The Joy of Free Falling

I've shared this experience before, with people having dance as a common interest-

The weather was so good this morning, that I felt like dancing and I fell at the first turn! Not the first time for me. I got a painful bruise; but somehow I feel like laughing everytime I fall, even if it hurts. May be it's because falling reminds me of a carefree childhood- learning to walk for the first time, riding a bicycle, playing. We've all had our fair share of bruises. And we'd proudly show those off to our friends, boasting of surviving some grand accident. Growing up, we encounter falls and risings, making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. Yes we cried, but next minute forgot it ever happened and never gave up.

But once we learn those elementary things and get used to the world around, slowly, we become cautious as we forget how falling feels-  Be it physical or metaphorical. And since the fear of a thing comes from not knowing it, we become more and more scared of it, and stop trying new things or taking risks in our lives.Worse, we learn to complain if we get bruises.

And slowly life becomes mundane. To fill that void we start filling it with stuff money could buy but don't really need and so we become materialistic.

Our society, our culture expects us to be graceful as a grown up. So no more climbing trees, or dancing in the streets, or shouting at the top of our lungs, or skipping the steps on the stairs and no more the joys of free falling. To experience these, we need to make special provisions, but it can't be at the spur of the moment. Whenever and wherever we want. We learn to practice restraint, be responsible, disciplined.

But do we really want to be a conformist to these norms or live our limited time on our own terms?

What would you choose, would you let go of those innocent impulses or would you choose to let go and experience that free fall?

A quest

I knew it lay deep below,

it scattered the light.

The path to it could consume me,

and yet I took the dive.

I went down with a whirl,

with the sea in and out,

choking dancing in a swirl,

my head becoming a cloud.

In this seeker’s game,

what was to become of me?

I only saw the treasures,

Buried deep below the sea.

It’s a kaleidoscopic world down here,

blue green weeds gently float.

Dispersed rays form rainbows,

and you can see shadows of the boats.

Shoals of baby fishes leaving,

for school in bright morns,

flapping their fins all the way,

vivid pinks and orange their uniforms.

I came upon a farm of jelly fishes,

playing pretty tricks with light,

as a softest fabric they move n swish,

tempted, you reach and touch,

and you’ll be taking flight.

On her way to plaza the lady snail,

Tread carefully she’s slow n frail.

Carrying an elegant white shell clutch,

spoilt rich n haughty as a dutch.

I saw some starry fish, basking on the sunny floor.

They say a star long ago fell from the sky,

that’s where all the shiny sand came by,

and they too came riding its core.

A river current sped past,

salving lovers anxious,

separated by expanses vast.

Across seven seas it sees through,

routing corked phials of billet-doux.

As I walked on the floor,

I heard the song of whales,

dancing in the ocean,

telling their magical tales.

They’re singing of the mer empire,

that it’s full of rubies diamonds and sapphires.

The wondrous creatures are all in their story-

full of beauty, wisdom and glory.

A wreck of sunken ship

reminds me of the time of a golden whip

lashed on the poor by the rich

so they could glitter in stone leaving the pitch.

I came upon a chamber,

portraits of damsels wearing amber,

chests of diamond in reckless abandon,

with all gone, whom would they hang on?

But the life under sea goes on as ever,

wrecks of past making home for a new endeavor.

Tumultuous and tranquil this world is at once,

divine balance reflects divine brilliance.

'Ere i come upon the end of my tale,

and with the last sip of my ginger ale,

I leave you with this to think- they'll

try to bind you but if you prevail,

and leave out to take an untaken trail,

forfeited would be assurance and comfort,

and your loved ones you'll avert,

just to meet strangers,

or for a taste of lurking dangers.

Or to forfeit the greater enemies of dullness and monotony

which are but slow poisons and cause such agony

of which you see neither a source nor a face,

still it keeps you bleeding without blood's trace.

So let ennui make your life bland,

or keep burning the flame, the shadows wane.

Venture shores far and near,

or let your mind undertake the voyage to ease wear

You learn much while at home,

but fly out whence you're grown.

You'll be consumed, but a deeper self will rise from you,

and the tricky ground will be your learning milieu

share your wisdom, your love and expand

but first abandon to understand