Saturday, September 01, 2007
Rhythm of your rhymes...
"Your choice of words is interesting. Are you a writer?" he asked.
Caught by surprise, I stared at him, hoping to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond the appearance he presented. Would he understand? He seemed to look at me as if he could see through me; as if I were a clear crystal souvenir and he could see the etchings deep within me. He seemed to be waiting for me to realize the answer that he already knew. "No", I replied unblinkingly, as if hypnotized by his gaze. "I'm a poet", I answered. And as I said the words, I knew them to be true.
He smiled at me then. I felt his confidence in me and I smiled in return. A smile which seemed to have the power to make me sing out loud to the heavens that be. It was as if I had found myself again. He patted my shoulder and said "Then I hope you find the rhythm for your rhymes". Before I could understand what he'd said or respond intelligently, he patted my shoulder and walked away. I stayed on the park bench long after he'd gone, still hypnotized by this chance encounter with a stranger.
I don't remember how long I sat there, confused, alone and cold. The joy had faded away almost as soon as it had burst forth. I knew that if I left that bench the moment would be lost and I might never understand my purpose in life. "...the rhythm for your rhymes" he'd said. The words echoed in my head but their meaning still eluded me. What could it mean? Why did I say I was a poet? Who was he?
Defeated and exhausted, I finally got up and began to walk home. Lost in my thoughts, I drifted back to my days as a child and I took solace in words that I had learned so very long ago. I could hear them faintly through the mists of the years gone by as I tried to sing along. It was an old hymn - Galilee's song and these were the words.
Yes. A poet I was. And if the rhyme is the form, the rhythm is the purpose behind the form. The rhythm is the existential force behind the poets rhymes. The words had always been in my head; all I had to do was put them together in harmony with me. The rhythm of my soul. My beliefs. My faith. My faith in me. For there is no greater religion than that of being true to oneself. If there be a God, He was the rhythm my heart beat to. The rhythm, which was source of all knowledge and strength known to humankind.
And it would be the rhythm of my rhymes.
"Your choice of words is interesting. Are you a writer?" he asked.
Caught by surprise, I stared at him, hoping to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond the appearance he presented. Would he understand? He seemed to look at me as if he could see through me; as if I were a clear crystal souvenir and he could see the etchings deep within me. He seemed to be waiting for me to realize the answer that he already knew. "No", I replied unblinkingly, as if hypnotized by his gaze. "I'm a poet", I answered. And as I said the words, I knew them to be true.
He smiled at me then. I felt his confidence in me and I smiled in return. A smile which seemed to have the power to make me sing out loud to the heavens that be. It was as if I had found myself again. He patted my shoulder and said "Then I hope you find the rhythm for your rhymes". Before I could understand what he'd said or respond intelligently, he patted my shoulder and walked away. I stayed on the park bench long after he'd gone, still hypnotized by this chance encounter with a stranger.
I don't remember how long I sat there, confused, alone and cold. The joy had faded away almost as soon as it had burst forth. I knew that if I left that bench the moment would be lost and I might never understand my purpose in life. "...the rhythm for your rhymes" he'd said. The words echoed in my head but their meaning still eluded me. What could it mean? Why did I say I was a poet? Who was he?
Defeated and exhausted, I finally got up and began to walk home. Lost in my thoughts, I drifted back to my days as a child and I took solace in words that I had learned so very long ago. I could hear them faintly through the mists of the years gone by as I tried to sing along. It was an old hymn - Galilee's song and these were the words.
Deep within my heart, I feel voices whispering to me.
Words that I can’t understand; Meanings I can’t clearly hear
Calling me to follow close, lest I leave myself behind
Calling me to walking into evening shadows one more time
Leave them on familiar shores
Set my heart upon the deep
Follow you again, my Lord
In my memories, I know how you send familiar rains
falling gently on my days, dancing patterns on my pain
And I need to learn once more in the fortress of my mind,
to believe in falling rain as I travel deserts dry
So I leave my boats behind
Leave them on familiar shores
Set my heart upon the deep
Follow you again, my Lord
Yes. A poet I was. And if the rhyme is the form, the rhythm is the purpose behind the form. The rhythm is the existential force behind the poets rhymes. The words had always been in my head; all I had to do was put them together in harmony with me. The rhythm of my soul. My beliefs. My faith. My faith in me. For there is no greater religion than that of being true to oneself. If there be a God, He was the rhythm my heart beat to. The rhythm, which was source of all knowledge and strength known to humankind.
And it would be the rhythm of my rhymes.
by nutty at 2:43 AM |
11 Comments:
I understand why you didn't want to leave the bench; somehow, i can relate to it...you meet someone or have a engaging conversation and then the person leaves..you stay back and mull over the remains, partly in hope of a deep realization that would otherwise escape you
i like yr post..reading it on such a lazy weekend helped..
the post was total OHT for me....
I think Cool meant OTH (Over The Head)
Frankly if I say that I understood it; I'd be lying; but @ some point I did connect to it; but that was fleetingly and perhaps the first time I read it; because on re-reading it I was lost again
Hope you doing fine!
Actually, I think OHT is short for "Over Head Transmission".
i must admit i don't understand poetry at all...but i know u're a great writer!!
Shool i meant OHT only as explained by bigfatdeal....
bigfatdeal = BFD and how is it OHT>?
extremely profound - there might be a writer in you after all, young nutty.
loved the way you wrote this one. i also like the romance you build around 'rhythm'. i get close to understanding what you mean, but i fear i fall just short. but i think i do have parallels in 'my world' that help me understand what the rhythms mean to you.
wow, that's about as serious as i've been a long time. quickkk ... need to make a silly joke before i get used to this!
I'm not sure if anyone else has experienced this but sometimes one doesn't think through what they're going to write about .. rather one starts with a few words in the head and the rest just flows as if the writer the were nothing more than an instrument and the thought behind it was that of You-Know-Who...
sort of like when you're drunk I guess :D
This post was something like that :)
@satyajit - thanks much!
@cool - what to do .. hum aise hi hain ;)
@anshul - would a 3rd read help? ;)
just kiddin! I have read it innumerable times myself and I still dunno where it came from!
@bigfatdeal - thanks for the help clarifying OHT ;)
@zee - coming from you thats just wow! thanks a ton! I assure you its purely by accident ;)
@ganju - OMG! What have I done?! I've made you turn serious! ooo.. this is not good! not good I tell ya! :)
Nice post. Btw, it's not just poets - even prose writers employ rhythm.
For example, Aaron Sorkin (West Wing, A few good men) writes his screenplay with a specific meter in mind, and requires his actors to follow it.
BPSK
Wow, I totally relate to the fact that we dont want to let go of the moment or the situation or the conversation that we is memorable, with a stranger or a friend! And I understand what you mean by the rhythm.. we each I think are trying to find that, in life, in relationships, in words and in actions? Its like a reaching where you were "meant to be" and being in synch with the rhythm of nature, maybe?!
And wow, your post inspired a serious comment from Ganju!! Kudos to that!! :) Lol!
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