Word's worth

When asked to write a story in just six words, Ernest Hemingway wrote:

"For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn."




Note: A post on 6-word short stories, coming soon.

Michael Bublé - Everything

Michael Bublé - It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)

Trial by fire

“I am a lost cause”, said the diamond. “I am just carbon. I have gone through a lot already. Suffered unimaginable grief. And it has changed me irrevocably. Something inside me has died. I covet nothing, I offer nothing. You will be wasting your time and energy. Just let me be.”

The artisan heard the diamond, but did not listen. “You have no idea how precious you are, my dear”, he thought to himself. “I’ll find you your rightful place. I’ll break my back, lose my mind, ruin my life. But I’ll not rest till I find a lifetime of happiness and glory, for you and for me. For in your happiness lies my own. Your sufferings are over, my precious. Nothing will remain of them. Nothing, except the scars on your soul. They will be testimony of your worth. What’s a diamond without a flaw, the world will say.”

Darkness descends

Apart from being absolutely beautiful, this satellite photograph is historic too. It was, apparently, taken by the crew on board the Columbia Space Shuttle during its tragic mission.

The picture is of Europe and Africa, on a cloudless day/night. Half of the earth is in various stages of night and the other half is enjoying various degrees of daylight.

The bright dots you see are lights in various cities, towns and villages.

The top part of Africa is the Sahara Desert. Note that the lights are already on in Holland, Paris, and Barcelona, and that it's still daylight in Dublin, London, Lisbon, and Madrid.

The sun is still shining on the Strait of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean Sea, however, is already in darkness.

In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean you can see the Azores Islands. Below them, to their right are the Madeira Islands. A little below them are the Canary Islands. And further south, close to the farthest western point of Africa, are the Cape Verde Islands.

To the top-left, totally frozen, is Greenland.

Note that the Sahara is huge and can be seen clearly during both, day and night.

Bye, my love

The waves rushed to her as she stepped on the moonlit beach. But only the little ones. They expressed their joy unabashedly. The big ones, instead, chose to stay far away, from her and from the imminent sadness. They seemed to be trying to act stoic but were unconvincing. Besides, they preferred to appease their first love – the moon.

The little ones, however, had no such fancies. Like every new generation finds its own conventions, they had found theirs. She was their very own source of happiness and resplendence.

They were slow and sleepy because she had woken them up at such an ungodly hour. They were sad too. After all, it was time to say goodbye. At least, for a little while.

For two blissful days, they had accepted her in their fold. Played with her. Caressed her. Embraced her. Soothed her. Enveloped her in their tranquilising coolness. Made her skip her meals. Brought out the child in her. Reminded her of all the happy moments in her life. Made the unhappy ones seem easily bearable. Pulled her back in whenever she tried to get back to the shore. And now she was off home.

She was as unwilling as them. Neither of them had had enough of the other. But neither of them could help it.

Like children, the little waves quickly abandoned their sadness and returned to do what they do best – embrace her with open arms again.

Spaced Out

I love the ocean.

I love its vastness, its strength and its allure. It made living in Sri Lanka a great pleasure for me. Especially, in times of loneliness.

The cool evening beach sand is perfect to calm your soul. The rhythmic sounds of waves unbeknownst to you normalise your breathing. The soothing breeze evens your temper, relaxes your mind. The slant rays of the setting sun colour your world with optimistic hues, though only briefly.

I had always believed that the sea really has the power to make you see your problems from a different perspective, and thus, make you find a solution. So I used to spend my evenings at the beach, every chance I got.

All had gone swimmingly well for so many years. Until just the other day. I was speaking to the resplendent, frequently-blinking friend of mine I had mentioned earlier, about my love for the ocean. She said something very thought-provoking. "The sea, or for that matter the mountains or the earth itself, does not solve your problems. It expands your soul. Its enormity makes you think of yourself as quite insignificant, and your problems even more so."

She couldn’t have been more right. Here’s why:












(First published on Bhéjaa Fry. Read comments by readers here.)