‘You’ or ‘Them’?

Her soul ever so gentle, easily she was pleased

Her heart in a cloud, singing out loud,

For her naiveté, sometimes teased.

Envious of her joyous mind, they sneered.

So much they spent— both time and strength,

While she cared not for trivia, they feared.

Oh, to ‘look’ beautiful! That’s what they all wanted,

Charming like all the rest, dolled up and dressed,

Gazing back at the world, unabashed, undaunted.

Simplicity— too hard to see, too much to bear,

They took it upon themselves, to be her ‘little elves’,

So she could be just another stone, not a jewel so rare.

They tranced her, tricked her, made her believe—

It is outer looks that matter, glitter and glamour,

To impress the world, that is what she would need.

Intently, she listened, and observed the contrast.

They caressed the mirror, scrubbed it clearer,

While their souls gathered dust, thick and fast.

Puzzling it was, for her to look at them

These fake fireworks, wearing scared smirks

When they could all have been radiant gems

Their inner beauty, forgotten and lost,

Covered in layers, the only thing that was theirs!

Sadly, she reflected, she pondered, she paused:

“They want you to be like them, in every way they can.

As soon as you follow, you start becoming hollow,

Forgetting what was your own, and where it all began.

You cease to be your true self, special and unique,

Instead of standing out, you become part of the crowd,

Dissolve in the wide world, without so much as a creak.

Content they are, having turned you around.

Your uniqueness gone, you are but another pawn

Whose music they silenced, without a sound.”

She who was courageous, she who was wise

Did not succumb. Did you? No, no. Come!

Down they’ll pull! Are you ready to rise?

~ Nivedita Shori

Read Full Post »

Enter the world of Poems

They say that one of the most ornate forms of writing is poetry. Poems help bring out the creative elements from inside us. Poetry is a form of story writing, but with a touch of personality and elegance. A lot of people are able to express themselves, their inner thoughts, their feelings, their sensations through their poems.

For children, poems hold a special place. They offer children a wide variety of experiences. Some of the first lessons that children learn when they start school are ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star’ or ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’. The nursery rhymes are considered to be a big part of our lives. Poems help to bring out our imagination, the sense of rhythm and mathematical patterns and develops the use of language.

This summer, as you and your children spend time on the Internet, here are some poetry sites that might come in handy to polish some expressive language and have fun at the same time:

http://www.poetry4kids.com/ offers several great poetry-related activities, including several subject-wise collections, contests, forums, lessons and advice.

http://www.storyit.com/Classics/JustPoems/index.htm contains a collection of classical, historical poems.

http://www.kathimitchell.com/poemtypes.html is a webpage created to teach students all the different kind of poems that they can write. Poetry is not hard. It is just a different way of writing. See how you can do it.

Poetry is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds. ~ Percy Shelley

Have a happy poetry-time!!

Read Full Post »