Saturday 17 April 2021

O is for O! Cloudsmen #AtoZChallenge

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the third week of the #Blogging from A to Z  April Challenge 2021. My theme this year is based on the Japanese concept of Ichigo Ichie which means--"What we are experiencing right now will never happen again. And therefore, we must value each moment like a beautiful treasure."

I've put together a collage of such moments which can be seen as chance occurrences, coincidences, pre-destined or random (depending on who you ask) for this month's challenge. 

I hope you'll enjoy being here.

Thank you.

Arti
*****
Sharing one of the Rules of Ichigo Ichie stated in the epilogue today:
"Make every gathering a party.
Don't wait for the right circumstances--a vacation, a trip, a birthday-- to experience extraordinary things. 
With the right frame of mind, every day can be a celebration."

Quote borrowed from The Book of Ichigo Ichie           

Walks, long walks, long morning walks are my refuge. If I were to pick a physical representation of Ichigo Ichie from my life, I'd pick morning walks: solo, silent and serene.

It's no surprise then that most of my poems, writing ideas take seed when I'm immersed in the walk. The walks start the same way--noticing trees, cars, buildings, the path and the sky as they pass me by. I carry on--one foot, then another on a path I'm so familiar with that I often find myself getting lost. In the familiar and the ordinary, lives a world that takes hold of me and my thoughts. I dissolve. So that when at the end of the walk,  I turn the key to start my car, a smile grows inside and outside. I'm born again.
(note: I have to drive to a park to walk. Yes, I get the irony.)

H.G. Wells' words: "Once you lose yourself, you have two choices: find the person you used to be, or lose that person completely." put it more eloquently than I can ever manage.

Imagine losing the old self often, and discovering a new you everyday! The rooster in the film Peter Rabbit comes to mind. Imagine the wonder!

The poem I'm sharing today is an ode to The Torch, a 300 metre tall tower that is a five star hotel. I see the Torch every day on my walks.

Rainfall is rare in Doha. So, when clouds gather in our skies, we write poetry, sing songs and pray for rain. You'll find Instagram posts in Doha carry only cloudscapes when Cirrus, Cumulus or Nimbus come by.

O! Cloudsmen
O! Cloudsmen,
tell me where all you've been.
Show me sights you've seen:
lakes, rivers, puddles, meadows,
mountains, cities, gardens, ghettos.

"Rain your songs on me.
Shower me with your stories",  says
the Torch to the flock of clouds who pass him by
in Doha sky.

Says he,
"Encased in my garment of steel, I stand 
grounded and tall, occupying
space like trees, butterflies, humans and all.

Clouds, you dance.
I glow.

You travel.
I don't.

Yet, you and I are tenants of the same cosmos, tethered
to each other with stories, of course.

Tell me more.
Tell me another,
O! Vapour like brother. 
Help me fly 
with your chatter.

Although, I'm happy 
in my state of matter: solidity suits me,
but every once in a while,
your flocks' fluttery flight 
intrigues me.

So, I ask you this favour:
stories you've witnessed,
let me also savour.

And when you fly 
to your next sky,
tell the ones who are keen
that in Doha you'd once seen
a Torch who wore
an armour of steel, but housed
a poet's heart
to feel.
*****

Note:I read Namratha's poem, The world whispers - whisper back recently and was inspired to try out line breaks after the verb in this poem. 
Does it work?
Honest feedback will be handled well here. This blog belongs to a girl who's grown up;)
Are you fond of walks?
When do you feel most inspired to write?
Do you have a favourite activity to go to for inspiration or when you feel stuck?
You know I'd love to hear, if you'd like to share.

As we close another week of the A to Z,
I can sense fatigue.
Noticed a bevy of typos and spelling mistakes 
in my post from yesterday!
Apologies, I say.
 
Wishing you a restful Sunday.
See you with P
on Monday.


This year, I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z  powered by theblogchatter.com 

30 comments:

  1. I too go for a walk. Either around the apartment complex or just outside on the street. There are nice parks nearby, all walking distance. Since it's Covid, I have been avoiding them.
    I would love to run rather than walk. But I have now sort of come to terms with my age and accepted that I can no longer run like I used earlier and that I have to instead go for long walks.
    Indeed, that's a time when I too introspect or observe the trees, plants, birds, vehicles, buildings, people ... There are a number of things around us that we often miss, don't we?
    O for Obbattu

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    1. Thank you for sharing your walks here Pradeep. I gave up on my run/walk model last year too:) Better to age gracefully than painfully, I say:)

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  2. Lovely poem, Arti. Line breaks after verbs do work well when the poet knows what they are doing. That's why your poem and Namy's appear natural and effortless.
    I do like to walk but on my terrace. My inspiration has no sense of discipline. It does what it wants, lol.

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    1. You're good for the poet ego that resides in me Sri. Thank you.
      And I like the sound of your wild inspiration--it sounds like a free spirit to me.

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  3. What a lovely thought for O Arti. Like you i love walking. given a chance, I'd walk everywhere because I believe it gives me an opportunity to slow down. Things that woosh by in a car or train suddenly stand out differently.

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    1. So true Anusha.
      Thank you for visiting:)

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  4. ‘I turn the key to start my car, a smile grows inside and outside. I'm born again.’—- I loved this & I so relate with this!
    I repeat, Art resides in you. Its strange of you mention about walks today & just today I had checked up the meaning of Bidda —- Bidda is derived from the Arabic word Badda meaning “to invent”. I love my morning walks in Al Bidda. it's here I park my creativity & take it for a walk along with me ( when my friends or family don’t join me) for company. It’s processed here mostly where I arrange/ rearrange my thoughts, actually think a loud and hear myself. Talking about inspirations, it’s equally true, it’s crazy just like me, even a fight, a recipe, a bathroom or a bad habit can inspire me too... it does have a mind of its own!

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    1. Thank you for sharing the meaning of Bidda Vidya.
      And the idea of you parking your creativity in the park makes me smile. I think of it as a cloud that likes to hang around parks and walking paths and it rains down ideas (sometimes in drops and at others in monsoon showers) when we lose our 'selves'.

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  5. Hari Om
    Yes, to the verb breaks!
    Yes, to walks - though these are tragically few for me nowadays - never mind COVID, my mobility is reduced.
    Inspiration can hit at anytime; active writing is either early morning - or late (late) evening.
    Crochet and sacred music usually free up my mind when it has got 'bound'.
    AZzzz is starting to hit, it is true - shows up in brevity of comments!!!
    YAM xx

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    1. Ha! HA! even in your brevity, there is fullness of love. Thank you Yamini.
      Hugs.

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  6. Nice to see that the tower (and the fresh air of morning)inspired a poem. I miss my morning walks, especially after I took to yoga. Loved the poem. The moving and the unmoving, both are part of same cosmos. Stories do bind us all together. Wonderful.

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    1. Thank you so much for reading and for the comment.
      Yes, stories bind us and sadly, they are also used to divide us. Otherwise, we are all the same--carbon based life form.

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  7. What a delightful poem! I love to walk and do so every day whatever the weather, along the nearby beach or in a neighbouring wood. That's when I'm inspired, when stories appear from nowhere.

    Here's my O!

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    1. You sound just like me Keith:)
      And I've walked in your neck of the woods. You are blessed to call a stunning coastline your pathway.

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  8. That poem was great! I love to walk too, though I rarely if ever walk alone (because I can't safely due to my multiple disabilities). Walking definitely inspires me.

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    1. Thank you for visiting Astrid.
      I'm glad you enjoyed the poem.

      Delete
  9. Your poem makes me swoon Arti. Truly. The minute I saw the title I was lost - O! Cloudsmen. Sigh. Beautiful, magical clouds.

    The verb breaks absolutely work. I have some of my most inspired thoughts when in the bath or working with fragrance. But walks and gardens are perfect too - they seem to help empty me so new things can fill me.

    I'm feeling fatigued as well. I'm not getting to visit nearly as many blogs as I'd like either which discourages me. Hopefully next week will bring an influx of energy and time.

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    1. Sending you a big hug and a boost of energy vibe Deborah:)
      I love the idea of 'emptying' you mention in your comment. Thank you.

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  10. My husband and I love to go on hikes. We've been working on a family home for the past few months so sadly haven't been able to go on our usual hikes and I really miss it. It is so wonderful to be out in nature. I love your morning walk ritual. What a great way to start your day. Weekends In Maine

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    1. Thank you Karen.
      As we are empty nesters now and as I quit my day job a couple of years ago, I can embrace this routine. Must say though, the A to Z is in getting in the way. It's evening walks in April for me.

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  11. This is beautiful!! And I can just hear it performed in spoken word! :)

    The Multicolored Diary

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    1. Thank you:)
      So happy to read your comment. Yay!

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  12. I love the torch...I read or listen to music- always inspiring-though to be honest sometimes I just get so lost that I forget that I was to write! Your poems are lovely Arti

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    1. Getting lost is where you need to be to be able to write the way you do Arti.
      Trust me, the music and the reading is doing what they're supposed to do. Your stories are proof.

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  13. I love morning walks too, solo, silent and thoughtful. My favorite time of the day before the rush.

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  14. I enjoyed this poem very much. I do enjoy walks, and sometimes they inspire me to writing or art. I always take lots of pictures of things I notice.
    Black and White: O for Oz

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    1. Thank you for visiting Anne.
      I'm seeing your comment today--it's the 25th of April!
      Good to know your walks inspire you too:)

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  15. Lovely poem Arti... And you have nailed the breaks just like Namy :)!I too love walks... I love listening to music while walking... But after moving to Netherlands I don't listen to music while walking... So that I can bask in the nature and seep in every moment of it with undivided focus :)

    And this quote of yours floored me today :

    "Once you lose yourself, you have two choices: find the person you used to be, or lose that person completely."

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    1. Your immersion in nature on your walks shines through your poems Ira. I can see that in the snow, the tulips, the window panes...it's all there and I love it.
      Thank you for reading all the posts in one go:)

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