Sunday 26 December 2010

Waves

Waves connotate energy. Kinetic energy and singular movement. There is nothing quite like experiencing the power and immensity of waves furling and crashing down onto the sea bed. It is calming and enthralling all at the same time. I've always had a fear of the sea. This fear has been cultivated over the years, with a series of small incidents (brought about mainly by a lack of awareness of currents!) but I have a deep respect for the power of the ocean and the depth and variety of the world, underneath its surface. Its history is masked. An ever-changing, ever-moving; body of water.


Waves

Last night I dreamt I was the waves
Pushing against the rocks
Licking the pebbles on the beach
Stretching and reaching to grasp more
Breathing as one entire movement
Drawing myself in and pulling myself out
There and everywhere at once
Feeling intensity, power and freedom
Alone, but not alone
Contained only by my own boundaries
And the magnetic pull of the moon on my mass
With the desire to touch everything in my path

Lily Basnet

Tuesday 21 December 2010

Loss

The loss of anything we are attached to (or identify with) can be painful. But the loss of a loved one through death (or even a break up) can be devastating. Mental pain becomes physical pain as we struggle to cope with our reality. Living our daily life, we nurture this tremendous burden of loss, that becomes a black hole gnawing away at our centre. We learn to live with its inconsistent pulls, twinges and aches; with time. The expression 'time is a great healer' sums up this process of acceptance. It is very difficult to comprehend the extent of this emotional upheaval, unless you have experienced it firsthand. But the internal process of such immediate pain and struggle, brings about surprising positive change in your life too. Sudden change is hard, but it accelerates personal growth.

As a poet I try to empathise and relate to the full spectrum of human emotion, and such compassion and understanding translates into my writing. For me, writing poetry is a creative release of emotional energy. I stumbled across, 'Christopher Reid' who wrote 'A Scattering'. This collection of poems describes his personal journey and agony, during and after his wife's battle with cancer. It is a tribute to her bravery and courage. One of his poems that I found particularly touching:

Soul

Never having known an emptiness so heavy,
I am inclined to call it my new-born soul,
though its state may be less an achieved birth than a pregnancy
lodged oddly, for lack of a womb, in a tight gap
behind the sternum, mid-thorax, not far from my heart.

Coddled there, it's needy, an energy-eater.
It kicks, or thumps, hollowly, and I come to a standstill,
breathless, my whole internal economy primed
to attend without delay to its nursing and nourishment:
memories, sorrows, remorses are what it feeds on.


Luckily, I have no shortage of these to give it,
so that it can continue its murky labours,
quintessential upheavals, noxious bubblings
at the bottom of a flask, as it strives to distil pure tears.


I wrote the following a few months previously:


Loss
Unimaginable
Incomprehensible
A star ripped out of its sky
A life turned on its head
Reality fragments into the tiniest of pieces
The grief so raw and fatal
Go on or die
No one will notice your breath
Silently ebbing away

Monday 20 December 2010

Moon

The moon is everchanging. We view its shape evolve, from a crescent to a full disc depending upon the phase it is travelling through, in the night sky. Accompanied by stars, and smaller than the sun, it is much closer to us and exerts over twice the gravitational force on the Earth than the sun. It affects the tides of the ocean, the atmosphere, the earth and also animals and people. And these lunar influences are a vital factor in the Earth's ability to support life. Extraordinarily, composed of dust and rock, it doesn't shine from within, but in reflection from the sun.

It is magical to lie down under a clear night's sky, in view of a full moon and a sky peppered with stars. I like the following poem written by 'Sappho' c.610-570 b.c. and translated by 'H De Vere Stacpoole'

Moonlight

The stars around the fair moon fade
Against the night,
When gazing full she fills the glade
And spreads the seas with silvery light.

Sappho


I wrote the following:

The Moon

Observing from her silvery lair
Crescent or full, she softly stares
Birds eye view, there high aloft
Like an eagle perusing the mountain top
She guides us with her light
And shares in our dreams
Secret keeper for all
And witness to all dark things
Nugget of truth
The Queen of the night
Blessed to receive her silvery light

Friday 17 December 2010

Nature

Nature can be cruel and terrible, and is a consistent reminder of how transient and impermanent life can be on Earth. This fact alone, inspires me to try and see each day as a fresh start, a new beginning. Animals and plants have an unbelievable ability of adapting to changes in their environment and evolving, despite adversity. They have a certain grace, brought about by a courageous acceptance of their situation.

I caught the end of a documentary last week, which was about animals that have adapted their food habits to accommodate sudden changes in their environment. A pride of lionesses, hungry and unsuccessful in catching any prey, stumble upon a stray female elephant. They decide to stalk and attack her (this being uncharacteristic for lions to do). They jump her and start taking bites into her flesh. She is trumpetting wildly in fear and shock and begins to get worn down. At one point she lowers her front knees to the ground, a lioness clinging to her neck and she goes very quiet. I fear this is the end and feel quite disturbed at watching six lionesses endeavouring to eat an elephant alive. Then with a sudden burst of courage and energy, she fights of all the lionesses and charges into the forest. She escapes, to die, on her own terms. I was terribly moved by her grace and courage and that image will always stay with me.

I wrote the following poem a few weeks ago:


In the Life of a Tree

A tree doesn't fret about its future
It sits in solitude
In acceptance of its situation
Observing its fate
Rooted to the spot
It sways along with life's rhythm
Creaking in time
Rustling its notes
Neither sad nor happy
Time is irrelevant
For when its last leaf is born to the ground
All the moments of its breath
Have been complete and resonant
Its full purpose met

Wednesday 15 December 2010

Love

I am a big romantic when it comes to love. Showing appreciation for our friends, family, work, community and environment isn't done enough, as we get bogged down with the pressures and fears of everyday life. It is easy to take things for granted and develop a negative disposition. Poetry has a way of transcending us away from the daily grind into a calm and loving place. I try to give thanks and appreciation for all the good and blessed things in my life and vibe in a positive place. This isn't always an easy thing to do, living in London! One of my favourite love poems is by a Russian poet named 'Marina Tsvetaeva'...

I like it that you're burning not for me,
I like it that it's not for you I'm burning
And that the heavy sphere of Planet Earth
Will underneath our feet no more be turning
I like it that I can be unabashed
And humorous and not to play with words
And not to redden with a smothering wave
When with my sleeves I'm lightly touching yours. 

I have written many love poems, but this one was my very first and captures the moment when you realise you have fallen in love.


My Heart

I gave you my heart. I gave it away without realizing.
You were distracting me at the time, I'm sure! But
know that you have it. Carry it in safekeeping and be
sure to nurture it. Treat it as you would your own and
know that it feels quite at home!

Snow

There is something mesmerising about snow. A snowy landscape distracts us momentarily from our worries, stresses and concerns for the day. It causes us to take notice, look around and feel a sense of appreciation for the natural beauty, perhaps even appealing to our higher emotions. Concrete, litter and graffiti is whitewashed into a magical wonderland. The sudden change in our environment lifts us into the present moment and captures our awareness, waking us from sleep. I have always liked 'Roger McGough's' poetry. One poem that comes to mind is...

The Time I Like Best

The time I like best is 6am
when the snow is 6 inches deep
which I'm yet to discover
'cause I'm under the covers
fast, fast asleep.

Roger McGough

I wrote the following poem on the 2nd Dec when most of the UK was covered in snow...

Snowscape

The snow is here
It blankets the landscape
A thick veil disguising the ugliness
Powder soft and ethereal
It won't stay perfect for long
Reality finds a way of permeating it's innocence
Life treads into it's softness
Stomping uncaringly
Making tracks
Its magic tarnished and lost
But never forgotten
My insecurities and fears are
Momentarily gone
Hidden under the snow

Monday 13 December 2010

Courage

It took a small act of courage to begin this blog...prompted by a persistent push from a member of my family (who is also a close friend). But here it is, despite my personal reservations and doubts. And deepdown I know this commitment to writing online will be a personal journey of growth and discovery. It is time, to share my words and writings that I have kept to myself for many years. Inspired by Rumi's translations, I wrote the following yesterday...

Rumi's Light

My path unfolds before me
A threshold
That requires a small act of courage
The breaking of a selfless pattern
To walk without armour
Naked
In partial bloom
And open to the possibility
Of receiving
Gifts beyond our imagination
In awe of what we are capable of
A lake walking behind an ocean