Poem: Natural Things

Natural things or contrived calmness? A free-flowing river or a manmade dam that holds calm, deep water, perhaps with undercurrents.

Poem: Natural Things

Stillness is a burden, almost impossible to carry

Silence another, the pressure of uttering a single word

The wandering thoughts, cackle, and canter –

Like angry geese unleashed… hungry and angry

Slowing down is antithetical — but that is the goal

Slow and then still, then just being and letting things be

A word could have been spoken but wasn’t

Under the calm and still surface, violent undercurrents

Yet that smile on that face belies what’s beneath

Curtains concealing compulsions and convulsions

A dam wall holding off the silent, deep waters

Peace reigns, and even life thrives –

Dams, artificial and impeding the natural flow

Oh, the manmade miracle is an engineering feat

Like those rules that stand the test of time

Those smiling faces, holding silence and still

Then saying ‘I am that way, and I am ok’

The question remains –

Between nature and contrived calmness

What would you choose?

~Ashok Subramanian © 2024