Every Leaf a Poem

When i took these pictures the exercise was merely an excited pursuit of trying skills of photography through the newly acquired Nikon DSLR. Not that i was not attracted to foliage of all kinds before but the fact that  i was in possession of something which would help me remember them as vividly as i had seen them was enough enzyme to be a catalyst in my pursuit for happiness. 

So as i went along in my happy and playful endeavor feeling somewhat like an amateur photographer it was just a matter of time when my gadget seemed trivial and the heart started singing a different tune set to some kind of poetry we had learnt in school. 

The mind started recalling notes...singular leaves, compound leaves, pinnate, bi pinnate, parallel , palmate...there were many more we had learnt. i wished i could go back and learn them all over again and this time not for any grades but for my own satisfaction and delight.  i was looking towards the edges, shape, color, texture and last but not the least the venation too indulging my own sense of joy in discovering more and more patterns. Strange but overwhelmed with such panorama i was sensing space and peace instead of some uneasy restless excitement. Needless to say then, how refreshing and relaxed i felt even when the mind was not at rest.

Stunning tones ranging from bright yellow to orange , russet to brown, vivid red, deep purple, 

florescent green ...each one unique...each one special not only in their color but also their texture and form. There were so many shapes i had never seen before. And i had never seen such a dark shade of green that looked almost black. 

All surprising kinds...mottled, sprayed, painted, frayed...  

i hopelessly wished i owned the brilliance of words that a poet has. Stringing compositions that could convey the grace and the beauty with words and rhythm so apt.

 i was sensing Zen as my breathing felt relaxed in spite of  the excitement on seeing something of great beauty and rarity. 

Some wisdom too dawned upon me. 

Leaves are just like us...each one unique. Sometimes they look playful  and wild. Other times they seem to portray serenity and calmness. Just like us they unfurl to life, mature and finally wither and die. But each one singularly unique.

Could not help remembering also how when i was a kid i loved walking barefoot not only on live dewy grass but enjoyed the crunchy carpet of the dried leaves too. loved the sound that it made. That sound always made me feel hungry. Or maybe it was that late roaming among the rich foliage that made me hungry...whatever... but the rustling sound, the crunchy sound was fun...and a great appetizer.

Then some Hindi song..ye paudhey, ye pattey, ye phool ye hawaaain, dil ko churayein, mujh ko lubhayain haai, mann kahey main jhoomoon, jhoomoon main gaaoon...( the plants,the leaves, the flowers, the air, the heart feels lost in these and i feel like singing and dancing...) Remembered this song and hummed within myself of all that i could remember of the song.

How i kept wishing i was a poet. Thought about my favorite Gulzar Sahaab. Wondered what he could have composed...

Also thought about my naturalist blog pal Mr Karthik http://www.wildwanderer.com/journal/ as to what more he would've made me see and feel ... Surely he would've reminded me of the gadget  and it's magic...

But all thoughts as they rained on me took me finally back to childhood. The happiness of just being and enjoying life with all  the carefree innocence that one could have. The leaves reminded me of that worry free era of the bygone days. Maybe just like children these leaves live in harmony, spreading bountiful of fresh air and joy and with their just being there also conveying to us  the right amount of optimism without any hesitation about the cycle of life.

 Also that seasons may come and go, and that they may mature, lose color, become crunchy and get mixed with the earth but life goes on and on and not the tiniest one really dies.

Reborn again from the loamy soil that they enriched the earth with,  they show their cheerful faces again. 

Immortal aren't you!!

i am remembering Robert Frost and his ' Gathering Leaves' and wish someone to read it out to me.

i think i have someone here...