What It Is

It is madness
says reason
It is what it is
says love …

It is unhappiness
says calculation
It is nothing but pain
says fear
It has no future
says insight
It is what it is
says love …

It is ridiculous
says pride
It is foolish
says caution
It is impossible
says experience
It is what it is
says love …

What it is by Erich Fried

Love this poem and read it many times. Do you love such poems?

I love many of them …

First and foremost, allow me to share Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43, ‘How Do I Love Thee?’

It begins with the iconic lines:

‘How do I love thee?
Let me count the ways…’

These two lines alone contain volumes of meaning, and I find myself revisiting them often …

There’s another poem, I love, and that is ‘Hope’ by Emily Dickinson

‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all’ …

I may not be good at recitation, but I have a deep passion for reading and appreciating the intricate artistry of language. The way words are arranged to evoke emotions, convey wisdom, and capture the essence of life, love, and nature resonates deeply with me. It’s in these moments, amidst the twists and turns of expression, that I find myself enamored with the beauty of language and the emotions it encapsulates …

See, when you read ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ by Robert Frost, won’t you just love this famous poem?

‘The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep’ …

Here’s another eloquent excerpt from the renowned poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost:

‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.’

This poem resonates deeply with me and holds a special place in my heart, as I often find myself reflecting on its message of making pivotal choices that shape one’s journey.

I have a profound admiration for another poem, namely ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.’ Its expression conjures the sense of companionship, as if the lover is spiritually present, ensuring one is not alone:

‘Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky’ …

Isn’t it beautiful?

I’m certain many of you appreciate these poems. There are numerous others, but I’d like to share just a few of my absolute favorites with you all, such as ‘Leisure’ by William Henry Davies:

‘What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare …
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.’

To selectively share excerpts from the poem is my means of conveying:

Please delve into the poems I’m presenting here—
read them when solitude surrounds you,
read them in the company of your beloved,
read them among friends,
read them with strangers,
read them in tranquility,
read them amidst chaos …
but above all, I hope you
read them in their entirety …

Read

Sharing one of my recent painting video from ‘Chaos’ series. Hope you may like it. Also I tried to read the poem ‘What It Is’. Hope you would like listening to it as well ….

And also please do share here about your favourite poems …..

Hope

Blooms glow …
Hope is in petals bright
Nature promises in breeze …

Part of my morning rituals are spent in my little varandah garden! It refreshes me …. Love the sound of the chirping birds, the warm light, smell of the wind and greens and flowers … Some days I read here with a glass of warm honey water and some days a cup of tea … with a little conversation … These days are Ramadan days, the most blessed days and I’m healing from my broken finger …. I hope it’ll be alright soon … and everything too

Hope …

Let the blooms bring hope …

Meraki

My canvas of delight is
Dancing bright …
My passion is igniting
A colorful sight …
My soul is painting
A tranquil choir …
My emotion is healing
With peace and fire …

Meraki
(v.) to do something with soul, creativity or love; to leave a piece and essence of yourself in something you do …

What If

What if it all works out?
What if you get that call?
What if today goes unexpectedly well?
What if you have what it takes?
What if you meet someone unexpectedly?
What if today you make the day best with what you have?
What if someone is praying for you?
What if you receive that one mail?
What if someone has special feelings for you?
What if someone tells you that?
What if you go on that trip with someone for a day or two?
What if the trip takes you to another state of mind?
What if you return with a complete different state of heart?
What if you do not know what’s next?
What if the best is yet to come?
What if great things are on the way?
What if you don’t search for any answer?
What if the answer is within you?

I love all the ‘What ifs’ …
What ifs’ give me hope …

Little Joy

So she was absent for one day

And came to school the next day and she came to my desk room to see me. She was standing at the doorstep and she called me softly,

‘Miss’ …..

I looked at her, and got up from my desk and went closer to the doorstep and touching her soft cheek, I said,

‘Hello Mumma! How’re you sweety? You were absent yesterday. I heard that you had toothache. How’s your toothache now?

I was saying all these to her at a go …

And she said to me ‘Did you miss me?’ with such deep affectionate look at me and with a softer voice that it almost melted my heart with pure bliss …

It was so heartwarming, I immediately gave her a hug and said, ‘Of course, I missed you dear. I missed you so much.’

It seemed she felt good to hear those words for her and then she hugged me for a few seconds and smiled ….

And then she noticed my buddy taping fingers

‘What happened?’ – serious concerns with full of innocent sympathy

‘It just was an accident my dear.’ I answered.

‘Is this hurting you?’ She couldn’t get it what’s that!

‘Well, yes! A little’ ….

‘How did it happen?’ – asked like an adult as if she would understand the whole situation …

She kissed my buddy taping and asked me, ‘Should I draw something on your bandage? So it’ll be cured faster.’

‘Oh dear! Really? You can draw of course.’

Then she brought out her special colour box and said to me, ‘I want to use the colors that you prefer today. Cause it’s your bandage on your hand.”

Then I chose some colors, pink, purple, green yellow …

She drew this one. She drew a heart, a flower …. For me ….

She asked me, ‘Did you like it?

I know you all know what my answer was to her …

Now you tell me, ‘Do you like this Little Joy’?’

Do you value such little joy in your life?

How sometimes we get someone’s affection and we don’t even notice ….

How sometimes you know that you’re someone special in someone’s heart, and yet you do not care much or ignore or you take that for granted …

How often we do not acknowledge these little joys of life …

Often I do find these ‘Little Joy’ moments in my life and I value them deeply. I believe life is made up of these little moments, precious memories, vulnerability and love that all add up to create a big canvas of your life. We should know that the bigger picture cannot be made without all the small moments that bring it all together. So

‘I hope you find, as I did, that happiness comes from noticing and enjoying the little things in life’

Palletes of Nature

Hello Artist,
That dream was planted in your heart for a reason. No one else can dream it for you, no one else can accomplish it …

Be kind to yourself …
Follow your dream …

Loving this colorful echoes, my little palletes of nature …

Isolophilia

Silent growth in aging
Echoes wisdom …
Wisdom whispers
In wrinkles’ embrace …

The older you get,
The more quiet you become …
Whispers of time deepen hush;
Silence, aging’s gift, in return….

Isolophilia
(n.) strong affection for solitude and being alone …:

Meeting among The Mountains

Kashmir, Heaven on Earth

I dreamt of walking
On mountains
And
I dreamt of meeting
You ….

Here I’m walking
On the lands of magical mountains …
High above the crowds and the clouds,
Under the ancient pine trees
I’m in its close embrace ..
Surrendering to the magnificence …
Believe, I could see nothing
In the thread of mist
Caressing the wind
Everywhere I see
You …

Only you …

Heart full of gratitude for this gift of being alive to see the magnificent heavenly beauty by The Divine.

Kashmir, Heaven on Earth

Detached Attachment

Shalimar

I was waiting
For you
And you didn’t show up
while my odes started to burn …
A heartache …

After a while,
There a humble person came along ..
Seemed so at the moment …
I asked him to take a picture of me and
There I sat at the corner of a bench
In the garden …
Took some time to
Get my mood toned
Up my unsettled face …
There the man waited patiently …
A gentleman ….

Once it’s all set yet unsteady
As I was,
I heard the man said, ‘Ready?’
Twinkled at him and said, ‘Yes’
Smiling …
With the chilly breeze that was
Passing through
I preferred my warm
Jacket kept aside
And my heavy heart smile
For the warmth I needed ….
A harmony ….

Later on I welcomed a friendly
Conversation with the stranger
He seemed to like all of it …
My chitter-chattering
And laughter flowed freely, naturally …
Then we started walking
In the garden, blooming all around
An attachment ….

The balance was the two umbrellas
For each of us,
His violet, mine yellow one
We were walking and talking
Keeping the in-between distance mindfully yet our heart-felt notions were quietly replaying …
The undefined mysteries of the world, meanwhile …
Letting love in our heart, unknowingly …
After a while, we faded into our different paths
Just two strangers with memories
A detachment ….

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Tell me, what is that one odd yet beautiful encounter you experienced in your lifetime?

I wish …

I wish
I were a bird!
So that I could
Fly to you
Just right now …

I Sense You ….

watching sunset ✿ܓsimple and shiny

In the stillness of the lake
As I keep still,
I sense you
I sense a feeling of warmth
Flowing inside me …
I sense a reflection of you
Residing inside me …
So beautiful and mesmerising …
Then
I sense the strength to move along
In various ups and downs of life
With you and you only …

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dilkash rahe zindagi hai bas yahi dua sun lo naa

Pondering

Is a reflection of you
A mirror of a beautiful reflection of me?

Or

A reflection of you
Is nothing but a beautiful reflection of me.

Melancholia

Soft yellow breeze …
Sweetness surrounds …
Such tenderness …
Yet a melancholy mood …

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In Silence …

If you’re silent,
I know in silence you say more …

If I’m silent, then it’s not that
I don’t want to know about you …

If I’m silent, then it’s not that
I don’t feel what happens to you …

If I’m silent, then it’s not that
I don’t remember you …

If I’m silent, then it’s not that
I don’t care about you …

If I’m silent, then it’s not that
I don’t miss you …

If I’m silent, then it’s not that
I don’t love you …

I miss you
I know you
I care for you
I remember you
I feel for you
I love you

Always …

Sayuri – An Embroidery 🪡

Hair tied in circle …
Blue night …
Mountains are making the path …
Blossoms are coming.

Little Easels – Paintings

Happy Easels, Little Easels

Hello Everyone, I’m so delighted to let all of you know that I’ll be organising an in house exhibition, titled ‘Meet & Greet’ for the theme of ‘Love & Light’.

All the details are in the link:

https://fb.me/e/3jE0l7WS9?mibextid=RQdjqZ

I’m already thankful and grateful for each of the gift of purchase from JBC’s ‘Love & Light’ project (Greeting Cards & Little Easel Paintings). The gifts are going to be DOUBLED as a ‘Giveaway’ from Jian Bird Creates to any non-profit organization working for the climate change movement, empowerment and education for women and children, or sustainability locally and globally.

So, ‘Meet & Greet’ and be a part of JBC’s ‘Love & Light’ project and help make an impact in the community and beyond.

Registration is must: Fill up the form to join the event:

https://forms.gle/z8iNSbri9zsQhSsc6

If you kindly come, I’ll be super happy for your presence at my humble event.

I hope to see you there, in shaAllah

With love,
Roksana Amelia

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‘We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

Mother Teresa

Jaduu Ki Jhappi – A Magical Hug

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Did you give Jaduu Ki Jhappi to her today?

Jaduu Ki Jhappi means Magical Hug.

This hug is so powerful that it’s given so tightly, yet so tenderly with all the care and affection that one feels for another, that it itself makes a whole lot difference without saying much words and you both deserve this Jaduu Ki Jhappi always.

Never miss to give it when your beloved needs it; Never hesitate to ask for it when you need it from her, your lover, your best friend …

Your Jaduu Ki Jhappi means the world to her, remember that.

Love your beloved like you never take her for granted, scold her if she is not taking care of her, pamper her like a little girl, protect her as you are her only bodyguard, hold her like you will never let her go❤️ –

“Jaduu Ki Jhappi” says all of these and more to the lovers …

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So tell me ​
Have you given Jaduu Ki Jhappi to your beloved today?

Solitary Dream – A Painting-

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Come and let me embrace you
With the colorful memories,
Rooted in our hearts
That we owe to ourselves ….

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#JianBirdGallery❄️

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Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.

– Kahlil Gibran

What do you think?

Happiness Tasted –

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A cup of coffee with a friend,
Is like happiness tasted and time well-spent.

And then a toast to us,
May we find many reasons to smile together.

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How do you experience ‘Happiness Tasted’?
That may very well be a good thing, but I am curious, you know.

Unfinished – A Painting

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Each flower reflects God’s perfect glory,
Quietly drifting along the wondrous things around;
Though unfinished it seems,
There is magic
In its vibrant colours!

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How vibrant are you in reflecting your magic around?

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#JianBirdGallery❄️

Wondrous Beauty – A Painting

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Loosing myself, and finding myself….. ….. ….

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#JianBirdGallery❄️

How do you wish to lose yourself and find yourself?

Let’s Sit Here ..

Let’s sit here
With a cup of coffee …
And see the beautiful nature
With the blossoming cherry 😊

Early Morning Rituals

Wake up early morning …
Watch the beautiful sunrise …
You can watch it from your small or big balcony or rooftop (if possible or you prefer)
Or just from your window …

Sit and feel the breeze on your cheeks …
Contemplate … touch the petals softly …
Smile … keep smiling 😃
Oh! I forgot to say …
Can you please sit with a glass of warm water with honey and কালিজিরা (black cumin) in it?
(Or you like a cup of tea early morning?
I don’t know about you)
They say it’s good for health if you can have the warm water with honey and black cumin in the early morning of everyday …
Write something … converse with yourself …
Read aloud for a while …

Stretch your body …
Make your bed nicely …
And say, ‘Thank you bed for a wonderful warmth that I felt from my last night’s sleep on you! You are so very kind!’
You can blow a flying kiss to it 😘

(You want to go for a walk
Early morning?
I don’t know about you.
But if you go for an early morning walk,
It’s all good … Let’s walk together …)

Now start the day.

Heyyy, don’t forget to take a long shower
(If you are not in a hurry though;
See, I don’t know about you)

Finally, be grateful for the day, pray …
For you are alive, breathing!
Every new day is a new beginning …

Byeeee for now 😊

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What are your morning rituals?
Let me know please.

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Inquisitiveness

Though I know

A name is a name

Is a name is a name …

Just like, “Rose is a rose

Is a rose is a rose” … 😊

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In whatever name we call

At the end

A rose will always be a rose

And you will always be you …

Therefore what’s in a name!

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Yet I’m curious 🧐

“What’s your name?”

“What’s your name?”

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Rendezvous

I know exactly

How it would be to meet you …

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It might happen

That I might be busy observing you

Once if we meet ever …

It might happen

That I might forget to drink water

In front of you …

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Which colour do you like?

How do you smile?

Are you talkative?

Or quiet like me!

Or you talk gibberish like me

I m sure I might talk gibberish in front of you though …

Out of my belly butterflies 🦋

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I ll be busy

Observing you

How do you look?

How do you talk?

What do you prefer wearing?

Are you nervous?

Do you need your space to feel relaxed a little bit

Then you would get up and go to the outside for a while … (to take deep breaths?!)

Have you also forgotten to drink water

In front of me?

Just like me?

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Exactly how you will start the conversation

With me?

Would it be casual or formal?

I think you ll be formal

Gradually you ll be casual that I know

It might happen after a while

That we both are laughing on a joke

The joke might be just about our time …

That our time is so silly billy

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I know

How it would be to meet you …

However it might happen that

I will never see you in life …

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But look, I swear

In the solemn silence of everyday dawn

I meet you from afar!

Everyday I meet you as the soft yellow sun rises in the far away skyline

And the birds sing to me the prose of our meeting

And the soft breeze portrays to me

Exactly how our first meeting would be …

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Now tell me

Can I not know you from afar?

What do you say?

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Dear Taj, I Met You

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Dear Taj

You are a sign of my eternal love

I still remember the very first moment I met Taj

A beauty stood in front of me

First time we met, I could see

That Taj and I were meant to be ….

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Dear Taj

You are my evergreen flower

Grows of fine and purest white

And delicate with fresh new leaves

Growing by its side

Shining through quietly

The sun was out there with warmth and dazzling light

Bewildered by its unspoken beauty

There I shivered and I didn’t talk to anybody ..

I wandered in its classic passageways

I was silent for long and

I forgot the moving earth around …

I was lost

In the gardens, the palace, the embroidered doors, walls and marbles ….

In all its beauty and ecstasy

I was sure of one thing that

I was looking for something

That I searched in silence …

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Dear Taj

I met you …..

I felt if time could stand still

I’d freeze it here

Close and near

With all its mystery

Filled with love so pure

Given to you.

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I wore a serene smile

I was barefoot for a while

My tiny little fingers shivered

When Taj touched me and I was so drawn to it

And at that very moment

I painted my sacred pilgrimage

Enveloped with love and peace …

Dear Taj,

For eternity

You are a mysterious beauty

Within me ….

A wondrous splendour

Like a beautiful song

I’ve found

What I have been searching for

A beautiful emotion in my heart …

My Taj, I met you

Dreaming I’ll meet you again

I remember saying to you

‘See you soon my darling

See you soon.’

After that I have been travelling through many moon

And there,

My dear Taj

Waits a lyrical waiting to greet me….

So here I m waiting to meet Taj as we are meant to be together.

So with heavenly light

Flowers bloom, birds sing

The blossoms reaching for the sun

Breathing the scented hues

Spreading the warmth of a promise

With fragrance in the air

With harps, with joy

With hope, with spirit

Within the beautiful blooming

Taj Mahal, I long to see you again ….

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Dear Taj

Again I’ll see you

For a perfect peaceful solitude made for two

Again I’ll touch you

Your whisper would touch my cheek

Again I’ll blush

You’ll say …

‘Come now and rejuvenate with joy!’

Held by the arms I would step forward

Together with the one who is

My mystery, my dear Taj …

Dear Taj & Dear Me

Enamour

I feel a little alive and happier
Now a days
It’s all because of you …..

I feel a more lost and restless
Now a days
It’s also because of you …..

In Thy Heart

Whispering …..

In thy heart, whispering

Always, joy blooming, sublime ….

In thy heart, singing

The song of loving, time between time ….

In thy heart, sprinkling

A word of hope, an image or just me ….

Conversation over Coffee

She says, He says
He says, She says

⁃ You ll get hurt.

⁃ Then try not to hurt me. And why are you determined to hurt me? Do you need time? To think?

⁃ No

⁃ Okay. I asked you to go on a trip with me but why haven’t you replied? What’s with that look? This is boring. Forget it.

⁃ Have you ever lied in your life?

⁃ I don’t lie. But to be truth to you I have lied when I was little.

Oh, wait! I guess I’m lying right now?

⁃ Now?

⁃ The fact that you still haven’t given me an answer about going on a trip together is really getting on my nerves right now. And I’m honestly a little hurt. But I’m acting like I’m fine, so I guess that counts as a lie. Heyyyy, why are you laughing? If you don’t like me that much, let’s just end it here.

⁃ You can’t just thoughtlessly trust someone when they haven’t done anything to gain your trust. We are not kids.

⁃ You have a point. Right!

⁃ Let’s go on a trip.

⁃ What? But I didn’t do anything to gain your trust.

⁃ You did.

⁃ When?

⁃ Just now. You told me you don’t lie. That’s good enough.

⁃ You’re very peculiar.

⁃ Let’s go on a trip to Stupa Island.

⁃ Stupa Island sounds great.

⁃ Okay.

She says, He says
He says, She says

Their conversation while having coffee.