A Sudden Silence
The film-set falls silent.
The crew, the actors and the excitement disappear.
It seems one disgruntled member of the community has applied for a legal injunction to halt all movie proceedings.
The filming disrupted his life.
The rest of us are in shocked mourning.
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Picture taken in Fort Cochin
A Farewell
My tickets were booked some weeks ago.
This morning Anu, my houseboy, carefully packed my bags.
I head for distant shores.
It is time to say goodbye, for now.
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Picture taken in Cochin.
The Lament Of Loss
The two chairs still sit together on their verandah:
his and hers;
the grandparents I never met.
Following a decade of health problems, all had assumed that he would be the first to go.
But it was my grandmother who quietly surrendered:
the unexpected loss of a son, too much to bear.
Life’s meaning was lost.
My grandfather turned his face to the wall.
In a matter of days he followed her.
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Dido’s Lament
“Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,
On thy bosom let me rest,
More I would, but Death invades me;
Death is now a welcome guest.
When I am laid, am laid in earth, May my wrongs create
No trouble, no trouble in thy breast;
Remember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
Remember me, but ah! forget my fate.”
From Dido and Aeneas
Music: Henry Purcell
Libretto: Nahum Tate
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Picture of the verandah in our family’s home, which my grandfather built, and where my father lived as a child and young man.
A Perception Of Emptiness
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We had planned to use the swimming pool.
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But it seemed we were to be disappointed.
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Fortunately, the hotel had a second pool!
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Serenade
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What better way to mark the last evening of my son and future daughter-in-law’s stay than a beautiful meal in a graceful garden restaurant,
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While being serenaded by Carnatic musicians?
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The “children” are now thousands of miles away, en route to Europe.
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Without them,
The house seems quieter
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And just a little sadder…
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Parties of One
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“We are born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone.” Orson Wells.
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“Language… has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word “solitude” to express the glory of being alone.” Paul Tillich.
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New Beginnings
Now is a time of change.
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The house, once filled with laughter, falls quiet.
The games
are over.
Now is time to open the gates
and not look back.
Time to set out:
A new term begins.
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Morning Shadow
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We often speak of evening shadows.
But with the coming of dawn, our attention seems held only by the new light.
Is there an innate reluctance to focus on what departs?
A preoccupation with what takes its place?
Perhaps it is the contrast which captures our attention.
Morning shadow
maybe an illusion
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We perceive merely an absence of the light;
the last trace of night’s darkness.
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Neither Use Nor Ornament 