christmas poems

Some famous christmas poems/songs

1.
The Holy Night

We sate among the stalls at Bethlehem;
The dumb kine from their fodder turning them,
Softened their horned faces
To almost human gazes
Toward the newly Born:
The simple shepherds from the star-lit brooks
Brought their visionary looks,
As yet in their astonied hearing rung
The strange sweet angel-tonge:
The magi of the East, in sandals worn,
Knelt reverent, sweeping round,
With long pale beards, their gifts upon the ground,
The incense, myrrh, and gold
These baby hands were impotent to hold:
So let all earthlies and celestials wait
Upon thy royal state.
Sleep, sleep, my kingly One!

By Elizabeth Barrett Browning
British Poetess
(1806 - 1861)

*****

2.
Bells on Christmas Day
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet the words repeat,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll'd along th' unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bow'd my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.

'Til ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!"

*****

3.
On the Morning Of Christ's Nativity Christmas poem
by John Milton


I
On the Morning of Christ's Nativity
This is the month, and this the happy morn
Wherein the Son of Heav'n's eternal King,
Of wedded Maid, and Virgin Mother born,
Our great redemption from above did bring;
For so the holy sages once did sing,
That he our deadly forfeit should release,
And with his Father work us a perpetual peace.

II
That glorious Form, that Light unsufferable,
And that far-beaming blaze of Majesty,
Wherewith he wont at Heav'n's high council-table,
To sit the midst of Trinal Unity,
He laid aside, and here with us to be,
Forsook the courts of everlasting day,
And chose with us a darksome house of mortal clay.

III
Say Heav'nly Muse, shall not thy sacred vein
Afford a present to the Infant God?
Hast thou no verse, no hymn, or solemn strain,
To welcome him to this his new abode,
Now while the heav'n, by the Sun's team untrod,
Hath took no print of the approaching light,
And all the spangled host keep watch in squadrons bright?

IV
See how from far upon the eastern road
The star-led wizards haste with odours sweet:
O run, prevent them with thy humble ode,
And lay it lowly at his blessed feet;
Have thou the honour first thy Lord to greet,
And join thy voice unto the angel quire,
From out his secret altar touched with hallowed fire.



4.
A Christmas Carol
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

I

The shepherds went their hasty way,
And found the lowly stable-shed
Where the Virgin-Mother lay:
And now they checked their eager tread,
For to the Babe, that at her bosom clung,
A Mother's song the Virgin-Mother sung.

II

They told her how a glorious light,
Streaming from a heavenly throng.
Around them shone, suspending night!
While sweeter than a mother's song,
Blest Angels heralded the Savior's birth,
Glory to God on high! and Peace on Earth.

III

She listened to the tale divine,
And closer still the Babe she pressed:
And while she cried, the Babe is mine!
The milk rushed faster to her breast:
Joy rose within her, like a summer's morn;
Peace, Peace on Earth! the Prince of Peace is born.

IV

Thou Mother of the Prince of Peace,
Poor, simple, and of low estate!
That strife should vanish, battle cease,
O why should this thy soul elate?
Sweet Music's loudest note, the Poet's story,
Didst thou ne'er love to hear of fame and glory?

V

And is not War a youthful king,
A stately Hero clad in mail?
Beneath his footsteps laurels spring;
Him Earth's majestic monarchs hail
Their friends, their playmate! and his bold bright eye
Compels the maiden's love-confessing sigh.

VI

Tell this in some more courtly scene,
To maids and youths in robes of state!
I am a woman poor and mean,
And wherefore is my soul elate.
War is a ruffian, all with guilt defiled,
That from the aged father's tears his child!

VII

A murderous fiend, by fiends adored,
He kills the sire and starves the son;
The husband kills, and from her board
Steals all his widow's toil had won;
Plunders God's world of beauty; rends away
All safety from the night, all comfort from the day.

VIII

Then wisely is my soul elate,
That strife should vanish, battle cease:
I'm poor and of low estate,
The Mother of the Prince of Peace.
Joy rises in me, like a summer's morn:
Peace, Peace on Earth! The Prince of Peace is born!

*****


5.
Minstrels a Christmas Poem
by William Wordsworth


The minstrels played their Christmas tune
To-night beneath my cottage-eaves;
While, smitten by a lofty moon,
The encircling laurels, thick with leaves,
Gave back a rich and dazzling sheen,
That overpowered their natural green.


Through hill and valley every breeze
Had sunk to rest with folded wings:
Keen was the air, but could not freeze,
Nor check, the music of the strings;
So stout and hardy were the band
That scraped the chords with strenuous hand.


And who but listened?--till was paid
Respect to every inmate's claim,
The greeting given, the music played
In honour of each household name,
Duly pronounced with lusty call,
And "Merry Christmas" wished to all.


6.
At Christmas
by Edgar Albert Guest

A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year;
He is almost what he should be when the Christmas season's here;
Then he's thinking more of others than be's thought the months before,
And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for.
He is less a selfish creature than at any other time;
When the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime.

When it's Christmas man is bigger and is better in his part;
He is keener for the service that is prompted by the heart.
All the petty thoughts and narrow seem to vanish for awhile
And the true reward he's seeking is the glory of a smile.
Then for others he is toiling and somehow it seems to me
That at Christmas he is almost what God wanted him to be.

If I had to paint a picture of a man I think I'd wait
Till he'd fought his selfish battles and had put aside his hate.
I'd not catch him at his labors when his thoughts are all of pelf,
On the long days and the dreary when he's striving for himself.
I'd not take him when he's sneering, when he's scornful or depressed,
But I'd look for him at Christmas when he's shining at his best.

Man is ever in a struggle and he's oft misunderstood;
There are days the worst that's in him is the master of the good,
But at Christmas kindness rules him and he puts himself aside
And his petty hates are vanquished and his heart is opened wide.
Oh, I don't know how to say it, but somehow it seems to me
That at Christmas man is almost what God sent him here to be.

*****

7.
Angels from the Realms of Glory
by James Montgomery

Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth:
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King!

Shepherds, in the fields abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing,
Yonder shines the infant Light;
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King!

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great desire of nations,
Ye have seen His natal star;
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King!

Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear:
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King!

*****

8.
Prayer
By Robert Louis Stevenson

Loving God, Help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate
and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings,
and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children,
and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

*****

WISHES
The gifts I'd leave beneath your tree,
Aren't those that you can touch or see,
Not wrapped in Christmas tissue gay
But gifts to bless you every day.
The gift of friendship warm and true,
Is one that I would leave for you
Good health and happiness and cheer
To keep you smiling through the year
The gift of peace that comes from God,
With prayer to guide each path you trod
And when your heart has lost it's song
The gift of hope to cheer you on.
These are the gifts I'd leave for you
By Maureen

***
*****
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CUP OF GRACE

We are often disappointed in the circumstances we find ourselves in. We feel threatened and betrayed as the things unfold themselves in front of our eyes. We often feel like running away and busy ourselves in devising ways and means to extricate ourselves from the problems or situation we find ourselves in, instead of doing the most obvious thing i.e. put all our trust in lord, instead of relying on our worldly knowledge. We are afraid of holding the cup of bitter tears, bitter disappointments, defeats, diseases degradation, which at times are proffered to us. We are often inclined them to treat them as the cup of curses rather than as the cup of blessings. We are so stuck up in the present, that we are unable to see beyond our noses and we feel that we have all the knowledge and that we have arrived at the end of things beyond which nothing is possible. This is so because we never learn to trust the Lord properly. We are often ignorant of the ways and will of Lord, which makes things black and bleary to perceive. We are not ready to follow our crosses, though we cry ourselves hoarse proclaiming ourselves to be the true follower and are ever ready to shed our burden at the drop of the hat, forgetting that to be victorious we must finish the race, which has been given to us, cheerfully without complaining in any manner whatsoever.

Like so many things we are often called to bear the cross of diseases, disappointments, defeats, but we do not find ourselves ready to undertake the job, making excuses to wriggle out of it somehow. This is not confined to it only; rather it encompasses every aspect of our lives. It may be called so, as the cases of failures or disappointments we face so frequently in our lives, without waiting to persist for the blessings they contain. Only if we are perseverant, then only can we reach the Promised Land, otherwise we will have to contend with the glimpse of the holy land which will not be accessible to us simply because, we did not stay in the place where the lord wanted us to be. The diseases can be seen as blessing as they teach us not to not to be proud of our health like wealth etc. since these are transitory ephemeral and impermanent in nature. It also makes one a receptacle of patience, understanding and fills them with compassion and makes them aware of others’ sufferings and pain, and makes them more attuned and attentive towards the will of the lord as they learn to put their faith on Him when everything and everyone fails. They are able to look inward and have silent conversations with the Lord when every one stops listening to them. Then they are able to put beside all things of flesh and follow Him wherever He intends to take them since they realize that their stay at this world is just a brief stop over or sojourn in their journey to the kingdom of the Lord, which is the final destination of us all, if we are obedient and faithful to Him. We often forget that the cup of grace is filled with bitter tears and we are ready to wish it away, the moment it is offered to us, but if we accept it unflinchingly it would definitely turn into the cup of blessings which it actually is, and not the cup of curses as we tend to perceive it.

We often see our afflictions as curses, never as opportunities to be seized and made worthwhile. These divine interventions are often seen as mere interference’s meant to play havoc with our well-laid plans, as obstacles in the paths which we have carved out for ourselves so painstakingly by devoting every fibre of our being geared to fulfill the chosen goal. We never pause to wonder what lies ahead and as we are afraid of unknown, we tend to slip back in our old comfortable ways to our monotonous routine of nothingness, which begets nothingness in the end. We fail to appreciate the fact that no test is given to us beyond our strength and capabilities. In fact the Lord is always with us to take care of us but we fail to realize this and we frantically turn to the world to solve our problems seeking their opinions advice etc. to tide over the problems, never outsourcing the problems to the Lord who is easily available in our times of misfortune as the Psalmist says in praise of the lord. If we are not ready to bear the cross we are given and have failed to follow His will, then we are not trying to be trustworthy. If the Lord cannot trust us with a small cross, He has given us, how will He trust us with the greater things of His kingdom, which brings glory to Him? In fact at that moment of time we are found lacking, unwilling to follow Him, then how can He trust with the keys of his kingdom which we all are so desperately searching all our lives. Only He is the source of all and every thing. Everything is meant to bring out his glory in this world. Unless we understand this simple truth, we cannot understand His will or ways and will remain ignorant of Him despite proclaiming otherwise.

So it is best for us to take pride in our incapability’s and weaknesses as He gives riches to the poor and makes strong the weak. He only can turn our bitter tears into joyous laughter and our defeats into victories. He makes us more than victorious. To stay in His shadow, it is necessary to be obedient and willing to follow him in adversity, singing praises instead of lamenting or blaming the fate. Sometimes it seems that all these are mere means to bring us all nearer to Him as we strays and are lost in the wilderness of this world. Only then we learn to lean upon Him and trust Him when we are reduced to nothingness or when we are broken in spirit or body with no respite in sight. The world despises and never cares for those who have fallen down rather it moves ahead callously rough shoddingly, but the Lord always hold them dear and keep them close to His heart, the people with broken spirits and broken wings and gives a new song to those mute broken reeds.

Happiness.....

Happiness lulls us with the deep relaxing stupor filled with sweet dreams but pain and sorrows makes us sleepless and restless. Pain makes you angry and depressed while the happiness gets you in a more cheerful mood and lets you forgive and forget things, which have caused you deep pain and anguish in the past. But to be able to feel pain is a sign of being alive and being aware of your surroundings. Pain unfortunately keeps you glued or chained to your past, but can also be interpreted as a sign of recovery as it ensures a chance for change, recovery and survival too, since the entire mind is concentrating or engaged in the task of fighting for getting back the control over our lives. Otherwise the pain will dull our senses and weaken our resistance to fight it with tooth and nail against its dominating power.

The pain is a reminder that you are alive. The pain is the greatest catalyst. It overwhelms us no doubt, but it also brings about a subtle transformation of one’s consciousness as it increases the field of awareness to such an extent so as to include others into the direct line of observation or the observation field. The pain gives us an opportunity to connect with each other with more compassion, maturity, understanding and sensitivity. This makes us aware of the pain and anguish the other person is undergoing which is tearing him apart just like us. This knowledge is the greatest tool one can have to transform the lives of those around him and eventually everyone including his own.

Musings

Why do we resent things that are sent our way? Why aren’t we ready to accept the moment they appear on the radar of our consciousness? Their presence itself invokes a sense of foreboding, confusion and a threat to our fragile and over the edge existence. They somehow manage to set off a chain reactions of reactive actions blindly following some distorted and warped sense of atavistic logic which has lost its touch with the reality and hence its relevance. We try to shut ourselves off from whatsoever those truths or things might be trying to convey. We are so comfortable and smug with whatever little knowledge or information we have, that we never want to step away from our comfort zone to reach out to those things that comes our way.

To make any effort to comprehend and understand the mysteries those things might be hiding within themselves seems foolishness, an utter waste of time and resources which can be better realized in furthering one’s prospects and eventually one’s future instead of running around in circles or chasing some elusive mirages or chimera. But our stubborn or mulish attitude towards change and our inability to adjust to ever-changing realities makes us miss most of the opportunities which come to enrich and add more colors and meanings to our dull and mundane lives and allowing to be transformed in turn. We refuse to be bent or broken as it makes us seem weak and vulnerable in front of everyone around us. But unless we allow us to be bent or broken and made anew the stale and moldy confines of our spirits would never allow the fresh breaths of the winds of change to enter inside us and caress our aching soul, to transform renew and rejuvenate it in return.

If problems be poems…

3.

What if problems indeed be poems bursting with secret meanings, of a secret world of their own, leading us by our noses, playing with a practiced ease? What if they were sent our way to test whatever little faith we all have, or to secretly keeping an eye, to cool our tempers and put a check on our lashing tongue, what if they meant to keep us from straying afar, stumbling after reaching the heights, since we were running alone to gather the riches, with no thought of sharing with all those fools, that’s what everyone else is called, who happens to be outside the hallowed halls, the curtains of bulletproof glass drowning the voices, bored, with the wretched zombies outside, watching the barricaded doors wringing their hands, what do you say, when life’s a party, who dares to permit the entry of problems even as a poem.

What can it offer to our jaded taste, who have seen and played all the games, its just a nuisance, a minor inconvenience, who need to be taught in such a barbaric way, so when the teacher is ready the student disappears. Who can welcome the problems amidst, when the roof is leaking and the walls have gone. But with a sweet smile and a kind voice living there, bids them to enter, to share their wretched lives. Since sharing things is the only way of life, with no place to hoard or hide, and refusing to wither and die, with no one to share with or to care for.

Maybe the problems seek such humble hearts, to make the connection and receive the gifts of wisdom and strength, praising the Lord, as Lord Himself seeks out the chosen ones to understand the poems and sing aloud the new songs, of praise and gratitude, of joy, hope and happiness, a promise of peace and everlasting love, playing through the broken reeds and the mute flutes, with Lord holding them close lovingly with infinite love and care.

If problems be poems…

2.

What if every problem sent our way were poems indeed, to guide us through their bright beams towards much wiser visions. The more poems er problems the life present us with, the wiser we grow reaching at the end of the guiding beams. It shows us, rather guide us how to appreciate things in their true perspective, never belittling anything, allows or rather encourages us to look for the reflections of the stars and rainbows in the gutter, instead of the slimy cesspool that everyone is looking at.

It makes us value finer things in life and we come to learn about our true priorities in the midst of the problems which rips away our make believe masks and facades which have come to hide our real self from others as well as from ourselves. Standing alone and vulnerable we learn to trust others and discover our strengths and become aware of our weaknesses which in turn portray a much more realistic portrait of the self than we had allowed ourselves to believe in.

It turns us away from the mad race or rather the rat race, allowing us to see the other side of the coin and to feel and share the real life with the hapless and unfortunate ones who were driven away from the glorious procession of life and were reduced to crawl behind the revelers who had always managed to get more than a fair share of everything effortlessly and for whom nothing else mattered. But when the talks turned to sharing and caring they would close their ranks and push

away others like some alien intruder whom no one would willingly invite to come and share their lives. In a way the problems teaches us a lot, if we were to act as an apt pupil eager to learn new things. But most of us would prefer to die than acknowledging our ignorance in public.

For to be seen as some ignorant fool, is to place oneself deliberately in the direct path of trouble, which no one in his right mind would do? Who would be ready to show the chinks in his armor, giving the other, an opportunity to attack? But the problems ask us to drop our masks and pretenses and to stop fearing since to be afraid all the time would sap all our energy leaving us listless and uninterested in everything else, the life has to offer to us. The problems wants to raise our threshold of experiences to new heights, exhorting us to be brave and courageous in every circumstance, come what may.

It seems that the sole mission of every problem is to strengthen us and leave us a little wiser while departing. It doesn’t enters our lives to break us but rather to make us a little more perfect, where we have been made aware of our shortcomings as well as our strengths. Life is a progression towards perfection, but even if it seems to be imperfect to our wary eyes, the life is still more beautiful and worth living. It wouldn’t be a wise step to put an hold on life in search of the elusive perfection, while ignoring the little quirks of life which makes it worthwhile amusing and charming, full of surprises and adventures, enough to last a lifetime.

If problems be poems…

1.

A lot of problems arise in this world out of misunderstandings. So when we encounter any problem we must not be overwhelmed by the sheer weight or size of the problem, rather we should try to probe into it to gain any insight or intuition about the inherent solution every problem hides in itself. A problem poses a test in respect of the skills or experiences gained by any individual in the course of his life. If one is a good or even moderate learner than he might solve it with some or fewer difficulties.

But if one detests any kind of learning, then he might find it very difficult to solve it, as he may seen it as a personal affront by the destiny or fate bent upon punishing him for some known or unknown misdeeds. If one sees every problem as a poem then problems would seem to be more fun and one would rather anticipate their arrival with excitement and not with trepidation. What if every problem was a poem in itself but we with our limited understanding and knowledge are unable to comprehend its true meaning and are playing a blame game making it out a sort of nemesis sent to destroy, or rather to mislead us, proving an obstacle a hindrance in our paths.

Every problem requires a bit of role-playing, as it forces us to think and find and discover methods or the ways to reach at the solution. We have to put ourselves in the shoes of the problem to get it reveal its true significance since it reveals a hitherto unknown facet each time we encounter it while journeying towards our goal.

Take on mistakes…..

We often make a great song and dance of mistakes made by us in course of our lives not taking them as missed opportunities to take or seize and make the most of it. We fail to think it in terms of stepping stones to move ahead in life, to flow with the life instead of refusing to move and choosing to standstill in the face of onslaught of the stormy and turbulent currents/ waves of river called life.

And then we complain as to how badly the life has chosen to treat us and not the other way round that we ourselves are also to be blames to some extent for not moving ahead as life would not stop for anyone or would let anyone stop and would forcibly drag one down if he or she refuses to move since life is the name of moving ahead despite all odds or obstacles lying in the path just like a river who has to carve out its course through varying landscapes in its journey towards sea its ultimate destination.

Very often mountains refuse to yield and make way for a young river but with the passage of time forges ahead wending its way through the heartland of mountains in form of underground channels springs and waterfalls and often traverse through the lonesome desert to quench the thirst of its parched lips and fulfill its promise made long ago to the accursed and forgotten landscape to make life a bit more bearable.

The Art Of Conversation

Most of us, like, or rather I would say love to talk most of the times, without pausing to stop even for a moment to see the effect on the listener. And most of the times we are talking about trivial matters, not that it is wrong to make small talks but most of the times we want to the other to surrender meekly to the verbal onslaught we had launched on the poor fellow who had the misfortune to step into the firing line. Well that is one of the reasons we talk with others to bring them around to our point of views even if it might be a big mistake that we would regret later but still we are unable to stop ourselves from launching verbal missiles that we are often very confident to hit the target accurately.

This vindictive streak in our nature is a sad reminder of our times in which we are living where everything revolves round the attainment of the ever so elusive, the so called success in life and utilizing all our energies to attain and maintain it at any cost. We are so bitten by the success bug that we are willing to sacrifice anything and everything for anyone who can give us the magic formula of getting successful in a jiffy. We are not ready to wait for our efforts to bear fruits in natural course of time. We are not willing to wait that long, rather we would like to enjoy the fruits of success this very moment and we are not even ready to work for it. Rather it should fall from the skies like proverbial manna of biblical times.

Since most of us are busy seeking shortcuts to our destination that we are unable to pick up the hints the life has strewn all along the way. Only if we were not so busy to plan and design our lives as everything now comes with a designer tag and the mad scramble to have a designer life which boast of everything being so designer like or custom made begins, where there is no place for all the problems the mankind is facing today.

Most of us use conversations as a means, tool or device, take your pick, whichever takes your fancy, to intimidate, ridicule, subdue or threaten others only sometimes it is used for its true purpose i.e. for exchange of ideas or information. Very rarely it is used for what it actually intended in the first place for understanding or taking an interest in the lives of the others. Most of the time the spotlight is turned on oneself, choosing to showcase the successes, conquests or victories to the world.

The self centred egocentric world we inhabit has no room for the others as our equals, they are merely welcomed in our worlds as inferior sidekicks, fall guys or scapegoats who must be ready to entertain and pamper the ego of the employer at any cost, at the drop of the hat, even it may seem a worthless futile and demeaning exercise just to keep the body and soul together. They must perform against all odds since this is what they are paid for with. But this proactive approach towards others is fraught of grave dangers such as being misunderstood or worse still being called a manipulator.

Being accused of playing with the emotions of others is quite a disgusting or disturbing trait one may come across, but though detestable it may be seen but it does not deter some people to do it with impunity and the most shocking thing is that people seem to enjoy it as long as it is happening to the others preferably to some strangers or unknown persons, then it is easy to distance oneself and remain unperturbed about it and commenting on the matter in a very casual, neutral or impartial manner. Often the information is used as a weapon to destroy or annihilate the other, never pausing to consider that it is a double-edged weapon designed to cut both ways. The wielder of the weapon is also in danger of cutting himself if he is not too careful when playing around with such a dangerous thing.

Veil of forgetfulness

The veil of forgetfulness is drawn so tightly across our minds/eyes that we are unable to peer beyond and see the light. We choose what we believe or rather we believe what we want to believe. And we often tend to disregard or disapprove or even go to the extent of disallowing the reality or the truth in our lives since they don't seem to synchronize with the beliefs or truths we have chosen to believe at that particular moment of time as it seems to be most suitable and appropriate at that moment of time.

We never feel the need to go behind the chasm or abyss of carefully chosen lies or half-truths about the uncomfortable and unpalatable truths of ourselves with which we surround ourselves. We keep quaking and trembling with the fear of being found out as not being the real things as we tend to project ourselves but a fake, an imposter or worse a non-entity the most hurting thing to accept about oneself.

Stepping stones….

I know rather understand that it is quite difficult at times to reach a clear cut decision in the face of such complex and confusing situations presenting themselves in front of us. One is bound to commit mistake or in the ensuing confusion, for which one can hardly find a fault with him or fault him as it is human to err. And every mistake can be turned into a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block as everyone tends to perceive them.

Because every mistake or failure in itself contains the tiny kernel of success, in fact a second chance to have another take at the problem in hand, by trying to solve it differently, which might unlock its hidden lock which we failed to open in the first instance as we were looking for the answers at the wrong places? Though we have so much of time at our hands or at our disposal yet we often show ourselves as too busy and preoccupied with so many diverse matters but the one at hand.

We are so convinced with our half-truths, which we proclaim as the ultimate truth with us being the sole bearer of that absolute and ultimate truth that we cry ourselves hoarse trying to convince others of the same so that they can turn into insignificant pawns in the intricate and treacherous game of power play. We have hardly any compunction in playing with the emotions of others or turning them into a mere pawn, a plaything to achieve our ends. People lose their importance and are reduced to being things to be used at will to gain something.

Mirror mask

So you want to look for best friends? What for? To know yourself better, since very often a friend is considered to be an extension of your own self, a mirror in which you can watch or see your reflections, and is inevitably or irrevocably a part of your self if he or she is indeed your true friend. You often go on a wild goose chase to find someone who can understand you and this unending quest ultimately leads you to discover yourself in the other person, a friend who reflects your inner light and fire as you unwittingly reflects his or her light to the whole world.

It is only in the form of a friend that the other seems so close and loving and one is willing to do anything to maintain it, otherwise the other always comes across as a stranger or enemy who is to be kept at a distance, never allowed to get a glimpse of your world. A friend is like sunshine in the darkest hours and a cool and refreshing breeze blowing in the arid landscapes stretched till the farthest corners of the horizons of the innerscape.

Everyone wants their friends to support them at all costs but are we ready to so when our turn comes to reciprocate. We often tend to ignore or fail to keep our side of bargain and this causes unfathomable and deep crevasses into our friendships, which cannot be crossed or filled as the other too mirrors our actions in retaliation. And then we feel dismayed, betrayed, hurt and wronged and curse ourselves for making wrong choices and sink deeper into the murky morasses of disappointment and gloom.

But we never ever try to get into the shoes of others for the millionth part of a second to pause and think about their feelings and fears. We just tend to pamper ourselves at the costs of others, not even pausing to think about them. But can it be called a true friendship if we are going for gratification of our own desires and fancies all the time, never caring for the feelings and emotions of the others and finding nothing wrong with that practice. We are not even aware of our wrongdoing and if someone points a finger in our direction we would like to hit the fellow given the opportunity to do so.

Speaking of friends I sometimes feel that some friends are better seen not heard while some are better heard not seen, but the best ones need never to be either seen or heard since they reside in our hearts forever and ever and time or distance cannot mar or put a dent in that friendship which lasts a lifetime even if you seldom meets. They are very precious, like some jewels or treasures to be cherished and safeguarded with our lives.

Dreamtime

Though it is said that there is a place and time for everything but somehow our lives seem so empty broken and lifeless. Nothing stirs or is vibrant or vivid. A kind of stillness/ stagnant pool of frustrations born out of our confused feelings and perceptions mirrors our day-to-day reality. Gazing into the stagnant pool of forgotten/broken dreams makes us gloomier and sad. We are so wrapped up in up and close personal worlds of our own making that we fail to take notice of the directions taken by the destiny which steadies our footsteps on the paths we are chosen to undertake in our lifetimes.

Nothing is meaningless or insignificant in this universe or shall we say multiverse. We all have been chosen to serve in this universe. We are not here by chance or coincidence or by some quirk of fate. The only lesson or mission is to serve each other with love as only love is real the only connection between us humans. But as we progress on our paths we find that this is the most difficult thing to do since each one of us wants to be served but rarely one agrees to serve willingly and joyously. Everyone wants to be in control of things people and would gladly vie with the creators to be the masters of the universe and destiny.

Alice in the wasteland

Wandering in some strange land like Alice in the wonderland, with all the wonder disappearing into a thin smoke, leaving a vast wasteland inhabited by some queer folks who shun strangers and mysteries like some dreaded plague. Well grounded in their realities and hidden behind their snug fortresses they have no time to waste on intangible worthless things which have negligible monetary or financial value and prefer not to undertake any endeavor which does not translate into monetary gains.

Not content with distancing themselves from such undertakings, they tend to discourage and ridicule others who had the audacity or temerity to defy their sacrosanct rules and had chosen to walk on the unbeaten path. The simple act of choosing to be different is often viewed with an undisguised disapproval and suspicion with severe social sanctions placed on the concerned in a very roundabout and ingenious manner that the unsuspecting individual is left without the tiniest shred of proof of plotting or wrongdoings on their part.

Others on their part tend to appear genuinely concerned and would go to any lengths to show their solidarity with the cause, but the moment your back is turned they would not wait for even a single moment to stab you in the back whom you had genuinely believed to be your benefactors or well wishers.

A time to remember

To every thing there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.....

And so there is a time to remember.... Remember the truth reach out for the ultimate truth. For every x- files die-hard fans believes and are convinced deep in their hearts that truth is out there. It is only our sheer obstinacy and ignorance that we fail to see the lights shining out there. For most of us is still living in darkness, in a zombie, coma like existence with a faint semblance of living our lives on autopilot for most of the times. Being or becoming aware is like moving towards light and yet we have grown so accustomed to darkness that we are afraid of light, afraid of things we might not like in ourselves, when we would get a chance to look at ourselves. The darkness is so comfortable and its lulling ambience is keeper of our darkest secrets, which we never want to reveal to anyone not even to our selves.

Darkness has pervaded every sphere of our lives that we have forgotten that once we were also a part of the light. And like lost souls that we are, we prefer to engage or engross ourselves into the games of matrix, than to take a journey or a quest in search of light. All this seems so worthless futile and useless, since it does not yield anything in material/tangible sense, and we are so used to our three dimensional existence that we have no interest in intangible mysteries which are the domains of occult groups, mystics, saints and fools. There is a clear out demarcation between the temporal and the spiritual worlds.

Clueless

Why is this sudden gravitational pull or attraction felt towards hidden things? This quest for unknown electrifies the sagging spirits bogged down in the mire of everyday commonplace occurrences. The mere hint of unknown element in the subject matter bestows upon it a magical and mystical aura whose enigmatic luminosity is too noticeable to give it a miss or ignore its subtle or subliminical attraction. It nourishes our soul the nuances of whose cravings or aspirations are quite impossible to understand as we prefer to sleepwalk through our life instead of being aware of every moment and the message it whispers into the ears of our soul who prefers to march to the beats of an unknown drum, dancing rather waltzing away to the land of OZ given a chance.

Instead of indulging in internal dialogues the mind is suddenly switching over to the job of making connections of everyday happenings, to see the whole thing with a new perspective and in new light and with a lot more greater understanding than before, as the insights unfolds themselves open to the seeking mind and bestows itself as an offering. Then the everyday mundane things lose their ordinary lusterless ephemeral quality and acquire a translucent transcendental quality which is its true nature since nothing is worthless or meaningless in this world. And as it is said everything changes in the twinkling of an eye and this is the real miracle to realize the divinity in
everything we perceive however mundane and meaningless or gross it might seem at the first glance or the impression it might make on our minds.

For instance the mankind is exploring the secrets and mysteries of the universe and has set its eyes on the outer limits of the visible universe but is unable to build bridges or walkways into the unfathomable minds of the fellow human beings who live in close proximity to each other but are world apart from the other each choosing to inhabit in his or her own private universe several light years away so much so that there is so much of misery, mistrust, misunderstanding and resultant lonely planets each living into. The man is employing all his knowledge or expertise in seeking and conquering new worlds but his own world is unfortunately in shambles.

The problem is everyone is thinking about himself or herself since survival or self preservation tops our list of priorities. But it would not be so much of a problem if people didn't choose to exercise this option by excluding others who didn't fit the bill of being worthy in their eyes. For them everyone else is unworthy except themselves and their kind of people whatever that may mean and they don't want to bother about the fate of others left outside their chosen scheme of things since they are not likely to be held responsible for everyone or everything that happens around them. And they have a whole lot of army of people to insulate them from such hapless occurrences, a private army solely meant to look after the well being or welfare of the few who control the resources and power thereby controlling the destinies of people by ruling and ruining them by default.

Mute Flute Saga

The early immigrants, were the first generation to venture out of their homeland in search of livelihood and carrying fistful of dreams which ran as a common thread between all the immigrants uniting them in the alien and inhospitable land in a close knit compact society. Our parents fought every obstacle with immense patience and forbearance and a stoic calm, literally clawing their way to gain foothold in the crowded super fast express called metropolises with the inside crowd trying to throw them out. They were neither ready nor inclined to share the fruits of the progress with the so called illegal aliens who were usurping what they considered belonged to them rightfully.

Our parents had to bear the brunt of mistrust hatred and animosity and were forced to drink the potion of bitter tears caused by the taunts and jeers heaped upon them from the rest of the so called locals making them lonely frightened and a despised lot and a lot more angry than they permitted to show to their inner selves. So they more or less resigned themselves to their fates or to their wretched existence and tried to move with the tide and get along with life whichever way it was taking them, never forgetting for a single moment their dreams which meant a lot to all of them, And they were ready to make whatever sacrifices that were needed to attain their goals.

Their calm exteriors hid most of the upheavals and turbulent daylight nightmares they all endured during their every waking moments to be comforted only in their troubled and fitful sleep which were invariably be filled with the beats of distant drums and snatches of easy laughter, reminding them of their previous carefree and happy lives which were shattered by the continuous ravages and plunder of their homeland by the outsiders who left it bleeding to die after milking the last drop of milk .

It was evident that in order to rebuild their homeland they had to explore every avenue reach out to distant shores in search of the land of opportunities which would help them to achieve their impossible dream. So when they reached the metropolis they all joined forces to thwart any attempt to browbeat them and single-mindedly devoted their every effort in the single direction.

Those selfless self sacrificing individuals shared the same dreams and aspirations. They made collective efforts to achieve them by collaborating and collating their resources and made possible their dreams of living life on their own terms just like others. Living as aliens in the inhospitable world which was bent upon flattening them out of existence leaving them breathless and too tired to attempt any resistance to the cruel onslaughts yet were determined not to be swept away by the angry winds like a trail of dry leaves or blotted away like some smelly stain on some shiny surface.

The sense of uprooting from their homeland was a common refrain that reverberated like a long forgotten song in their bosoms; its nostalgic undertones wove a sad melody, stirring longing and homesickness amongst the brave hearts that were united in their minds leading the lives as one.

Welcome.....

We welcome you all to explore our world at Mute Canvas.

The mute canvas is a reflection on the chaotic world we inhabit and the turbulent inner world we hide from the prying eyes of everyone. The translucent veils of illusions or chimera silently reverberates with the lamentations of our lost dreams and broken wings which we all have abandoned eons ago in search for true happiness which still eludes us all.

The debris of our lost dreams lying buried in the blackholes of our consciousness, are languishing but are patiently waiting for their turn to get a second chance. With the passage of time the demons of those lost dreams emerge from the deepest wells our consciousness to torment and taunt us with nightmares, threatening to push us to the brinks of the bottomless abyss of insanity if we keep on trying to fix them with instant solutions to get rid of them.

The resurfacing of the debris of our longings and yearnings indicates the endless possibilities of their transformation and resurrection only if we give ourselves and our dreams a second chance to live and co exist in a peaceful environment. A deeper understanding and compassion is necessary to give those dreams a chance to reborn as a beautiful song resonating in our inner worlds with happiness and peace.

The mute canvas is an endeavour where the wisps of our longings and dreams gets a chance to return from the shadowlands & reborn again to give a new meaning, perspective and dimension to our monochromatic experiences and existence.