My Warrior, heed, hark ye
My fondest wish for thee

She holds an ocean in her mind
A song of centuries in her soul
When she steps into your world, feel
Naught but Cupid’s bittersweet arrow
Flowing silk- is it what she wears?
Or nay, is it who she is?
Nymph of twilight, queen of darkness
While the moon fades away, envious of her beauty
Deck her molten tresses with stars
While kohl-lined oceans gaze into you
Let elfin fireflies borrow her sparkle
When a corner of the universe breaks away
A shooting star sights her,
Makes a wish and streaks past time
When she steps into ripples of dew
She becomes a lily of delicate hue
She is the chime of anklets silver
The whisper of leaves in the rain
A celestial secret does she know
When the moon shines bright
Or the sun is in the sky
It is both day and night

Breathe her in
Hold her close
Breathe her in
Hold her close

Aurora! Aurora!

She crossed the skies
For you, Warrior
So when dawn beckons
Lend the skies her colors

Her Warrior, heed, hark ye
My fondest wish for thee

Aurora! Aurora!

May she be yours, I pray,
For ever, ever- and a day. .

]]> http://opalodyssey.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/aurora/feed/ 2 Akshaya Dance the Night away http://opalodyssey.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/ophelia/ http://opalodyssey.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/ophelia/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 23:54:04 +0000 Akshaya Shivkumar http://opalodyssey.wordpress.com/?p=664 Continue reading →]]>

It feels so real
When I dream of you
That I wonder if reality
Might be a dream too

And if this is a dream
May it be the sweetest you
With eyes wide open
Have ever lived through

If this is a dream
Within it may dreams you
Hold close to your heart
Unfold anew and come true

But if this is reality
May it be the clay you
Mould into desires like
Moonlight on dew

If this is reality
May it be the dream you
Never want to awaken from
On a bed of posies blue

It feels like a dream
When I am with you
That I wonder if dreams
Might become real too

She’s the Belle of the Boulevard
Bougainvillea in her silky earth mane
Country songs on her lips nude
Oh she makes you want to turn, look again!

She’s the Belle of the Boulevard
Tumultuous ocean tides in her eyes deep
Ships-in-bottles travelling by postcard
Oh she makes you want to drown yet leap!

She’s the Belle of the Boulevard
Winds directed by her ruffling skirts
Chiming bells, cowrie shells hard
Oh she makes you want to swim in sherbets!

She’s the Belle of the Boulevard
Swirling in a field of butterflies
Bare feet on grass, dew her bard
Oh she makes you want to sketch in the skies!

She’s the Belle of the Boulevard
Story-spinning firefly in the dark
Night sky her playground, sans dockyard
Oh she makes you want to fly like a lark!

She’s the Belle of the Boulevard
Beware her yarn, she creates yet cuts
For a rose without thorns is a lying shard
Oh she makes you want to liberate your portraits!

Little did I know, that gazing
Into your eyes would melt away
My world, my being, me
Leaving behind scents of blooming
Buds in the first showers of May

Little did I know, that you being
In a crowd means just you and
My world, my being, me
Blending spirits, electric static buzzing
Streaking across dark skies unplanned

Little did I know, that hearing
Your voice wonder about
My world, my being, me
Would be the urgent, rhythmic merging
Of drops on a soil of cracked drought

Little did I know, that singing
What you could be with
My world, my being, me
Would paint the sky with colors bowing
Into the arched illusion of a myth

Little did I know, that feeling
Your hand in mine would make
My world, my being, me
A quaint paper boat floating
Towards auroras at daybreak

Little did I know, that loving
You with all shades of
My world, my being, me
Would lead to four-leaved clovers drying
With the start of our spring in mauve

 ’We were both young when I first saw you..’

Shankar Tucker makes fusion fashionable with this collaboration with Vidya and Vandana Iyer. Composed by Periasamy Thooran, elements from across oceans melt into a fluid, melodious stream which soothes the sub-conscious and lightens the spirit.

A humble attempt at a translation of ‘Nee Nenaindal’ from Tamil to English follows, with lyrics from Shankar Tucker’s page.

Pallavi:
Nee nenaindal agadadu undo
Nirajadala nayani mahalaksmi 

Once You have determined
That it be so
Is there anything in the Universe
That cannot happen thence,
O lotus-eyed Goddess Mahalakshmi?

Anupallavi
Manida vazhkkaiyile inba tunbam
Mari mari varuvadum un seyal andro

In man’s life is pleasure
In man’s life, pain
Turns do they take to metamorphose
All by Your will and Your doing alone

Charanam:
Ella perumaigalum irundalum adu
Unnadi vanangnmal nilai perumo 

Even if we have with us
All the sucesses in the world
How oh how will we retain them,
Without worshiping Your divine feet?

Unnarul parvai illadavarkku
Ulagile vazha vazhiedu amma 

And those beings on whom
Your benevolent gaze does not fall
How else can they live in this world,
O Mother of all?

–*–

Does Raag Darbari strike a chord with you? If so, you would perhaps enjoy:

Soulful Ud Jaa Bhavar sung by Manna Dey in the fifties;

Kishore da’s peppy Pag Ghungroo Bandh Meera from the movie Namak Halal;

and the eclectic A R Rahman composition for 127 hours, Acid Durbari.

Does Shankar Tucker tug at your heartstrings? Read more about him and listen to his sur-spells here.

And the mesmerizing Iyer sisters: Vidya and Vandana, heroines of the Carnatic Renaissance. If you’re reading this, please make more music! We love you! Munbe vaa en anbe vaa! (Come before me, my beloved!)

(For Ni, gypsy princess, and K, who got me hooked to Tucker’s brand of magic!)

Fireflies surround me and a cool breeze laden with the promise of rain lifts me to gaze upwards at the twinkling stars. Leaves and boughs dance in anticipation, as the flowers of summer gently wave adieu. Paradise is a state of being indeed.

June signals the beginning of a new academic year at school.. the flurry of buying flowered raincoats and in-vogue umbrellas and the subsequent umbrella press-the-button wars during break..the smell of new notebooks which, like life, could be used to write or draw anything and still be called notebooks.. fresh puddles and paper boats..green baby leaves peeking out with sunny cheer..and oh the dizzy happiness of meeting old friends and new, of reading textbooks cover-to-cover on the day you get them and forgetting everything later in the year..

June, I have always loved you!

I discovered a writer from across the world today who not only pens about but lives as part of nature and embraces the endless discovery of discovery. Kathryn Spring is indeed an inspiration and three years ago, seems to have begun a journey I am about to now. She writes, and I quote:

Now I sit alone with so much emptiness that is slowly transforming into incredible space.  In her poem “Blue Iris”, Mary Oliver writes:

my heart panics not to be, as I long to be,                                                                 the empty, waiting, pure, speechless receptacle.

Sometimes one must be empty before becoming fulfilled.  Sometimes one must wait before running breathlessly toward the answer.  I am letting go of the panic of wanting to be a certain way.  I am learning to accept that my dreams may change and the vision of my future may wobble until it comes to focus on a new light.  With these lessons I begin again, and already excitement is growing inside of me.

It just started raining. Magic is working its magic.

Birds chirp at the
dawn of a new moon,
the first in a new June,
and I begin.
I begin again..

Here are a few of my favorite parts of the movie, come relive it with me! Why? Because there is magic in every jar!’

(Warning: Spoilers ahead!)

- Roberta dancing to the Royal Peanut Butter commercial! *giggle-twirl-giggle-look cute-giggle-shake tiny fists-giggle*

- The accidental ‘delishus’ rainbow colors which dress up Hobart’s Range Rover!

- The sketches on the book in Ramona’s suitcase! Gotta love Ramona indeed..

- Beezus’ torch scare!

- Ramona’s toe puppets resulting in Roberta’s curious ‘what are you’ expression!

- Jumping through the hole! Wheee! I can fly!!!

- And in so many ways..I am Ramona and Ramona is me..

- ‘I’m not gloating! I’m bouncing!!’

- Ramona and Picky Picky in the bathtub. ‘Nobody thinks I can, but I can. I can be extraordinary!’

- After Roberta sprays Ramona with peas: ‘What a darling little sister. I wish there were ten of you!’

- I could spend hours adoring The Longest Picture in the World!

- Hobart, just before he kisses his bride, ‘And I still owe you that quarter. And I want to spend the rest of my life trying to pay it back.’

- Happy endings!

- The proper way to break a hard-boiled egg! I am going to try that someday soon!

- Hobert a la Hulk: ‘Be stronggg!’

- The cinematography which, I believe, utilizes one of my favorite types of picture coloration: sepia tone.. Love the feel and textures!

- Beezus: ‘Who could ever love someone named Beezus?!’
Ramona: ‘Jesus?’

- Music!! The more I see the less I know!

- ‘Yes!’ *excited Ramona* ‘The answer’s still no!’ *awww!*

- Live like there’s no tomorrow. This song witnessed one of the greatest changes in my life and I would want it no other way!

And now I am off to watch it..for the fourth time?

(Thank you for the movie and for you, L! You’re my immortal Picky Picky!)

When I was a kid (kid-er), there was a itty-bitty bookshop full of random vintage books near the University Library. While the shop was open only for less than a year or so, it created some of the best memories I have. No sterile mall-like book shelves or designated play areas: just stacks and stacks of the cream of the 80s and 90s filling the heart with joy and the soul with the smell of old books!

And how I adored those books! Nothing was more pleasurable than picking them out and then taking them everywhere I went, like a long-lost best friend! I still have all those books in good condition, but they are packed away in boxes in Chennai and I miss them so!

As I mentioned, the bookshop closed too soon for my satisfaction and try as I might, I was never able to find similar kinds of books in Goa or elsewhere in India again- and mind you, I still ask for My Little Pony in every book shop I visit!! I would love to have the toys too! I used to fill out the order forms on every single book I owned but never got around to convincing my parents why sending a money order in Pounds half way across the world on a ten year old form for a itsy Pony was better than getting a baby Barbie downtown!

My Little Pony- that says it all! My Little Pony is a toy franchise in the USA which was really popular in the 80s and early 90s and apparently has been revived in the early 2000s. However, the current toys and movies have undergone changes and look too polished for my taste. I am a My Little Pony  Generation 1 person through and through!

Baby ponies, goblins, fairies, parties, cakes and pastries, moonlight and shining stars, lots of pink and blue and purple, pretty hair, magical powers, wishing wells, blue skies and blooming buttercups.. every little girl’s dream come true!

I was Googling heffalumps when I suddenly remembered my great love for My Little Pony and I found an amazing website which is a wiki for all generations of My Little Pony! I found the Gen 1 book covers and I definitely had these :

 Do you see the flowers on the purple pony and

lightning on the pink uni-pony? These were how we would tell Ponies apart, along with their distinct personalities and magic powers!

No, I didn’t have the audio books. The comics were released with the same covers and titles!

Oh I remember this one! The dwarf there conspires with his other dwarf goons to prevent the Ponies from enjoying their village fair! An apple cart topples somewhere in the tussle- but hey, I won’t give away plot details!! But doesn’t the smiling sun remind you of Teletubbies?

Oh in this adventure, the Ponies find a treasure chest full of Wishing Pearls with each Pearl granting one wish! I remember choosing my wishes and trying to fathom the concept of an infinite number of Wishing Pearls which I would wish for with the second-last Pearl- and find a way to organize the infinite supply of Wishing Pearls with the last Pearl of the first lot! Yeah, I have always loved organizing- even in my imagination!

Oh look, the sun is ! And that is Mr Potato Head! He was always so adorable! I would get some real potatoes out and play with them like one would with dolls and build intricate Mr Potato Head adventures!

I have always, always loved mermaids so I distinctly recall this one where the Earth Ponies team up with the Sea Ponies to save a mermaid in trouble! They went down sea caves with corals and beautiful greenish light. That is an oyster shell with pearls within that I believe she is holding up as a thank you to the Sea Pony!

And I want this now:

Doesn’t it seem like a charming read?!  I hope this book also has scratch-and-smell patches too, filled with the scents of roses, lavender, fresh grass, dew, strawberries, vanilla..

Ah.. Dream Land indeed!

Wind of the night,
thou art
an insane shriek in the lonely dark,
creaking swings in the empty park.

Roving eyes behind
you.
Move, now! There!
Iron chains..from where..?

A shrill scream
A bird?
Falling feathers, feel them. Wet
with blood. The Forest you’ve met.

Mossy vines coil,
enter.
Rot of meat, you taste, spit, choke.
Then bite. Crack! Your jaws just broke.

Jasmines, oh sweet solace!
closer crawl
inch by inch.. Wait, white flowers, you said?
Green fumes, come forth! I’ll wait till you’re dead.

Oooh I’m a smitten, smitten kitten
I will follow you on foot, on tram
Fly with you upon a bird’s wing
And if Mary had a little lamb
You have a smitteny kitteny thing!

A kitten which is smitten
Is a smitten, smitten kitten
A smitten which has kittens
Is a Meaow with puppet mittens!

Oooh I’m a smitten, smitten kitten
I will scare away bark-wag Leo
With my scratchy-scrowly ‘ka-chingg’
But if Itsy-Bitsy-Spider spins a ‘Hello!’
Hide your smitteny kitteny thing!

A kitten which is smitten
Is a smitten, smitten kitten
A smitten which has kittens
Is a Meaow with puppet mittens!

Oooh I’m a smitten, smitten kitten
I will play pek-a-boo all over town
With my tail bobbing like a sprung spring
Lift Red Riding Hood’s wicker basket brown
There’s your smitteny kitteny thing!

A kitten which is smitten
Is a smitten, smitten kitten
A smitten which has kittens
Is a Meaow with puppet mittens!

Oooh I’m a smitten, smitten kitten
I will love you now and timeless long
With each of my charmed nine lives
Like Gulliver, tall noble strong
Hug your smitteny kitteny thing!

*Meaooowwwww!*