Mind

What To Do?

Literary Nonsense

The Busy Life (1953) by Jean Dubuffet
[Source – tate.org.uk]

*

The train of thought never stops, does it?

Standing on a vague platform, everything except me undergoes a peculiar kind of metamorphosis now and then. Bewildered, I stand in utter confusion, with a dazed expression and remain amusingly voiceless.

Waving madly for the train to halt or at least lazy down a bit, I am increasingly getting ascertained about the fact that either I am powerless or I am being considered as a crazy cheerleader.

Often, no, more than often, I have successfully boarded the train.

What happens then – settled quietly near the window, with a half-read great novel that I have tried to finish since one year, five months and two weeks, looking old and rich in my hands, I get lost in the dream world looking through the barred window; settled quietly near the window, with a notebook in front and a pen in my hand, I write down miraculous lines, tying down the strength to move the humanity and a saleable story together, staying humble myself throughout the reverie; settled quietly near the window, but loathing everyone around me and worshiping softly to reach my destination soon…

“My destination…” I say and I am kicked out of the train, back on that floating platform which dances every second on some idiotic tune and disturbs my balance.

I fall down, cry, raise questions, get answers, plan things and proudly compliment myself, with a touch of modesty of course.

And then what do I do? I go off to sleep. How much can the mind take? “So long, my friend”, says my mind and dozes off. Shut down! Power off!

Click!

Switch on and I am back on that platform. Trains have started passing me. I yawn, a full day of travelling to a gazillion places ahead.

Busy life, what to do?

*


Weekly Newsletter

A weekly dose of stories! Get the posts from the Chiming Stories in your inbox and read it when you can. Subscribe now, it is free!

This field is required.

Recent Posts


It Came Quietly To Me

Poem

Mountains… grand and free. [Image by Jagriti Rumi]

Cry at times and don’t hold it back,
Take a pause and then look back,
You’ll find a way,
You’ll see the light,
With a calm mind and free eyes
You’ll connect with your soul and realise
That you were, you are and you will
Always be free.

 

I am happy I am free.

Weekly Newsletter

A weekly dose of stories! Get the posts from the Chiming Stories in your inbox and read it when you can. Subscribe now, it is free!

This field is required.

Recent Posts


Pierrot Le Fou

Review-Cum-Commentary
So after I watched Godard’s Pierrot Le Fou I went for an evening walk with a question in my mind.
 
Why did Marianne call him Pierrot? I left without an answer.
 
 

The Poster of Pierrot Le Fou, a film by Jean-Luc Godard

 
It was getting dark as slowly the fog from the mountains was covering the valley from all the sides. The clouds made a thundering noise at some distance. It was surely going to rain and I still didn’t take any umbrella.
 
The two dogs with me were extremely excited, they rarely worry. Rain or not, they are always up for a walk.
 
I have a habit of calling them not by their names. Funny, they always wag their tails. I guess I call them so because of what their personalities reflect as a dog.
 
So happy!
 
So excited!
 
Anyway, Pierrot Le Fou…what a ride! From eccentricity to understanding it, from the society to clashing with it, from love to killing it, from life to getting killed. It was about Pierrot…a single individual and the incidents that occur one after the other in his life.
 
Criss-cross, criss-cross we climbed down the mountain. My mind was quietly dealing with the same question – why Pierrot?
 
Was it because of his personality, did Marianne know him more than he knew himself?
 
It seems so, in fact, he was aware about it but was reluctant to accept this fact and that’s why he reminded her each time she called him Pierrot that his name is Ferdinand not Pierrot.
 
Suddenly, as I was busy thinking and talking at the same time, it started drizzling. We decided to go back. The dogs were as happy to return as they were when we left the house.
 
I started running and so did the dogs, it was raining heavily now. Climbing a mountain is tough. I was short of air soon and I stopped to get some.
 
The dogs also stopped, we were getting wet. Breathe, breathe, I told myself and started walking briskly. And then when the cool fog was all around and my nose felt very icy, the question in my mind escaped.
 
Panting heavily, trying to catch up with the two dogs, I felt truly in the moment…I was in the present.
 
As if someone was behind me with a gun, I ran so fast. The dogs were running next to me. It was downhill now and we increased our speed. ‘Thundering typhoons, run, run, run!’
 
I am sure about one thing, Marianne didn’t lie when she called him Pierrot. She was being honest with him.
 
But I don’t blame Pierrot either. After all, he was busy reading and contemplating all the time. Someone’s philosophy ruled him.
 
Pierrot, busy reading.
 
This is what he was reading.
 
We reached home, wet. I was smiling. I sat on the chair and looked at the view. The young tree in front, with green leaves, was playing ‘raindrops’ tune. I listened.
 
Then I felt that I know the answer to the question, finally, but couldn’t put it in words.
 
Oh! I remember one word though – emotions.
 

Sitting Calmly, Eyes Closed

In meditation, in love!
[Source – Pixabay]

The image that once rose

The lotus, the dandelion, the rose

Feels it very clearly

Like the wind brushing past dearly

An aura shook the land

With the touch of a hand

It was the enlightened one, Buddha

Seeing right through the Mandala

The universe looked just like a sphere

A sphere just like the world

A world just like the mind

A mind just like the soul

A soul just like the One

Slowly and at once he won

Changing into a lotus there

The Buddha permeated the air.


Weekly Newsletter

A weekly dose of stories! Get the posts from the Chiming Stories in your inbox and read it when you can. Subscribe now, it is free!

This field is required.

Recent Posts


The Moon Is Singing White Light

Perhaps it is better to know the world after you know yourself completely. When the fog will disappear and the pain will die out, you’ll see what you’ll see. It will be real and true. You can float blissfully only after you have drowned, till the depth pushes you back and alive. It is not the misty wind or the world that shakes me but my ideas. Everyone is quiet outside but the moon is singing white light. Until I say ‘see you later’ to the world and tap my mind twice, my soul will stand separately on the hill.
I touched my shadow and folded it and I have hidden it in the pocket. Don’t panic. Though I am running but I am looking for something…I am looking for a silent room with green grass and a tree to sit under it. I’ll unfold things without judging then.

Lost And Found

Together… fearless and strong!
[Image by Céline Martin from Pixabay]
She had decided to leave and her bag was packed. Sitting on her bed she was just getting herself together to face her decision. She took a few deep breaths.
 
Her mind told her that she was doing the right thing and she appreciated it. But then it contradicted immediately and said loud and clear to her, ‘the road is tough and you are not.’
 
More thoughts flooded her mind – it isn’t what others normally do…who will take care of grandma…and a recurrent thought of failing.
 
In fact, her mind guaranteed it that she would ultimately, definitely fail.
 
She got up and moved towards the window. She saw little kids playing outside, happily and ignorantly.
 
Images of destruction, people crying for help, and dead bodies lying everywhere shook her once again.
 
The news channels always make it easy to remember the gross truth without presenting an actual practical answer, though options of ‘SMSing’ and voting are abundant.
 
She returned and said something to herself. Then she turned to see the mirror and said loudly, ‘I am doing the right thing…I can’t just sit and talk…I can’t…this is right…I know it.’ She took her bag and left her room.
 
Her grandma knew about her plan and though she had asked her to abandon it, at that moment she warmly hugged her granddaughter and said, ‘I am proud of you…God be with you.’ She kissed her grandma and left the house in a spirit to be the change.
 
She reached the camp with difficulty. Bad weather and landslides made it almost impossible.
 
All the people on the way kept telling her that she must not go. An elderly man even scolded her and asked her if she was trying to be daring or cool or trying to prove something to her friends.
 
He thought it was a joke for a young girl like her. She didn’t reply to him, she knew the man was hurt and maybe had lost someone in the disaster. She kept quiet and walked ahead.
 
After almost three weeks of no information, her grandma received a letter.
 
Grandma,
We are working very hard here, all as one, and I know your blessings are with me. I don’t cry, for we together. Fearless and strong. We are together in this Grandma.
 
When I return home, you’ll also have a younger granddaughter to welcome. Her name is Sheena. She is my baby sister.
Much love!
Sofia
 

Weekly Newsletter

A weekly dose of stories! Get the posts from the Chiming Stories in your inbox and read it when you can. Subscribe now, it is free!

This field is required.

Recent Posts


You Think You Have Time?

It is time to know yourself.
Image from Pixabay.

“The trouble is, you think you have time”- a straightforwardly true quote.

But listen don’t worry… just take a deep breath. And allow your mind to be empty.

It is true that time is running but that doesn’t mean you have to run with it.

Instead, you should stop and discover your inner self.

Knowing who you actually are is a big question for which you should hurry; being aware of every breath that you take is important, and for this you should be quick.

Time is fleeting and there is a whole universe to explore within and without.

Our soul is something we don’t consciously think much about and rarely do anything special for it, for it to flourish.

So there is no time to waste in any trivial issue when inner peace is all you need.

The solution to this trouble is to be extremely quick in settling your mind without spending the time elsewhere.

A settled mind can make you sit calmly, a calm posture can make you concentrate, you can meditate and what comes next is even better… a mind that meditates can stop Time.


Weekly Newsletter

A weekly dose of stories! Get the posts from the Chiming Stories in your inbox and read it when you can. Subscribe now, it is free!

This field is required.

Recent Posts


Draw The Mind

Know thy mind.
Image from Pixabay.

With a pen in your hand and a paper in front of you, draw, draw with your eyes closed. You will see a lot of things but there’ll be something that you will see and feel at the same time. Draw it out. Be free. Don’t restrict yourself by worrying about the outcome. Move your hand to picture what your mind shows you- a line, a circle, a wave, a square, a tree, a lightening, the universe.  

You will know when to stop; you will know when to open your eyes.  

Smiling? The picture might be funny or absurd or both, nevertheless, it is your own mind. Don’t raise any questions but do think. You’ll get to know something about yourself for sure. Something like that you might not be a good painter but your inner self is. And that the sun might rise and the moon may set, the truth will always be with your soul.


Weekly Newsletter

A weekly dose of stories! Get the posts from the Chiming Stories in your inbox and read it when you can. Subscribe now, it is free!

This field is required.

Recent Posts


With A Painting

Flash Fiction
[Source – a Hindi novel’s book cover; image by Jagriti Rumi]

Deep eyes for whom are you waiting? You look like a forgotten painting hanging high on a wall of an old chalet. I wish to talk to you…come alive; the mortal world needs a touch of your beauty. Just for a few minutes or even a second will do…come alive.

A blink of your eyes might melt million hearts; your smile could dance in the darkness and glow. Lost in the hazy splendour, talk to us once or make a gesture.

Hypnotising colours that you are adorned with has the power of bringing serenity. Share some with me; one shade of it in my life and I’ll be seen flying without wings.

Surely you are waiting for someone but what is the pleasure in it? A beloved resides in your mind or… a question?

The elegance in you speaks for you. It says you know the answer and that you are just playing Life.

Are you happy to be a pretty curse? I dreamt you are. Clever!

I am capturing your colours as much as my eyes can discern, your elegance as much as my mind knows and your love as much as my heart can hold.

You have made house in many souls and though you go on living many lives, you know that your wait is not over. You know peace, but you are waiting for it to complete.

*


Weekly Newsletter

A weekly dose of stories! Get the posts from the Chiming Stories in your inbox and read it when you can. Subscribe now, it is free!

This field is required.

Recent Posts


Shy Mind

Shy quiet mind.
[Image from Pixabay]

Shy mind.

It is all in the mind. It has all the answers. The mind knows the reason behind every silent smile and every moist laugh. It is familiar with the ‘why’ for sadness, ‘what’ for happiness, ‘how’ for a cry and ‘when’ for a giggle- mind knows all these secrets.

But it doesn’t believe in outpouring the magical flavour. The mind is not a show-off, it is just shy.

*


Weekly Newsletter

A weekly dose of stories! Get the posts from the Chiming Stories in your inbox and read it when you can. Subscribe now, it is free!

This field is required.

Recent Posts