Thursday 29 April 2021

Y is for You and I and Yesterday #AtoZChallenge

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the penultimate post 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."

Today, I'm sharing a poem about an ordinary, everyday, evanescent moment that got captured in the amber of attention and turned into a delight.

I hope you'll enjoy being here.

Thank you.

Arti
One of the Eight Zen Lessons for an Ichigo Ichie Life, listed in The Book of Ichigo Ichie is:

Savour this moment as if it were your last breath.

You can live only one day at a time, and no one can be certain that they will wake up the next morning. So, let's not postpone happiness. 
The best moment of your life is always this one.

This happened one morning as I lay in bed; in the in-between time of sleep and wakefulness.

When words pitter patter on half-opened eyelids, magic mingles with moments that hang precariously on the edges of that which has been lived and that which is yet to be.

I try to hold on to them in my hands, my mind, capture them in my pen to feed the hungry, empty pages of my notebook lying by the bed. But, they flutter away as gently as they'd arrived into crevices that exist in between wakefulness and dreams.

Yesterday, while I lay in bed looking at my love, the early morning sun reached him and me, rising through paper blinds that hang from our bedroom window beams.

These words appeared or did I see them for the first time?

Perhaps, they've always been planted inside those translucent concertina folds of the paper blinds.

I don't know, but a love poem rose with diamonds of dust and settled on wrinkles of pillow covers, dove blue-pale and soft with washes. 

The poem is called You and I.

I shared it on Instagram--so, it may be familiar to some who read it then.
You and I
You and I
we fit
your breath, my skin
my kiss, your lips
your heart, our beat
gaps between my fingers
your presence fills.

You and I
we fit
like dew on petal
one on one
complete.
A moment such as this
captured in bliss
you and I
we fit.
Just in case you're wondering about the overly romantic tone of today's post, let me shift the blame from my heart and put it squarely in the weather gods' box. It's raining in Doha!

This happens rarely and last year we didn't get much rain at all. So, it's celebration time. I can hear birdsong over the pitter-patter of rainfall, the neem blooms are dancing like drunken souls, all the leaves--big, small, lush, dusty look like they've seen God. They look so happy. The bulbul and the mynah aren't taking refuge. No sir! They're busy gobbling mulberries and dancing on the branches. Pink Oleander blooms are nodding as if to say--these young'uns -- and the blushing bunches of Madhumalti (Rangoon creeper) from the other end of the garden are sighing happily --'Yes, We know!' they whisper to the music of this long-awaited rain.

We are all dancing with joy.

I had to capture this precious, precious moment for who knows when the clouds will get heavy again and when they will want to let go of their burden and when the stars will align for their shedding to happen over Doha sky? Who knows.

The rain is distracting me:)

I almost forgot to mention that if by chance (after reading the poem above) you're imagining the husband to be flawless and that the two of us often sing duets into sunsets, let me stop you right there. He comes with as many faults as I do.

But his biggest obsession that I have the strongest objection to is his phone. Yes, I understand his work demands it--no, seriously, it does. But Covid-19 induced sequestering had taken his obsession to a new galactic level.

There I was--paying attention to dust diamonds and there he was -- paying no attention to what I was saying. All his attention was dedicated to the phone screen. I would've called it murdering Ichigo Ichie if I had known the term then. But I didn't. So what did I do? I wrote a poem, recorded it and shared it on Mirchi Scribbled.

He got the message loud and clear. He was the one who recorded it! He had to listen. I'm glad to report that he makes time to put his phone down and listen, really listen these days. We are both learning to find our way to be more like dewdrops and petals.

If you're wondering what I'm on about, you'll understand after you watch it:

It's called, Yesterday is not alive.
When I saw the video again, just before posting it, I noticed all the faults/mistakes/pauses/ fumbles but after the X post of yesterday, I'm cutting myself some slack and offering you poetry with a grateful heart.
Are you a lover of rain?
Do you live with someone who's too attached to their phone screen or any screen?
Do you write letters or poetry to make your voice heard?
You know I'd love to hear, if you'd like to share.

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

39 comments:

  1. I love rain! It's my favorite season. :D Love the lotus flower. It's so vibrant and innocent.
    Love your poem too. Short, melodious, and heartwarming.
    I did say dragonflies signify rain, didn't I? :P

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    1. Yes you did:)
      Sadly, the rain lasted only 15 minutes!!!

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    2. Uh oh... I hope it rains again and lasts longer this time. Let's invite a few dragonflies for a dance in your garden.

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  2. Hari OM
    I have to accept rain, here by the Hutch... in OZ and India, I felt about rain as you do. Here, the joyous response is kept for the arrival of dry, warm days!

    Loved your recitiation, Arti - you hear hesitations - I heard only a flow of wonderful clarity and truth spoken to the heart! YAM xx

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  3. One can feel your heart dancing to the beat of the rain. Enjoy the dance, friend.

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    1. It was short-lived but I enjoyed it while it lasted:)

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  4. Attachment to screen is something a lot of us are guilty of and are consciously making efforts to avoid.
    I love the beautiful smell coming from the soil after being kissed by the first drops of rain.

    https://pagesfromjayashree.blogspot.com/2021/04/y-for-yule-ball.html

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    1. Yes, me too. In Hindi, it's called saundhi khushboo.

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  5. A lovely post- Thoroughly enjoyed reading /hearing it....

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  6. O, I loved reading this, Arti ... Maybe because I too love rains! ... Even now, if I am on my way home and it rains, I would come home drenched rather than put on the raincoat!

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    1. Thank you for sharing your rain-infused joy Pradeep. It's infectious:)

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  7. A delightful piece from beginning to end. Often, the first thing people associate England with is rain. Well, right now I'm desperate to see some! We haven't had a drop for ages and my watering can really needs a rest!

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    1. England has seen a few dry periods in the last few years. And strangely, 30 degrees in England seem hotter than 30 degrees in Doha. I don't know why.

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  8. So were you heard Loud & Clear??? Such a sweet poem! Loved the last few lines. U & I can make all the difference, PROVIDED there is no cricket, no news, no whatsapp discussions on sports/politics,no You tube videos so on & so forth.Actually Covid made it official, but we were already getting used to 'Isolation'process with our IPADs, MOBILES and all the gadget family. From grandparents to children no is spared in this addiction. Its interesting each one finds the other one addicted while justifying themselves & their own purposes.
    Rains are so welcome especially where we stay now! Today's morning walk in the rain was so refreshing & birds impromptu musical orchestra was simply fabulous.Loved it.
    Am at such a stage that, even when I scream my lungs out, nobody hears....so letters & poetry stands no chance at all! Iam inspired by that mom who switched off Wifi to be heard. laugh! laugh!

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    1. Their listening time will come Vidya -- I hope sooner than the disconnecting of WiFi happens:)

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  9. I love rain too ;) Not too long, not too cold, but I like the smell of the heart!

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  10. Amazing poetry, and great listening to you rather than reading it. It made this post special. Truth held to face, no wonder the person who recorded this got the message... :)

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  11. A beautiful, romantic poem! Loved it ❤️

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  12. Oh how I adore a good love poem, and yours certainly is that Arti. It melted my heart. And your Yesterday is Not Alive is brilliant as well - so thought-provoking and powerful. This one set my heart on fire, and I'm haunted by the image "we will come alive in our yesterdays in the future in someone else’s lines." I hereby declare you the best advocate in the lay-down-your-phones movement. I'm so glad to hear it's had a positive impact with your beloved. Perfect! P.S. I saw absolutely no stumbles or fumbles or anything amiss on the recording - just beauty and power.

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    1. Your comments always make me feel super chuffed with myself dear Deborah. This one is no exception.
      Thank you. xx

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  13. Loved the description of the writing, the words appearing and drifting away - that happens to me all the time! Loved the bit of romance :-)
    https://iainkellywriting.com/2021/04/29/the-state-trilogy-a-z-guide-y/

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    1. Thank you Iain. So glad you liked it:)

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  14. Very much enjoyed your video of Yesterday is Not Alive; any minor pauses went unnoticed. Had to smile that your husband took notice because he was the one who taped your recitation. Whatever works!
    Yes, I love the rain and often stand and watch, especially during a downpour (which we have often in Hawaii.) I am not fond of phone conversations and distance myself from people who have their phone welded to their hand.
    https://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you Gail.
      The rain stopped after 15 minutes yesterday and there are no clouds in the sky today. So, the image of Hawaiian downpours are very, very welcome:)

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  15. I so so love your description of nature Arti... You make the experience come alive literally with your words. I had read the love poem earlier of urs :). And I just loved loved loved these lines in your post

    "love poem rose with diamonds of dust and settled on wrinkles of pillow covers, dove blue-pale and soft with washes."

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    1. Thank you Ira...your poetry makes me zingy too:)

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  16. My husband is a little too attached to his phone too although I guess we all are to some extent. He is not perfect (nor am I) but we do fit. Weekends In Maine

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  17. That beginning was so beautiful! Not a fan of rains but I am a fan of writing poems. It's a newfound skill :)

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    1. Lovely!
      I hope to read your poetry Suchita.
      Thank you for stopping by.

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  18. What beautiful lines and just how you converted the screen addict to an attentive pati dev Arti 😀😀.
    I absolutely love the sound and the smell of rain ! We did have a short spell of rain last week and I more than lapped it up ! Now we wait for the Rain Gods to take pity on us yet again.

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    1. The screen addiction is not so easy to quit Sharmila. I'm thankful for the 'attentive' periods in between:)
      Thank you for reading.
      Enjoy the rains when they come. xx

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