The Ghat Road

Ah! The long undulating winding path
That unwound the unconscious from my soul
He flew unbound to hide in verdant hills
Green so vast- to the brim my slight heart fills
The sated balls pop out of fazed eye hole
Beholden mind splash\’d in a blissful bath
O rise of the West! Himalayan thou not
Yet my own jewel- thou art all I got.

Abrupt fall deluge on my big bare skull
Ah! Nature\’s shower drenches me in full
Was ecstasy thy middle name? Grant I
Thin puddles from night- to step o\’er I mull
And twinkle thousand Sun with magic pull
Beyond the fluffy, bury he- espy
O muddled mind! The riddles of our home
Sit back to relish- Let the spirit roam.

White little streaks in every nook escort
And heaven does fall down in milky streams
Ah! To spray dewy mist on my chill face
The body shivers but warm heart has pace
Far down, burbles the rile- Is it my dreams?
I see not aught till the bend- it cavort
O bubbly rapid! As I heed the call
My heart leaves me forever in fine thrall.

So red, the beak of Parrot- Wonder I
Some magic in the scarlet gourd he ate
‌‌ ‌ To jungle, Koel with her jingles call
Dry twigs crackle as I walk not so sly
A gentle nudge- He who disposes of our fate
All green to brown. Ah! How the mighty fall
O, unruly God! Thy gift to mankind
Lot layers stay untold- keep us in a bind.

Rode the long miles past a green table vast
Ah! Shades how many?- truly I lost count
White little flowers on teak top- the cloth
Of linen- an invite for tea or broth?
About to egress the bumpy trance- mount
On drunken soul to best sore spine fast
O Mother Nature! Indulgent thou art
But thy creation- Why not a lot smart?

P.S: This little poem follows iambic pentameter with the rhyming scheme alternating between ABCCBADD and ABCABCDD.
This is dedicated to my friends Hitesh, Guru and Manoj, who made our recent dash across the Western Ghats from Bangalore to Goa, memorable beyond words.

P.S 2: Meaning and explanation

Undulating- having a smoothly rising and falling form, verdant- green with grass or other rich vegetation, sate- satisfy (a desire or an appetite) to the full, faze- disturb, rise of the west- the Western Ghats, thou art- you are, espy- catch sight of, fluffy- soft fabric like wool (here, means cloud), our home- earth, nook- corner or recess, rill- a small stream, burble- the sound of running stream, aught- anything at all, cavort- jump or dance around excitedly, thrall- bondage, broth- thin soup of meat or fish or vegetable, koel- cuckoo bird (குயில்), scarlet gourd- a small red-colored fruit (கோவைப்பழம்), sly- deceptive, egress- exit, best- to defeat.

The unhinged unconscious of the poet flies into the thick forest and gorges itself of the virgin beauty of the gorge. His satiated eyes pop out in sheer ecstasy. Though the Western Ghats is not as mighty as Himalayas it holds a special place in the author\’s heart coz he considers it as his own.
As he travels, there is unexpected rainfall which falls on his bald head???? and he also sees puddles of water from yesterday\’s rain in which many reflections of the mid-day sun can be seen. But the Sun plays hide and seek with him by hiding behind the clouds. The author calms his confused mind by asking it to enjoy the beauty of nature and not trying to understand its puzzles.

The rain has created many small waterfalls that spray water on the author\’s face. Though it\’s cold, he feels warm mesmerized by Nature. He couldn\’t see the small stream since it\’s flowing in the gorge beside the road and therefore he thinks the sound it makes is part of his dreams. But he is so happy seeing it in the next bend of the road which leaves him in joyous bondage of Nature.
As they travel further, the call of various birds induces him to walk into the jungle. The dry twigs have fallen from the tree get smashed when he trods on them. This serves as a reminder to him that apart from the majesty of changing Nature, nothing is permanent. Nature still keeps layers of untold mysteries hidden away from us.

On either side of the road, the green trees greet the author who thinks they serve as a table with the white flowers of the teak tree as the table cloth. It seems to him that they are inviting him to a party but sadly the drive is coming to an end as the Ghat section has almost ended. Though it was a bumpy ride as the road is not good, it doesn\’t hurt him because the heart is so happy to escape the drudgery of the big city life. Finally he thanks Nature for being so bountiful but he bemoans the fact that he has failed to describe it adequately through his poetry.

Author:- Ravi R. Chokkalingam