Sunday, December 22, 2013

Merry Christmas!

Christmas traditional colors include pine green, heart red and snow white-
colors that cast a radiant glow throughout the endless course of night
Hanukkah and winter are represented by the everlasting shades of white and blue,
gold, silver or any metallic color constitute other classic Christmas hues
The typical images comprise Baby Jesus, Bethlehem's star, and most importantly, Santa Claus
who is intimidating enough to make little children rethink all their flaws
So, far from their outlook of being the time to be jolly,
youngsters strive to redeem their every little mischief and folly
While the main winter icons are icicles, polar bears and snow flakes,
the main winter delicacies include roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and plum cake
The most prominent existing rituals surrounding the winter solstice,
is that constructed from evergreen boughs- the unavoidable tree of Christmas
The adaptation of Pagan worship of the following frosty tree,
is draped with ornaments and iridescent lights the entire world can jovially see
The popularity of holiday plants has been innate, but has hurriedly continued to grow,
as does the presence of ivy, holly, Christmas cactus and mistletoe
Wreaths are put together with ribbons and many an artificial conifer branch,
alongside garlands, with pine cones, sprays of berries, and broadleaf foliage
People embellish the town square and their respective houses throughout the wintry day,
after which the dark is lit up by glowing snowmen, lights and wooden sleighs
Whilst Christmas banners sway from every electric light implanted on the street,
stockings dangling above the fireplace are stuffed with unimaginable treats
Little children, in their haste to earn some money, take up the responsibility to sell
little Christmas gifts, such as metal angels, candy canes, candles and bells
Enchanting Christmas carols, by citizens of all ages, are sung,
beneath the resplendent ceilings of the church, from where flowing decorations are hung
In terms of festivals, Christmas is like an eagerly-awaited treasure-
one where people take a deep breath, and celebrate it with pleasure
For children, in particular, it's the most magical segment of the year,
and to Christians, and people of other religions, it is a time that is cherished and dear
Therefore, I'll finally conclude:
Christmas isn't only about the gifts, lights and food
It's about spending some time with our family, and with life-time friends,
while enmity between others is put to an abrupt end
So, I'll say to every reader who reads this-
Have a heartfelt, unforgettable Christmas!
 

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
unable to foresee your future plight...

You were once the sovereign of the forests and lands,
the fate of helpless prey, nestled in your hands
Your fighting style portrays that you are fearless and strong,
unaccompanied, solitary, rarely traveling in a throng
The trivial animals- gaur, antelope and deer,
survey your presence with unmistakable fear
Even the most majestic creatures bowed down to your power,
whilst the feeble animals would flee or cower
Unfortunately, as your strength grows, so does man's intelligence,
which is why the rapid dwindling of numbers has sadly commenced

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
beginning to sense your current plight

With man's knowledge and affiliation towards natural medicine,
arrives the poaching of your kind- for the lush, striped skin
The teeth, bones, whiskers, that people exploit
effortlessly overwhelm a tiger's hunting skill so adroit
Ignorant people hunt you- for no meaning, just to entertain
however, while it causes them pleasure, it causes your species pain
But more than that, is the heartless destruction of your home,
for without a suitable habitat, you cannot comfortably feed or roam
With the annihilation of your domain, comes the dearth of lumber
which exposes you in the wild, thereby steadily reducing your numbers
And then, as realization hits, you inevitably know-
man, the most developed living things, are now your greatest foe

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
suffering under your present plight

Humans attempt, in vain, to redeem their irredeemable mistake,
and hence invest in various projects that they wish to undertake
So they set up wildlife sanctuaries, and countless tiger reserves,
which somehow doesn't equalize the healthy surroundings you deserve
And your population is meager, and is consistently going down
by a batch of poachers who don't mind hunting, all year around
From being the supreme superior, the fiercest one to rule,
you are kneeling before select individuals, who are plain, heartless and cruel
From being the invaluable, irreplaceable symbol of our nation,
your digits are shrinking due to man- and their quest for urbanization
Certainly, the numbers of your species have patently diminished,
but let there remain a flicker of hope- your species isn't finished

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
Struggling to survive against your persistent plight 
   

Sunday, December 15, 2013

To My Sister...

Initially, at your arrival, I had a look of deepest, pure loathe
that gradually ebbed away as you went through the stages of growth
Certainly, I had been clueless, as to what your presence would really mean
but I was definitely sure of one thing- I would no longer be the queen
I would push you around day by day, though I'm not convinced if you can recall
but I would never leave you, or be satisfied, until you had a straight fall
Yet, you would bounce back up, twinkling, taking my jealousy with such good grace
whereas I would be scratching my head, stunned, a bewildered expression on my face
Wherever I would be loitering around the house, my whereabouts you would locate
and whatever I was doing at that particular moment, you would instantly replicate
Of course, I'm talking about a few months after your blessed birth,
when we mutually thought we were the most fascinating things ever to grace this Earth
I would survey you with glee, as around the house you began to crawl
and you would look at me in unconcealed awe, as I spoke in my american drawl
However, the second we stepped outside, my outlook would twist and turn
I became fiercely protective- my manner changing from teasing to stern
whenever you would come to pre-school, all my friends would eagerly crowd
"What an adorable baby!" they would all shout aloud
Simultaneously, my face would flood with color, I would give an incensed scowl
"Get away, that's my sister!" I would furiously howl
And you would beam around, apparently very pleased with yourself

Our relatives always say, that as a toddler, I was surprisingly alert,
and that my expressions would constantly range from a contemptuous glare,
to one rather hurt
But you, on the other hand, would always have an oblivious, warming smile,
that would reach the hearts of people beyond the proximity of a mile
You would grin contentedly as you ate, and all the more as you slept,
while I would watch admiringly, at the perfect demeanor you kept
But these events took place when you were an infant- I'm sure you can't remember
all the idiosyncrasies you found and honed, from January till December
I'm well aware- of my posting this, you are very strongly opposed
so I'll end the poem right here and now, to avoid any other rows
Thus, I'll simply say-
you've made me what I am today

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Golden Portals

The storm was advancing, slowly but surely, carving the path of carnage. What used to be lush, green trees, was now a mangled mass of defeated timber and dry leaves. What used to be majestic lodgings, was now a torn-down fiasco of bricks, glass and cement. It was spreading its tentacles throughout the continent- dubious and lethal. Top meteorologists were at a complete loss as to how to explain its formation. But there was one thing they didn't know about, and that was the hurricane's roots. They didn't know that a similar, very similar storm had occurred, millennia ago. But most of all, they were unaware of the fact that it had resurfaced from an area billions of miles away from their home planet.

                                     *                        *                          *
Lea carefully climbed down the tree on which she had been perched, the pleasant breeze that had sprung up in the morning was speedily transforming into a gale. There were a score of leaves tangled painfully in her hair, and she was attempting to spit out a mouthful of dirt she had encountered. Just as she was intending on never blessing the wind again, she heard a resounding crash from the bicycle shed. Moaning in dismay, Lea immediately spotted the shattered windows, with shards of glass flying in every direction. Mystified, she realized that it was the wind that had fragmented the windows.
Advancing cautiously, and wincing occasionally whenever her leg came in contact with a glass splinter, she sighed in relief once she saw that her bicycle hadn't met with the same fate.
But when she looked up, she saw something that instantly caught her eye. In the distance- a hovering column of vibrating air, which didn't seem to be moving, but was enlarging with every passing second. Mouth going very dry, she gazed at it in disbelief. It was undoubtedly the storm that was invading the news channel. Nonetheless...it had last been sighted in the inconspicuous town Pleuvoir, a thousand miles from hers, only yesterday. It was impossible that a storm could have traveled so abnormally fast. Maybe there were two or three of them....
Lea was certain there weren't two or three of them.
Abandoning all precautions, it took Lea one more minute to make the most reckless decision she had ever made in her life.

Lea was heading towards the storm, gripping the bicycle handles- stopping her blood circulation, and pedaling furiously. Her legs were struggling against the persistent wind, and her face was pale with exhaustion. The gale was putting up a terrific fight, and it took the combination of Lea's willpower and curiosity to battle it. She had heard about the storm from her brother, a meteorology student, but had never realized that it was of such a sheer magnitude. It was only when she rounded the corner, did she hear it. The sound of the twister, louder than a thousand landslides, hurtling in her direction. Then she saw it- the gigantic column of air she had witnessed earlier.
Paralyzed with fear, it all came crashing down on her. She had meant to ride parallel to it, but instead she had been hurrying towards it.
And it was so high- it seemed limitless, eternal. But that didn't diminish its velocity. It was rushing towards Lea at an incredible speed, a horrifying one.
It took a minute for Lea to properly register her current plight, but once she did, she turned her bicycle, with great difficulty, away from the rotating mass.
However, this time the air was on her side. It pushed at her relentlessly, thereby increasing the distance between her and the rotating mass. But knowing that she only had seconds to spare, she carefully deviated from her route, and the force sent her sprawling haphazardly on the freshly mowed grass of someone's lawn.
Unfortunately, she still wasn't completely out of range, so she noticed perceptible ocher specks shooting out of the storm, like molten gold, against the motes of dust. One flick invariably reached her cheek, and the impact sent her once more, flaying headfirst into the soft grass. She felt it penetrate through her skin, and the sensation of it flowing through her bloodstream. It disoriented her, but simultaneously, she could feel the rush of adrenaline sharpening her senses.
Without further ado, but completely unnerved, she found her way back to her bungalow, which was mercifully, left untouched.

The second Lea stumbled into her house, she found her brother, Tim, carrying a stash of papers, and muttering feverishly to himself.
"What's the matter," she asked him concernedly, closing the door carefully behind her.
"What?" he asked distractedly. "Oh, it's our department. It's unable to explain this storm. Just a second, let me show you." He extracted an old, crinkly sheet of paper from the towering pile, and read it aloud to his sister, who was feigning interest. He cleared his throat and began.
"Studies say that meteorologists couldn't explain or confirm the birth and formation of the tempest. It appears to resemble a tornadic thunderstorm, but the rotating updraft that produces the tornado isn't extending into the main body of a cloud."
He put the sheet down, looking agitated.
"And, observers reported that there was never any cloud proximal to the twister. The direction of rotation of the swirling air is erratic, and its path of movement untraceable, and utterly unpredictable. Topped with that, the force with which it strikes land is phenomenal.
And the most disagreeable part- it's headed straight towards our town."
Lea grimaced at the end of Tim's professional speech.
"Well... does it seem to emit anything?" she asked him hopefully.
"No, of course not," he replied, suddenly dismissive. His expression turned stern.
"Why would you ask?"
Feeling it best not to answer, Lea hurried to her room, slamming the door. The first she noticed was how dark it was. It was early evening, yet there wasn't even a celestial glow of light. The power lines were down, unsurprisingly, and the temperature was dropping continuously. The wind sounded like a symphony of agonized ghosts, rattling and shaking the window panes, as though craving the warmth.
All of a sudden, in her yard, she perceived a deafening sound- like a meteor had struck the land. She peered outside, and with a thrill of horror, saw the disfigured remnants of her old tree.
Tripping backwards, she sprinted to her door to warn Tim, with the gale overwhelming her, weakening her.
The door wouldn't budge.
The blowing wind was too dominant.
Lea could feel the golden spark flowing through her systems, sending through jitters, evoking shivers.
Defeated, she tripped into her bed, and curled up under the covers. A violent flash of lightning illuminated her surroundings for approximately five seconds.
Shocked by the destruction, she shut her eyes tightly, to avoid any more despair. She could sense another flare of lightning. She saw it shine beneath her eyelids... there was still no thunder.
She waited in vain, for the storm to cease.
It didn't. If anything, it exacerbated. It became twice as chilly, twice as windy, and twice as uncontrollable. Finally, gathering up all the courage she could muster, she reluctantly opened her eyes.
But she wasn't in her room anymore.

                                             *                                *                                *
Lea could only see... black. Everywhere in every direction she craned her stiff neck. Yet, she could tell, intuitively, that she wasn't on Earth. She wasn't aware of much-it was all too much too absorb- but she did know that she was seizing something so securely, she felt as though her blood vessels would burst from the pressure. Whatever she was gripping was draining her energy, her warmth, and whatever feeble courage that had been instilled in her.
Her feelings were extreme- her terror, confusion, helplessness and hopelessness had all been multiplies exponentially. Never before, had Lea experienced emotions of such immensity. Shivering, chilled to the bone, but feeling slightly feverish concurrently, she clutched at the rough, icy piece of rock like her lifeline. The force of the wind was astronomical, incompatible- instead of lightly whipping through her hair, it felt like it was parting it from her scalp. Opening her eyes was excruciating, but closing them unbearable. She yearned for warmth, but it was out of reach.
Time passed.

Lea finally moderately adapted to her surroundings- she could blink without wincing, and breathe without coughing. She began to think rationally.
She hadn't landed herself into an illusion- the strength of her emotions took care of that train of thought. Her burning eyes could, at long last, focus considerably on specks in the distance.
But she still couldn't bring herself to loosen her hold- her fear of being tossed around like a paper bag in the cosmos ensured that.
Instead, she found herself staring at a pale blue dot, millions of miles away. Something stirred inside her at its sight... nostalgia, perhaps?
In the time it took to outrun a snail, Lea realized what she was staring at.
It was her home planet.
Earth.
But if that was Earth... then what was she clinging so desperately to?
For the second time, curiosity won over fear. Gathering up all the valor she possessed, she daringly turned around.
She nearly blacked out at what she saw.

She could see a shade of brownish-gold, only brownish-gold. The color was blindingly bright, but what stunned her the most was its enormity. It extended endlessly in all directions, like an inexhaustible stretch of sand. The majority of her awe, however, was reserved for what lay beyond.
A massive, gigantic ball of yellow gas. Under the translucent barrier that shrouded the central body, she could detect an immense storm brewing. All the same, the hues remained intriguing.
Now that her breathing had slowed down, she could feel the centrifugal force pulling her, as though determined to sever her from the lifeline she was clutching to.
Out of the blue, her brother's monotonous seminars came flooding back to her.
"Saturn's rings are of a luminous brown, and the main body takes on a beautiful, pale yellow with hints of orange. With a more powerful telescope, you can see subtle cloud layers, churning storms blending orange and white together."
Fighting for breath, she could finally discern her location and predicament. She had landed herself on Saturn, and was grasping the serrated, extreme edge of one of its rings.
She remembered how she had once found Tim's interests in planets contagious. Without meaning to, she had researched about all of Saturn's rings. She could still recall their names- D ring, A ring, Pallene ring, Phoebe ring, Janus ring...
She was stranded all because of that golden spark that she had hastily ran herself into. She was on the planet that had never been visited by manmade probes, untouched by human influence. She was on the planet from which the Sun looked like a wavering white speck, and from which she could view Jupiter's giant red spot, like a minute drop of blood.
Frightened out of her wits, but inspired at the same time, she dwelled upon how it was Tim's aspiration and dream to be one of the first to set foot on Saturn.
And here she was... unappreciative of her seeming quandary, which may actually prove to be a blessing in disguise.
At that point of time, she wanted nothing more, than for Tim to be with her.
The solitude was becoming unendurable. Wheezing from dehydration, she whimpered miserably.
She was alone, her house was miles away, she was completely ill-equipped to deal with the situation, and she knew that she was letting such a special opportunity slip through her fingers. For the thousandth time, she wondered as to how she was able to breathe...
Once again, time passed, astonishingly slow.

"Lea"
She could here Tim's hoarse voice miraculously close, echoing through the void. He had found her, somehow, as though answering her unspoken plea.
"Lea, look up."
She obeyed silently. Then, amazingly, she saw her brother's form, shimmering tantalizingly above her. The apparition wasn't solid, but it was still dauntingly close.
"Lea, come on!"
Come where? There was nowhere to go, unless he meant entering the depths of the planet before them.
"Lea, we have to go to the basement!"
The basement? She had thought the basement was lying alone somewhere in that pale blue dot she spotted in the distance.
"LEA. Let go!"
Though she had reservations about fulfilling that requirement, she gave a sigh of defeat, and promptly loosened her grip from the icy surface of Saturn's rings.
It was the second time she didn't find herself in the same location as the previous.

                                   *                        *                       *
Lea heard the distinct growl of the thunderstorm... back on Earth. She heard the faint rattling of her furniture, and she could feel the vibrations of her floor. There came another gleam of lightning.
Startled out of her mind, she clambered up. She noticed that she had been gripping the foot of her bed so tightly, her hands were raw, and her fingers felt frayed.
Her brother was panting at the door, motioning her to follow him. Looking out of her cracked window, at the devastation that lay beyond it, she submissively trailed behind him. They were silent until they reached the safety of their basement.
Turning towards her, Tim spoke sharply. "Tell me exactly what happened."
Lea had just realized that she had only been away for a few minutes, and that she had spotted the storm a few short hours ago.
"Well... I saw the storm hovering several miles from our house, and I got curious. So... I followed it and somehow landed on Saturn."
It sounded ridiculous even when she said it.
Tim, however, looked at her oddly. "Did you know that you hadn't gone anywhere? You had turned rigid and frozen, with a faraway look in your eyes, you weren't responding to my questions, but you were definitely there."
By then, Lea was ashamed of her superficial explanation.
"Tim," she continued. "When I came close to the storm, I observed golden sparks being emitted. One was absorbed by my skin, and after that, I found myself gripping the edges of a ring of Saturn."
Tim was staring at her so intently, it was becoming uncomfortable.
At long last, he moved towards his stack of meteorology notes. He extricated a sheet that was buried at the bottom of the pile, and straightened it out. He studied it for an unbelievably long time.
Instead of relaxing, Lea could feel more nervous energy pouring into her, and was becoming more alert with every word her brother read.
Could her detour have been an illusion? It seemed unlikely. The power of her emotions, the wind, the temperature, the vivid colors, and the pale blue dot- it had all seemed crystal clear.
Tim eventually cleared his throat.
"Lea, these papers are severely restricted to any prying eyes, and only my laboratory, which comprises of about a hundred people, know about this."
For once, Lea didn't brace herself for another tedious lecture.
"In 301 AD, a storm very similar to the one that is striking right now, had occurred. Both the storms' movement, magnitude and unpredictability match precisely, but there is one difference."
He looked at her cautiously.
"You said that the storm had given out golden sparks. However, the storm at that time had emitted  blue sparks. And, anyone who came in contact with the 'liquid sapphire', had found themselves stranded on the surface of Neptune."
Finally, finally, events were beginning to fall into place. Her brother continued.
"But, they weren't transported to Neptune. Only their subconscious had traveled to Neptune. Their body, however, remained on Earth, in the midst of the storm..."
He stopped abruptly, and then spoke directly to her.
"....and I think that's exactly what had happened to you."
Lea sighed in relief. Yes... that was exactly what had happened to her. Everything fit perfectly, like a jigsaw. Despite that, there was still one more thing troubling her...
"Tim," she began. "It was certainly... terrifying, but that wasn't the worst part. You've always wanted to be one of the first to explore Saturn- I was given the perfect chance, and I let it while away. I'm sure I won't get another opportunity like that again."
But, to Lea's intense surprise, her brother didn't appear disappointed. On the contrary, his eyes were glowing, and he was shaking with anticipation.
"Lea," he choked. "Let's go follow the storm. It's still in close range, and I simply have to go. But I'm not going to go alone."
His eyes glinted with excitement. "I need a guide with experience."
Lea didn't spend any time making up her mind- her decision was already made.
"Let's go, then!" she shrieked.
The siblings rushed to the bicycle shed, with its shattered window, and pulled out their respective cycles. Lea's mind was more determined than it had ever been in her entire life.
"Let's go chase this storm," she heard her brother say. His expression mirrored hers flawlessly. "Let's seize this golden opportunity."
Leaving everything behind, they pedaled towards the rotating, lethal storm, in search of those golden portals, which could change her brother's life.