Skip to main content

Some Virtues


Purity
I used to be Snow White until I was bored
And drifted in quest of colours
And met holders of magic mirrors.
Colours come in at the cost of whiteness.

Generosity
My generosity with words overflowed
Until the words became flames
And she said she was ready to burn herself
Wasn’t she doing it from day one, she asked.

Truthfulness
So many holy books full of truths
for which people kill one another.
And I’m still seeking that truth
which doesn’t demand so much blood.

Forgiveness
Every time I joined my palms in rueful prayer
God said he had already forgiven me.
But I couldn’t forgive him
for making me a beggar again and again.

Modesty
I have a tail that’s nothing much to boast about,
It loves to get in the way sometimes just
to show off whatever colours and plumes it has;
The silly little thing is attached to me as I am to it.


Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 14, 2015 at 11:14 PM

    Such a soul-stirring verse expressed with sheer magnanimity! I am moved by your take on these vital virtues of life... :') Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Purba chakrabortyOctober 15, 2015 at 1:02 AM

    Wow! Beautiful and thought provoking verses :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sunshine-struckOctober 15, 2015 at 7:18 AM

    Truthfulness. That part. Very true. The stark truth of society, brought goosebumps in me. I just stared at the sentence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalOctober 15, 2015 at 7:49 AM

      Most people are victims of the predator called religious truth.

      Delete
  4. Roohi BhatnagarOctober 15, 2015 at 11:56 AM

    "But I couldn’t forgive him
    for making me a beggar again and again."
    Thought provoking!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalOctober 15, 2015 at 4:06 PM

      Why can't an omnipotent god create beings who would naturally choose good over evil?

      Delete
  5. UnknownOctober 17, 2015 at 1:35 PM

    It was the forgiveness part that brought goose bumps in me.

    It reminded me of my first fight with the Almighty, when I threw a F- bomb, on him. Since then, he has been constantly playing with me. I really envy those people who proclaim themselves as an atheist or a theist. I mean how can one be cent percent sure in his life?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalOctober 17, 2015 at 2:06 PM

      Spirituality is a constant struggle between personal truths and the infinite mystery. Those who find certainties are lucky.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Second Crucifixion

  ‘The Second Crucifixion’ is the title of the last chapter of Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins’s magnum opus Freedom at Midnight . The sub-heading is: ‘New Delhi, 30 January 1948’. Seventy-three years ago, on that day, a great soul was shot dead by a man who was driven by the darkness of hatred. Gandhi has just completed his usual prayer session. He had recited a prayer from the Gita:                         For certain is death for the born                         and certain is birth for the dead;                         Therefore over the inevitable             ...
8 comments
Read more

My cat Plato and a question of Do I Belong?

Kingini (middle) and Plato Kingini, my demure and pretty cat, was going to give birth. So she started pampering me very uncharacteristically. She would never let me pamper her. She wouldn’t even come near me except for food. So, when she started rubbing her golden fur against my shin, I knew it was time for me to arrange her labour room. For my earlier queens, I used cardboard cartons in which Amazon delivered stuff. But now Amazon is using some cheap plastic-like material for delivering items. So I brought a plastic basket, the largest I could find in the shop I know, and made a bed of newspapers and a piece of a bedsheet. Kingini approved of it. In a few days’ time, on 7 Feb 2025 to be precise, Kingini gave birth to two cute kittens that looked exactly like my Plato, my beloved male cat who is the first son of Kingini. X Plato was named after the philosopher on a sheer whim of mine. I had had a drink when I christened him. That’s how it usually works: a bit of brandy or whisky ...
6 comments
Read more

A grammatical contemplation

Illustration by Google Gemini “Being alone has this negative connotation, like it’s a punishment, but you’re learning to be friends with yourself,” says a Time article quoting a young college graduate who had just migrated to a new city where she had no friends or relatives. She became her own best friend, she says, instead of going in search of other friends. She went on solo hikes, to concerts, museums, movies, and dinners. Solitude is very useful, the article goes on to argue. It can be a means of self-care and self-exploration. The article also suggests some solo activities like low-skates outing and cultivating a hobby. I’m leaving my teaching profession at the end of this month. Maggie asked me what I’d do with all the free time. Wouldn’t I feel lonely sitting at home? She knows very well that I love to read a lot, write occasionally, and travel whenever I feel like. So I’m not going to have any problem with how to spend all the time that would lie at my disposal from Mar...
12 comments
Read more

The Adventures of Toto as a comic strip

  'The Adventures of Toto' is an amusing story by Ruskin Bond. It is prescribed as a lesson in CBSE's English course for class 9. Maggie asked her students to do a project on some of the lessons and Femi George's work is what I would like to present here. Femi converted the story into a beautiful comic strip. Her work will speak for itself and let me present it below.  Femi George Student of Carmel Public School, Vazhakulam, Kerala Similar post: The Little Girl
44 comments
Read more

Pearls and ... bullies

  Fiction Mollusc (mollusk, in American English) Little Johnny went as usual to his grandma when he was bored of everything else.  Grandma would tell him interesting stories.  Johnny was carrying his mother’s latest pearl necklace that came free with the saris she had ordered online.  “Pearls,” said grandmother fondling the necklace.  “Shall I tell you the story of pearls today? Johnny was excited.  Do pearls have a story too? Yes, they do, said grandma.  A great story.  Do you want to hear it? Of course, Johnny was all ears.  Pearls are found inside the body of creatures living in the oceans, started grandma.   Shell fish.  Molluscs.  They are extremely tender creatures.  Like the soft boys and girls you may see at school.  Do you see such boys and girls? Yes, there are some.  Johnny agreed.  What happens to them?  Asked grandma. Boys bully them. Exact...
26 comments
Read more