Lay a prayer on my pillow

I was trying to sleep last night and in between stretching, twisting and turning to position my back comfortably I was trying to say a prayer, just a little remembrance (I wasn't planning on an extended meditation anyway) of the Almighty but i kept losing my concentration. I was distracted by things as trivial as remembering a friend i have not spoken to in a while or my teacher from way way back when i was in school, or the weather in London, it was as if my mind was like a little child trying to give excuses for not going to sleep. It was either a stomach ache or a glass of water or a monster under the bed, anything to keep from going to sleep. Why is that? We are no kids. We know that remembrance is a sure shot passport to some peace but still our intention and execution are not always compatible. Any thoughts?

Comments

Fantasy or reality: Where do we want to live?

An eagle is told that it once lived in huge nests on high mountains and tall trees at high altitudes and the big bird scoffs at such a preposterous idea. How can such a big bird living in caves and hunting on rodents soar in the skies over mountain tops and oceans. Not a bad idea but quite unlikely. Seems like these humans are crazy and think of anything about other animals to hide their own embarrassment over their monkey ancestry. Pick up any great novel, Hundred Years of Solitude, Blindness, Beloved, Alchemist or any others that you have read where imagination is stretched but you flow with the narrative. You easily believe what the writer is asking of you. It seems plausible and hence possible and you like a bird open your wings and fly where the winds of possibilities take you. Marquez creates a parallel world of freedom and we camp in this world with him; Morrison brings a spirit from the dead and we unblinkingly accept her character; Saramago presents a sightless world to us ...

Snapshots

Naseem, is a six year old girl. When I met her she was sitting on the charpoi with her mother and constantly clapping but without any mirth. Her hair was cut almost to her scalp. I was told that she was a miracle child, she had been suffering from severe acute malnutrition and her family and relatives had almost given up hope that she would survive but she had proven all stats wrong and was sitting right in front of us. Physically, she was on the mend but her mental growth had been irreversibly stunted. She did not respond to any movement, any gesture or sound, her mind was somewhere else... A little boy, hardly seven, sitting on the curbside on an otherwise busy junction but at 0100AM he seemed so out of place on that dark, deserted road. As we stopped at the traffic signal, on the road perpendicular to where he was sitting, my attention was drawn to his posture. His slumped back was towards me and as I watched, two cars stopped on the lanes furthest from him. He made an ...

For the children of Gaza

Dua bhi dil sei nahi nikalti, kaisey nikley? Kahein issey bhi shuba hai kei iss ka asar khatm ho gaya gai. kaisey na ho, pichley baras bhi dua kei thei aman kei, insaaf kei, sachaei kei, laikin iss baras bhi aghaz hei iss khooni tarah hoa kei dua ghut gaei. Masoomoon ka gham, un kei din aur raat kei chain gum honey ka gham, bachoon kei masoomiat khatm honey ka gham...kaisey khatm hoei masoomiat? Iss yaqeen kei khatm honey sei kei ghar kei char diwaari woh faseel nahi jisey gola barood cheer na sakein. yehi tou hota hai bachoon ka yaqeen, kei unke maa baap unhein hur museebat, hur dukh sei bacha saktey hain, Khuda kou bachey kahan jantey hain, yehi tou un ke Khuda hotey hain, yehi yaqeen tou pehchaan dilata hai Khuda ka, ab yeh bachey kiss ka yaqeen karein? Kiss khuda ka? Aur hum? Hum kya karein? Cheekhein, chilaein, qalam azmaein, sadkoon pei aaein, laikin kyun? Kiss kou bacha paein gei hum? Hur maut, aik mayoosi choodh jaati hai, akhir taqat kei phir fath hoi aur kamzoor phir mara gay...

View from my window

Search This Blog