Stop. Listen. You are here.

​There are many things that I observe in the intricate patterns of nature, almost every day. I stop to listen to the sound of chirping birds, whispering trees, singing streams and the roaring sea. They all talk to me, silently, mysteriously and give me a hundred new things that flutter in my mind and drift on to an empty page: waiting eagerly, expectantly. The list is endless.
   Every morning that rises dutifully in the amber sky looks at me and heralds a new beginning. It signals me to make amends and move on. Sometimes I marvel at the blissful co-existence of night and day. They complement each other so beautifully and in a very dignified, graceful manner step aside to make place for the other- without a murmur or cry! When night sweeps her star-studded veil over the firmament, the world comes to a standstill. Before the first rays of dawn touch my window sill, she disappears again silently and dissolves into the divine melody of the day.

   The two pigeons that have made a beautiful home on a ledge in my veranda coo and cuddle almost all day. Occasionally, they seem to sulk as they go different ways in search of food or water...but by the end of the day they are together again, back in their nest, humming songs of happiness.
   And then there are two parrots that live in the tall Jamun tree, most of the times engulfed in mystery. But the sight of fresh baby corn or peas in the kitchen garden makes them succumb to temptation and they furtively attack the green patch, paying no heed to the scarecrow or the lazy Labrador who observes them empathetically! My son informed me that the average lifespan of parrots is 50 years.....can you believe it!! It has to be, because they never compromise on quality.
   Two constant companions, loggerheads with each other, chasing each other dexterously, up and down the glass freckled brick wall, with remarkable agility are two squirrels, I call Gili and Giloo. They love to hang on the money plant and reach the dizzying heights of the lone Amla tree in the centre of the lawn. Sometimes challenging themselves, they hang precariously from a branch and take out shrill sounds as if attempting to rouse the entire mankind!
   The lull before a storm, the sudden outburst of angry clouds, the splash of spring, the surge of icy winds, the unpredictability of monsoons, the soulful song of the cicadas, the periodic strains of the nightingale, the dance of the vain peacock and the cacophony of the crows, gets lost in the quagmire of a greedy materialistic world. 
   Will you stop and listen? The Koel has a new song to sing, the water-lilies go and come again, the gentle evening breeze is tinged with the scent of Jasmine and the day welcomes you again.
© Jaspreet Mann