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Anger & Silence

Posted in Poetry English by

Introduction

A contemplative poem featuring an old monk under an oak tree who explores the profound relationship between anger and silence through a series of striking metaphors. This meditative verse contrasts the destructive chaos of anger with the transformative power of silence, presenting them as mother and child, thunder and rain, sword and force. The poem delves into Buddhist philosophy and mindfulness teachings, examining how anger represents momentary experience while silence embodies lasting wisdom.

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Under a Banyan tree, an old monk sat,

his life - cool shade and a bamboo mat

Eyes were closed, and his heart so still,

oblivious to pain and sharp n’ harsh chill

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‘Anger is the wind,’ he muttered to himself,

‘whispering in the trees, calming down itself

Anger is the mother, and silence is the child,

a fiery dragon and her offspring, so mild’

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‘Anger is scalding chaos, silence brings order,

chaos and order - there is only a vague border

Anger is the thunder, silence is the rain,

anger is so loud while silence stills the pain’

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‘Anger is a sword, while silence is a force,

violence and the power, the ego is the source

Anger is a hammer, while silence is patience,

anger is so bold, while silence brings complacence’

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‘Anger is a curse, while silence is a blessing,

what is true and what is not, there is no harm confessing

Anger is a burden, while silence is a treasure,

shedding and protecting, both beyond measure’

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‘Anger is experience, silence is the wisdom,

anger is a moment, while silence is a kingdom

Anger lights the blaze, silence is the smoke,

knowing is the product, wrapped in a cloak’

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‘Your time has ended, now leave me all alone!’

the monk addresses anger and marks it in the stone

‘Silence has begun - its reign feels so cold,

along comes the knowledge - so cruel and so bold’

Gamayun and the Child of Autumn – A Dialogue

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Note: Within first the Iranian and then the Russian folklore, Gamayun is the symbol of knowledge and wisdom. In the myth, she appears in the form of a prophetic bird, who resides on a lonely island situated somewhere in the east. As she knows everything about the true nature of human beings, gods, creation, and eternity, her prophecies are divine and magical – though difficult to comprehend and understand.

The night is silent and Gamayun sits atop a lonely rock, looking down on a landscape of magical lights and dark smoke. A gentle breeze is blowing from the northeast, carrying faint shades of some long-lost and ancient fragrance.

Suddenly, she senses a presence – there is someone beckoning her attention from the shadows. Gamayun raises her hand and commands:

‘Come forth! O child of misery and gloom; 

step forward and seek, even if it is your doom

Come forth! O dweller of grey desolation;

Beg for wisdom, if it’s of any consolation

The presence crawls forward, his tired knees digging deep grooves in the sand. He grabs hold of Gamayun’s feet and cries his heart out:

‘O Gamayun! The wise and the knowledgeable;

here I am, laying all my cards on the table

O Gamayun! The herald of divine prophecies;

all my dark visions unfolded, terrible atrocities

O Gamayun! Spread your golden wings in the sun;

for I am desperate and making my last run

O Gamayun! Behold my pain and tell me what I ask;

see this darkness, it is very real, it is not a mask  

Of all the God’s children, I am the child of autumn;

the failure is so terribly deep, that there is no bottom

I am not alone I know, yet unique in what I need;

I feel like a hollow dead tree, with neither fruit nor seed

It is not that I demand either wealth or riches or gold;

I just beg that my dream be fulfilled, single and untold

It is not that I ask for life everlasting or a great power;

I just implore that my heart be happy, not bitter or sour’

Sensing the man’s anguish and hearing his plea, Gamayun bends down her head and thinks for a while. She carefully prods her heart but finds nothing but dark tidings. She finally raises her head and whispers back:

‘You have come from afar – have my sympathies with you;

my heart weeps for you, yet there is nothing I can really do

Having asked your question, you have unburdened yourself;

your cause is lost, and what to tell you, I am lost myself

Of all the God’s many children, you are the most despised;

He made all his children out of love, all of them prized

You dream in vain, you cry in vain and you beg in vain;

He carved you out of sadness, dark soil, and cold rain

He hates you with a vengeance so very terrible and dark;

His distaste for you is so very naked and so very stark

He looks at you with pity though, the most what He can spare;

you may die or you may suffer, that He doesn’t at all care 

Being a child of autumn, it is a dark curse you carry;

you will always be sad and you will never be merry

It is your burden and your fate, how dark it may seem;

abandon all hope, you will never get what you dream’

Up there, sitting on His golden throne, God listens to all and smiles a tired smile. He is the wisest of all and the most powerful. Yet He is lonely because his wisdom goes beyond the understanding of mortals. He looks down kindly upon the child of autumn and his heaving shoulders; and whispers softly:

‘O Child of Autumn – you tread a treasured path;

yet you are blinded by grief, your fate a bloodbath

Of all my children, you are the most blue-eyed;

all my children are loved, you are the most prized

You dream in my way; an immense imagination;

I carved you out of wisdom, foresight, and adoration

I love you with an intensity, so very focused and clear;

it might appear as abstract, but I hold you so dear

I make you feel the pain and the agony of all others;

so you may suffer the suffering of your brothers

Being a child of autumn, it is not a curse you carry;

it makes you all patient so that you don’t tarry

It is not a dark burden, but a blessing filled with light;

with understanding comes wisdom, lofty and bright

Go in peace my child, go and serve the world and life;

you will grow and learn to walk the edge of a knife’ 

#English #poetry #poem #opera #Gumayun #God #misery #anguish #path #life #test #kindness #life #death #wisdom #help #love #light #darkness #curse

You and Me – Us and Them

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Each one of us – you and me and even us all;

we walk and we run and sometimes we crawl

We laugh and shout and we love and we hate;

so many feelings, yet our ego is a great wall

Read more: You and Me – Us and Them

Each one of us hides within, a giant black hole;

hungry enough to swallow the whole human soul

This is the heaviest burden that we must carry;

life is the theatre and it is our abhorrent role

Each one of us floats along a dark river of pain;

winding through the valleys of loss and of gain

This is our longest journey from birth till our death;

this is our miserable life – grey and filled with rain

Each one of us is addicted to the morphine of pleasure;

the sudden rush surging – no limit and no measure

This is our downfall and our biggest dilemma;

regret is the poison, there is no hidden treasure

Each one of us is different, each one of us is the same;

yet we hate each other, we fight for name and fame

This is why we fail to grow, this is why we lose;

admitting weaknesses, a prospect filled with shame

All of us are one, yet we choose to tread alone;

becoming rabid dogs when life throws us a bone

This is the grand sin; this is why we always fail;

we fail to hold hands, we always act for our own

#English #poetry #poem #hatred #life #humanity #discrimination #love #kindness #competition #growth #failure #sin #strength #weakness #selfishness #materialism

The Boat That Was Doomed Forever

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There once was a very small boat;

made of polished dark mahogany

It had to keep itself forever afloat;

it’s habits were a strange homogony

Read more: The Boat That Was Doomed Forever

The boat was very small and petty;

and didn’t matter in His design at all

But its fate was written in the jetty; 

in a few sentences, dark and small

‘You are hereby destined you old one;

destined to sail to non-existent shores

No other options and choices are none;

all the other paths end on locked doors’

‘Read these words warily, it is your fate;

forever destined to bet on lost causes

Do take it from me and take it straight;

there is only anguish and no applauses’

The boat surely didn’t want this fate;

but life was cursed and forever doomed

Distress was certain and was never late;

the horn of disappointment forever boomed 

But still, the old boat didn’t lose hope;

and started each journey with faith

Braving the waves, no anchor or rope;

the lonesome ghost, the silent wraith

True there were storms and hard rain;

the boat did not care and moved on

True there was damage and even pain;

the boat always waited for the dawn

Sometimes it saw lights and visions;

smiling with anticipation, it rowed on

But the lights were all bitter delusions;

the visions, what its fancy had drawn

Sometimes it heard joyous laughter;

with a hopeful heart, it shouted ‘ahoy!’

Trying to chase the voices, it went after;

but found only silence, no mirth no joy

Well, that was the life of this poor boat;

the lonely boat that was doomed forever

This was all – the story of this boat;

the same chapters and words, whatsoever

The boat is tired, its wood has all but rotten;

there are several leaks, it’s  bound to sink

It’s exhausted, carrying a load of wet cotton;

the end is but near, it has reached the brink

#English #poetry #poem #life #fate #disappointment #end #death #boat #sea #effort #hope #hopelessness

A shit-load of exclamation marks!

Posted in Poetry English by

SCREAM!!!!!

You just want to scream at something – really anything at all;

you just want to scream at someone – really anyone at all

You want to shout to make God pay heed and listen;

you want to shout till your voice echoes in His great hall

But in the end, you just scream at yourself;

banging your own head against the silent wall

Read more: A shit-load of exclamation marks!

CRUSH!!!!!

You just want to crush something – really anything at all;

you just want to crush someone – really anyone at all

You want to rub every face raw into the grounded glass;

they may beg mercy or on their stomach they may crawl

But in the end, you just crush your own spirit;

breathing your last, and unable to pay the toll

DESTROY!!!!!

You just want to destroy something – really anything at all;

you just want to destroy someone – really anyone at all

You want to scorch every living cell into grey sodden ash;

they all well deserve their punishment after all

But in the end, you just destroy yourself;

shattering into oblivion, and feeling so small

HATE!!!!!

You just want to hate something – really anything at all;

you just want to hate someone – really anyone at all

You want to hate till your hate fills all the voids;

they are all to be detested, you want to hate them all

But in the end, you just hate your own self;

your ego breaking into pieces, your pride suffers a fall

KILL!!!!!

You just want to kill something – really anything at all;

you just want to kill someone – really anyone at all

You want to kill till there is nothing more to kill;

the victims may beg or they may pathetically bawl

But in the end, you just kill your own self;

the blood flowing black, amidst the regret that you haul

#English #poetry #poem #anger #screaming #frustration #desperation #murder #destruction #hatred #life #kill #feelings #emotions