Which is nature? - A poem

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Jayashree Ravi
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Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 9:32 pm

Which is nature? - A poem

Post by Jayashree Ravi » Sat Jul 23, 2016 7:59 pm

Which is nature?
------------------

As the heavenly breeze flows
The midday Sun's heat waves are getting subdued
Yes, it is the evening time
The sun is hiding behind the clouds
And creating an array of vibrant sky colors
The birds are flocking towards their home
And their sweet music fills in the air
Hard working laborers are returning home
Those kids who returned from the school
Are playing around cheerfully along the way
In the Lotus laden pond
Lily flowers are waiting to blossom
Amidst the buzzing busy bees roaming around
There comes our hero
Walking faster, and faster, minding his way
He moves swiftly along the rudimentary path
He has but worn out sandals in his feet
And his tired eyes are measuring the distance
Old age is weakening his frame
Whose comfort he is least bothered about
In worn out and dirty clothes
Carrying a heavy cloth bag in one hand
He walks along the footpath near the fields
Suddenly there is a sweet music
As the cuckoo starts singing from the tree
The breeze gets heavy and rocks the branches
And as the sky starts sprinkling down rain drops
It is accompanied by strong smell of fresh mud
Our friend now goes near that tree
And eyes the cuckoo and the tree very well
It is not anything else but a good resting spot
The breeze hasn't changed its direction yet
Our friend who is near the tree looks all around
And without any faltering in this decision
Throws away his torn sandals and the heavy bag
There he picks up a big and crooked stone
And throws it on the cuckoo, having aimed well
And then he feels relieved of his burdens
And moves back to this path, continuing cheerfully
So tell me friend, the fun and loving nature
Is it the same for the weary mind
As it is for you and me, to enjoy its bliss
When tired, hungry and poor, with miles to walk away?
What is nature for one
May not be the same for everyone
Each man acts out what his instincts tell him
And that isn't bound to the same, as per the law of nature!!
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Post by eye_of_tiger » Sun Jul 24, 2016 12:35 am

Dear sister in spirit,

Especially as a retired biology teacher I found your poem to be both thought provoking as well as very consistent with my own definition of nature, and the huge variety of different environments which together make up the complete biosphere.

Which of these things better defines nature is only a matter of personal opinion and our point of view, so why do we waste so much valuable time and energy trying to convince others that our concept of nature is right, and therefore theirs must be wrong?

Also why do human beings mainly through technology appear to be doing everything they are able to separate or isolate themselves from nature, as if they could exist independently of it?

At first I wondered why you chose such a dry and barren  landscape to illustrate your poem.

Surely I reasoned there are much more appropriate images (plenty of tropical rain forests and the oceans and rivers) which would better match what most people regard as nature which you could have selected in place of such a dry and apparently lifeless scene as this one, and then it suddenly dawned upon me that this was the whole point of you having written these words.

To some people this IS NATURE. A green luxuriant rain forest is not part of their normal daily experience, and would therefore seem out of place and anything but being natural to a native of that land.

It is rather like many people when they think of animals to keep as pets often preferring cute furry warm blooded little creatures such as puppies and kittens and guinea pigs, but the same person would never think of keeping a scaly, slimy and cold blooded reptile or amphibian.

The nature and value of a particular animal is being measured here by its cuteness/ visual appeal and its anatomical similarities to its owner (such as both being warm blooded and entirely terrestrial), while keeping amphibians, snakes and other less cute creatures (exotic pets) is viewed as meaning that there is definitely something wrong with any person  who would chose frogs over dogs.

Just as any person who would chose to regard such a desert landscape being used to express that individual's concept of what nature is  in place of a rain forest would likely to be be judged by a large part of the population (especially city dwellers) as being blind, strange and weird.

Variety is the spice of live, and a variety of different land and watery environments together make up nature. None of them is superior or better or more attractive to the animals or plants which are adapted to living in that particular environment than the one in which they are living at the moment.

As human beings like it or not are a vital part of nature and have become adapted to surviving in a much wider range of different environments than any other species (second only to insects), saying that one environment is a better picture of what nature looks like when compared to any other surrounding is both pointless and meaningless.

And it is also a denial of reality, due to ignorance of the importance of a wide range of environments to the web of life on this planet.

Thank you so much for sharing your deeper and highly personal thoughts about nature with us, through the medium of your poetry.

Love, Light and Healing

From your brother in spirit.

Brian Image

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Jayashree Ravi
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Post by Jayashree Ravi » Sun Jul 24, 2016 2:07 am

Dear brother Brian,

You have said a lot, some parts of which I don't understand too well.

The reason I attached such a deserted, barren land is to depict the mental/emotional outlook of our poem's hero - the old man who gets annoyed at the beauty of the nature around him and decides to throw a stone on the cuckoo for calling out. He is hard-worked throughout the day, frustrated, hungry, tired, weak, all at the same time and walking a long distance with torn sandals and a heavy bag - how will he have the mentality to 'enjoy' nature like a poet? He cannot enjoy nature, he actually finds it irritating, frustrating, so he tosses his worn out sandals, bag and what not and aims a stone at the bird for singing, which annoys him additionally.

:) Hope my above message was clear in the poem? I tried my best....

Thank you for such a wonderful reply. I'm truly indebted to you for your encouragement, companionship, and mature remarks and feedback.
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

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Post by eye_of_tiger » Sun Jul 24, 2016 11:03 pm

A poem is somewhat like an abstract painting.

It may communicate different levels of meaning to the eye of the beholder which the artist never thought of or had intended, when it was created.

My pleasure,

Brian  Image

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