Trees

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

~ Joyce Kilmer, “Trees"

Seeing

The more often we see the things around us - even the beautiful and wonderful things - the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds - even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.

~ Joseph B. Wirthlin.

Waiting

"For a while" is a phrase whose length can't be measured. At least by the person who's waiting.

~ Haruki Murakami
(South of the Border, West of the Sun)

Quote - Unquote

This quote probably summarizes my take on friendships...

Nobody likes being alone that much. I don't go out of my way to make friends, that's all. It just leads to disappointment. 

~ Haruki Murakami

Quote - Unquote

A quote I came across today:

Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.

~ Malcolm S. Forbes 

The same can be said about what we don’t have and what we do.

Quote - Unquote

Since it's New Year and all, just wanted to post my favourite quote of all time:


I always wanted a happy ending... Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.


~ Gilda Radner


Love that phrase - 'delicious ambiguity'.
Happy New Year!

Sand and Foam - Khalil Gibran

I was unwittingly introduced to this poet/writer because the Founder Principal of our school had an excerpt from one of his more famous books (The Prophet) inserted in our School Diary. I’m thinking she had it in there for a reason – that every parent should read and imbibe them. And if possible, I'd recommend getting a print-out and sticking it somewhere they can see it every morning! (And conversely, I do realize I’m supposed to remember the same when I become a parent some day. Errr...) I'm referring to what is popularly known as ‘On Children’. I realized I was reading someone special.

Here are more of his thoughts from his book ‘Sand and Foam’. I had a very tough time picking a few - and the list still is pretty long, you’d agree! What’s interesting is that each time I read them, my understanding of it is different (even if slightly), depending on my state of mind. And most of these are probably things “we know” but presented ingeniously. The mark of great thinker.

So here we go…a lot of food for thought!

Aphorisms ahead…

Quotes on…

 …Writers & Writing: