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| Taos, 2005 |
I miss New Mexico...
I do love my colourful, vibrant, dynamic country
India but sometimes I wish she was a little less intense. How about a little
less green, a little less red, and not such an intense in-your-face yellow? How
about a just-about-there purple and that faintest of blushes and a peek-a-boo
green?
Aah, my monsoon country, all said and done,
I am at heart a desert-girl, longing for the silence of the eternal sun-swept
brown.
As much as I love stalking jasmines through
Chennai buses and Indian trains, I do obsessively love the trance of
honeysuckle fragrance wafting suddenly one morning or teasing come-hither
perfume of lilacs. I do love the bold red hibiscus but now I am beginning to
miss my lavender.
For there is something to be said of the
desert, of so few days of rain, of a rambling scanty landscape, of brown over
brown, of always-longing hearts and then the sudden brief spray of rain, of a
sudden gentleness, coolness, joy that welcomes and embraces even that briefest
of encounters. Of earth being centred and present—this moment I am happy, that
moment I will long for you, so it is and so it will be.
And then there is also something to be said
of trees that also adorn deserts—of when they change colours, and when they
shed old leaves, of when they are bedecked by snowflakes, of when new leaves
dare every spring to creep out and squeak.
And there is also something to be said of
birds that do not reside permanently. Of them who make appearances in spring
and stay sometimes through summer. Like the hummingbirds that visit my friend
Alexandra’s home—a “Hi there” chatter as they flit and search for sugar syrup
on her feeder. It is okay to have homes in multiple places. I am here, all here
today and happy to see you and tomorrow I will be gone to say “Hi” somewhere
else.
And then there is something to be said of
those skies that color myriad, but gently envelope the earth below,
consistently, constantly, turning grey for the briefest of moments but gazing
lovingly all other times. I miss, I miss the skies of New Mexico.
Aah my daughterland, for all your prattle
and giggles with your anklets tinkling and all the demands that you make of me,
I miss the warm pamper of my mother, New Mexico. If only there could be a world
on some dimension where I could hold and be with you both.
I wish...
Nice to read your post and thanks for awesome photos.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it Rupam--I am rediscovering my photos--hmm, maybe I always did know how to shoot, just never believed it. Thank you Rupam for being here again!
Deletewow.. mexico is a beautiful place and its on the agenda to visit the place in the coming years sometimes ..
ReplyDeletebeautiful pictures
Bikram's
New Mexico is a lovely south-western state in United States--yes, my soul settles in over there!
DeleteBeautiful post of a beautiful land! Every land, season holds its own charm!
ReplyDeleteSo true, Magiceye!!! So true!
DeleteI have to cry reading this
ReplyDeleteYou always felt New Mexican to me, Maya--thats why I gravitated towards you...
DeleteNeither time nor space can confine the spirit which dwells in the realm of the master shipbuilder. The way you have described your mother and the way you have described your daughter, you are already in the dimension where you hold and are with both. I have never been able to see the beauty of the desert, but your post told me all that I needed to know. Loved it beyond words.
ReplyDeleteEven I never liked deserts before, in fact had a lot of problem settling in. But the desert grows on your heart and changes you in unmistakable ways. By the way, much of Ansel Adams lovely photographs are based in New Mexico. He also helped me loved that landscape even more.
DeleteLovely Bhavana! (From Mimi)
ReplyDeleteThanks much Mimi!
DeleteFlawless....emotionally intricate and exquisitely crafted, Bhavana....superb!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Panchali! Wrote it at one go in a sudden surge of passion--I guess that's how we write!
DeleteFirst thing, I am happy to see a post from you after a long time. Now coming to the post, I just loved the pictures too well. Desert never attracted me much. You showed a new dimension to the beauty of deserts. I liked the way you are trying to balance both. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, Lata, even I never loved it much before but now I love the desert landscape--there is an unbelievable beauty in it. You should check Ansel Adams works sometimes-- several of his photos are based on New Mexico
Deleteand its heartwarming photography.... liked last but one and two very much
ReplyDeleteThanks, thanks, Satish! I cant believe my photographs taken with very ordinary camera came out this good!
DeleteGorgeous pictures. And lovely words of yearning. So beautifully written, Bhavana. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, D! Yes, I do yearn for New Mexico--she will always be very close to my heart--she is my Maike -:)
DeleteWow! You make us wanna visit there sometime! Well written!
ReplyDeleteHahaha--she is worth a visit--she is unlike rest of USA! She is gentle and healing and sacred...
Deletewonderful post......yes, i absolutely agree that this is a beautiful time in the u.s. (autumn/fall weather.)
ReplyDeleteThe photos were awesome but your descriptions were absolutely poetic Bhavana. Superb!
ReplyDelete