperation, my restlessness, my thirst to reach the unreachable. I could vividly recall the excruciating icy plunge, the unforgettable feeling of drowning and imminent death, and then landing face-first on a hard sticky surface,

I continued stumbling, trying to block out stubborn thoughts about the woman. I had no clue where I was, which planet I was in, or if this was a misapprehension. There had been something unnatural about those purple waters, a distinct eerie quality coupled to it. I was on the verge of launching into hysteric panic. but my mind- numb and unconscious- kept projecting ONE image into vision. My piano- my archaic, wooden , majestic piano.
Some part of me intuitively knew, that my escape was inevitably linked to music. But how? How could this damp, terrifying abode be linked to music? A key, a silver one, would have made more sense.Or perhaps a door.

Time had absolutely no meaning. The walls weren't parallel, so I didn't seem to be stranded in a corridor. I didn't seem to be in a relatively massive room either, since I only needed to trip over a few steps before coming in contact with another spiky wall.

Just as my mind was jumping to the sorry conclusion that this was simply an illusion that the woman had conjured, to put my unwavering determination to find it in perspective, I heard it. Piano pieces I had learnt and played before to break my silent vigil. But they weren't random. They all possessed a certain link that I effortlessly identified. As though in a trance, I followed the faint hammering of keys. My lack of need of vision seemed to have amplified my ability to hear. I lightly closed my eyes.

I could detect a bright purple light from beneath my eyelids. My escape route seemed to radiate it. Claustrophobia was closing in on me, so I began running, sprinting.
I cautiously opened my eyes, but I didn't dare look at the light. I could hear my feet pounding against the ground, and my hoarse breathing. The sudden burst of light placed my immediate surroundings into sharp focus. With a wave a nausea, I realized that the walls and floor were red... sticky....

I shut my eyes impulsively, and focused on the music instead. It was getting louder and clearer with every leap, until it felt so very close- I could have been playing it myself. I could recognize each note, each pitch without any hesitation. I reached out with quivering arms, and felt my piano. I valiantly opened my eyes once more, and caught a short glimpse of who was playing it. I gasped aloud.


Without any warning, my head broke the surface. I was oblivious to the frothy, billowing waves, but I now knew who had what I needed. I could see those crystal clear green eyes flashing before me.

A Heavenly Show

When we look into the night sky, we see an endless blanket of black
studded with stars and occasionally the moon, in beauty it doesn't lack
In big cities, it's obscured by clumps of debris and dust
invariably providing the sky with the dull color of rust
There are sparkling showers of fireworks on days like New Years Eve,
but with all the smoke and carried noise, we're a little reluctant to perceive
However, if you travel to the Arctic, in the north,
and focus entirely on the sky, not just a patch
you are likely to view nature's colorful display
without even needing to strike a match
Planet Earth has its very own fireworks display
but its so much more comforting and silent
these delightful shades are called 'Aurora Borealis'
and to our ears are so much less violent
The Sun, a fireball of heated gas, throws out particles from its surface
to prove its utmost strength and wrath
it's with so much force and energy- it turns into solar wind
and the Earth is usually right in its path
An Aurora at its most spectacular is created by this stream
eruptions, or solar flares, make it brighter than it seems
Contact with these particles- negative effects it will ultimately yield
but thankfully, we are protected by the Earth's atmospheric shield
But, some manage to break free and penetrate our atmosphere
and that's when you intuitively realize- the 'fireworks' are really here
When the molecules of atmospheric gases come in contact and then collide,
with the particles of the Sun, they emit breath-taking colors that glide
across the darkest of skies, giving out a haunting glow
and can turn the swallowing darkness into a dazzling light show
They create a truly mesmerizing pattern- rather like that of a curtain
in various shades of blue or green, the precise color's uncertain
By staring at them for under a minute, we're enthralled, hypnotized
and how disappointed we suddenly are at this gorgeous phenomenon's demise
About the Earth, there are quite a few topics about which we scarcely know
and this is definitely one of the lot- this entrancing, heavenly show