My winged mindset for angel soar,
As Shivalik comes to the fore;
Terra firma wears a new green shirt,
To dump the dusty brown in dirt;
Ah! Even the air turns crisp at each turn
Wild zigzag path too promise lot more fun
But, bumpy ride make fragile stomach churn
Yet, the allure new keep things on the run.
Alway weened these hills wast fair young-
Yet, silver tresses hide far-flung;
From glaciers so cold long above,
Brisk milky streaks cascade with love;
Up and down – over the rump- down and down
And, froth at the mouth tells a dazzling run;
Ah! Swirl of whirlpool brings fat trouts around
Keep them gay, O! rays mild of mountain sun.
And, let me tell thee secret hugh –
The blue pine was not all that blue;
Ha! Woody cone prayed bad to pluck
Ouch! Bristly needle struck to stuck;
But, brethen good, devadaru soothin\’ kind
His winged seeds waft on hard face to caress
Want to say \’sorry\’ in stead of kin blind?
Dwell on, as I spot nature\’s fine recess.
They call them \’dunes\’ in these parts West
Yet, find not sand in my vain quest;
But, gravel lot roll on with zest,
Might be crumbs from Monsoon\’s last fest;
Ah!Eyes believe now what ears won\’t for years
The vale may verily be last abode
Of Gods, that wane swift; Yet beauty hers,
Beyond the swallow of poor trichrome mode.
A look at hazel eyes bleeds lust
Her countless meadows gild the crust
Big cedars sentinel rill bank
Rose scented waters millions thank
Ah! \’Dals\’ and \’tals\’ brim with lad and lass teen
With bow and arrow, Cupid strikes in lake
In bitin\’ cold too, the \’bagh\’ wows so green
And credit Bollywood for the nice take.
As the stirred up legs scurry on,
A purrin\’ sound scars my weak brawn;
Big pug marks on old grimy snow,
Just add up to the wobbly woe;
Soft chants of yellow robed monks none shall miss
Beyond escarpment, there\’s no need to spar
Tall \’Mahabharat\’\’ shows the way to bliss
Why path of progress, moss and lichen bar?
Ah! Surprise, surprise! Lot in fact –
The trees did a Houdini act;
Did hungry cloud ate them alive,
Since mighty mound forced the low dive?
The bare clad sheer bluff holds no riddle big,
E\’er barin\’ golden eagle\’s spartan nest;
A quill brown with white cross falls like a twig
Ah! As I clamber, a luck charm- How blessed!
Ha! Glister snowy spires quite bright
As orange gleam baths flakes white;
Will they coerce the spring thaw now?
But, new doubt creep between dark brow-
Will I go colour blind if gaze too long?
Mind trifle, alway try to crab me down
This day though, will hangs on real big strong
And all day shall draw flak to seize land\’s crown.
Ah! My day, nay nay, life is made-
Gung-ho! Words get stuck in tongue blade,
When the world stares at thy blessed feet,
With envy and spite out to greet;
Ah! Sights beg to forget deep pantin\’ mine
Small frets leave fast to gape at life below
And, feel of being wee make wits align,
Again, to help that humanness to glow.
Time to mount down from life\”s high plane,
And heed the call of mundane plain
Yet, the addict takes a fresh vow
To leave mean ego high above;
The mesmerised \’being\’ stay not in thrall,
Any long within bod that drags frail will;
And over and above the peaks tall,
Ah! Hovers my unwary soul e\’er still.
P.S: Written in simple yet unique AABBCDCD rhyme sequence with iambic tetrameter in rhyming couplets and iambic pentameter otherwise.
In 10 short stanzas, the author describes the beauty and uniqueness of western Himalayas, broadly corresponding to J&K, HP and Uttarakhand. Starting from the south, his journey takes him across, Shiwalik range (2nd & 3rd stanzas), the longitudinal valleys (4th & 5th), the middle Himalayas (6th), the tree line (beyond which trees can\’t be seen) (7th), and the Great Himalayan snow clad peaks (8th & 9th).
P.S 2 : Meaning
Shivalik – also known as outer Himalayas, foothills of the Himalayas (meaning, \’Shiva\’s tresses\’), Alway – always, ween – be of the opinion; think or suppose, wast – were, silver tresses – here, means waterfalls, trout – a fish introduced by British and found only in the Himalayan region in India, askew – turned or twisted toward one side, bristly needle – the sharp leaves of the pine tree, devadaru – deodar tree, stead – the place or role that someone or something should have or fill (used in referring to a substitute), trichrome mode – our eyes have only three types of cones RGB but some people have one additional cone Y, that allows them to distinguish more shades of colours, gild – cover thinly with gold, rill – a small stream, scurry – move hurriedly with short quick steps, \’Mahabharat\’ – second of the three parallel ranges of Himalayas: aka \’lesser Himalayas\’, Houdini – a magicians known for his escape/vanishing act, bluff – a steep cliff, clamber – climb or move in an awkward and laborious way, glister – sparkle; glitter, gung-ho – unthinkingly enthusiastic and eager.
Author: Ravi R. Chokkalingam