Rocky Terrain

Sue Vincent’s #Writephoto

Rocks don’t inspire me
But hostile terrain beckons
I’ve no choice
I can’t give up my chase
If the cure lies beyond.

Thank you for the inspiration Sue. We are all on this terrain.

I have been writing poetry, deriving solace from the spring, heralding change – a brilliant reminder that nature remains untouched despite the encroachments that have been made on her beauty.

The fiery touch of Corona virus that nature has sent to show who is in command, is just the beginning of a new era for mankind who didn’t bother to heed the warnings. William Wordsworth’s prophetic lines come to my mind:

“To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.“

I’ve kept my cool by keeping my thoughts positive, by reiterating the message of the universe that nothing is permanent.

I’ve been listening to music more than the news to keep my sanity.

I come from the family of doctors and many of my dear ones are directly involved in the task of offering their services, I call them the soldiers of present times and salute all those who are fighting the monster called Covid – 19.

We shall overcome is the refrain that rings in my ears everyday.

Mother nature has been too kind, ‘we should never take anything for granted,’ we heard that phrase a thousand times but never paid any attention. We need to respect her message and her creation.

Remember, we are doing no honor to her. We are doing all this for ourselves, to save us and keep our dear ones safe.

After paying for our negligence, we would get another chance. That’s the law of nature. As a renowned urdu poet Sahir Ludhianavi wrote, “Raat bhar ka hai mehmaan andhera, kiske roke ruka hai savera…” (Translation: Darkness is just a guest of the night, who can hold back the morning?)

I have pulled out an excerpt from my debut poetry book to renew hope:

Time has stood still
The storm is yet to pass
The descent of night seems eternal
Perplexed, petrified, I wait.

Wait for a new dawn
Wait for a smooth tide
Wait for that lovely flight
Which brings hope!

© Balroop Singh

You can click here for more poetry.

Check my latest book: Moments We Love

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A craving

Myths of Mirror #WritingPrompt

Frozen in time
With amorphia of ages
I sat waiting for love
It did come at last!

They came in hordes
With shovels and hoes
To dig around me
And create a cover

I am awning them
With arrows piercing my soul
Blinded by dirt and deceit
I crave for a new world

My faith in smithereens
My perceptions upbeat
Each storm whittling away
Gold of my sun

Internal injuries expand
Putrefying precious limbs
Blood flows through fissures
But freezes

Silvery glow refuses to fade
Spring smiles at the horizon
Promising to alleviate affliction
And apathy of ages.
© Balroop Singh, January 2019

D. Wallace Peach (Diana for her friends) who blogs at ‘Myths of the Mirror’ has started a new feature –  “Monthly Speculative Fiction Writing Prompt.” Please hop over to her blog to read more and get inspired.

Thank you Diana, for an irresistible  #WritingPrompt.

You can click here for more poetry.

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Why Do People Lie?

When so-called leaders lie, a questions that haunts me is – why do people lie? What is the need for successful and responsible people to lie? Is it their natural behavior?

‘Never lie,’ is the first advice all children are given yet they learn to lie. Researchers who have studied and recorded the behavior of many children, teenagers and adults say: ‘All people lie,’ as this trait seems to be ingrained in human beings as much as trust. They consider it to be a ‘developmental milestone just like walking and talking.’ Some even call it “creative” aspect of brain.

    People lie out of fear:

Fears may hibernate inside our unknown and dark alleys but they do surface at the crucial moment – fear of not reaching up to the high expectations of parents or employers, fear of losing the trust of our emotional anchors or people around us, fear of stumbling or losing the position we are holding and many such situatons that scare us away from truth.

Children learn to lie to save themselves from punitive action but the most innocent lies that are easily detected do encourage them to embellish the ways they can be told – a natural brain process. While we dismiss the little lies of children with a smile or  laughter and reitetrate the age-old advice – ‘never lie,’ we know lies cannot be eliminated from our lives.

    People lie out of love:

A spouse or a lover who cheats, who has been spending hours away in the company of friends or seeking his/her own pleasures doesn’t want to hurt by telling the truth. He could be working on his behavior, he could be testing the new waters or could be in a conundrum about a new relationship, which he is unsure of.

Another person may hide his crumbling career or health issues from a mother to keep her away from unnecessary angst. People hide the harsh facts of their own life from their children and put up a façade of happy relationship to give them a healthy environment to grow into happy children.

    People lie to manipulate others:

A friend who lies to hog your attention or a colleague who lies to win favors and lets you down could be manipulating your goodness. In such cases your own virtues propel lies as you may never suspect that your friend may back stab you to get a higher position. Even your boss may take advantage of your truthful nature to extract some facts out of you or by passing on extra work to you by lying that he admires your sincerity.

Family members lie to manipulate us against each other to score personal points, to show their kindness or win respect. Sometimes such lies become as dangerous as snatching a share of property or hurting self-esteem to the extent of alienating them from each other.

    People lie to avoid confrontation:

This is the most common lie of modern times. In an attempt to be polite or save his skin, a husband lies to his wife when she showers all sorts of questions on him. It is very easy to lie and evade answers, which may lead to unpleasantness. Whatever the questions…one big lie – ‘I was busy’ or ‘I forgot’ is sufficient in all cases.

One of my colleagues would keep his cool in the face of atrocious lies against him. When asked how could he digest them, I was aghast at his response: ‘I don’t want any confrontation!

“Lies…they are like a cancer in the soul. They eat away what is good and leave only destruction behind.” – Cassandra Clare

People also lie to shift blame, to take advantage of the situation, to win admiration, to avoid embarrassment and to wriggle out of a difficult situation.

   On a light-hearted note, here are some harmless lies: (detrimental though to trust)

‘You are looking gorgeous!’…to a woman who is wearing a weird outfit.

‘Who says you are overweight? You are absolutely ok.’…to a sensitive woman.

‘I am late due to heavy traffic.’…oft told lie!

‘I am about to reach in 10 minutes.’… when you haven’t even started!

‘I have a meeting.’…not revealing with whom!

‘I am not hungry.’…coming home after a day’s work.

‘I would love to accompany you but I am busy’…to tick you off!

I love how Oliver Goldsmith,  an Irish novelist, playwright and poet, shrugged off lies…“Ask me no questions, and I’ll tell you no fibs.”

Thank you for reading this. Please share your valuable reflections, as they are much appreciated.

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Balroop Singh.