Thursday, June 7, 2007

Fields Of Jade

Many a time, I get back home a little too late to step out and a little too early to settle down, as a result of being disillusioned by the bright light at 8 p.m. Inviting you outside, nature seems to say "Come here, breathe me, discover me"
Human as I am, I do not protest. I go right outside, taking a different path everyday, only to turn back when I reach a dead end or a house or after I wave my goodbyes to the setting sun.

On these special occasions, I have with me for my company, my camera and ipod. Capturing moments, never seem enough, or is it that the moments never seem enough!
One of my companions today, needed recharging. Camera. After bidding tearful farewell to him, we (ipod and I) went about, yet again to discover a new evening… or is it night?
As Murphy should have it, today was the most beautiful of all our excursions and he was really sorely missed.

A 6 foot wide, long tar road, probably newly tarred, with bits of tar fallen here and there and the old tar road making its appearance here and there gave a feeling of déjà vu… remembrance of a land very far away from this beautiful isolated land!
First 500 meters this road was surrounded by small dunes of green grass on which were small white flowers sprinkled as if some snow had decided to stay there forever.
My first instinct was to run across these dunes. But to put my heavy foot on these delicate flowers seemed almost criminal. So I just felt them with my palms instead, took in the beautiful sight captured the image in my head and continued walking.
Next came a farm field… some crops. Radish? Maybe, maybe not. Who cares.

Dividing the two was a wild berry tree, laden with hundreds and thousands of red berries, most out of my reach. I wanted to eat all of them. This is when I remembered the sour grapes story.

"Deepti the vixen scanned the tree for a possible catch. One juicy bunch caught her eye. Being a slightly shy vixen, she looked left and right. No one. Perfect. Went across the 6 foot wide road. Not much of a stretch for a run is it?! Nevertheless, having no other option, she gets ready for the leap. And a miss. Just felt the leaves at the finger tips. She tried again and again and again. Oh Well, forget it, those berries must be really amazing, god is protecting them from vile vixens"
So I found another branch, with not so red, yet juicy berries very much in reach. Finished all the red ones off. I decided to go there again and fill up a zip lock packet of wild juicy berries for my family and friends back home.

I continued walking. The picture was out of a Van Gogh painting. Each blade of grass a different shade. The orange sky merging with the green grass in the horizon. Almost unreal!
I could not bear the fact that my camera was not with me.
I will go there again. With him.

But will the grass be so green again? Will the berries be so red and brimming again? Will the white flowers bloom again giving the appearance of snow? Will the sky be so orange again? Will a jet in the sky leave a trail in the in the shape of a smile in the blue portion of the sky streaked with fading orange, as I am admiring the beauty of the green fields, at the end of the road ?
Maybe, maybe not. But for now, I can spill this memory on this sheet of virtual paper, show it to others and see it again and again when ever I want, when ever I need.