balroop singh

Life Lines #BookReview

Published on February 18, 2021February 18, 2021 by balroop singh63 Comments

I often say that poetry is my first love; we soar and swing on the wings of words together. I share my secrets with her and her caresses sooth me like the lullabies of a mother. Poetry books immediately allure me and if the recommendation is made by authors like D. Wallace Peach, I don’t even give a second thought to dive in. Thank you Diana, for the inspiration to read this beautiful book. Here is my review.

My Review:

‘Life Lines’ by Sue Vincent highlights the paths of life we traverse – from innocent laughter to the snowy lanes of life, from the depths of sorrow to the light that beckons us, from the abyss of tears to the memories that pull us out; whether it is past or present, life is woven with delicate threads that bind us into a “purpose” and inspire us to “fall in love with life at every passing day.”

Sue’s poetry flows like a steady stream that takes in all the upheavals in its stride and absorbs them, keeping the hope alive. She has a unique style of playing with the symbols that reach your heart:

“flames caress the moon,” for the glow of sunset,
“scattered motes of possibility in the darkness,” for the stars,
“two ravens” for thought and memory, “winter leaf” for self,
“heart-beat of earth” for sea,
“shadows in the glass” for joy and pain.

While ‘Flowers’ brilliantly captures the journey of a woman, ‘I’ emphasizes how the choices of life are snatched away from us unawares! ‘Door of Dreams’ exhorts us to rise from our inner world to “face the demons of today” and look beyond. There are many such poems that would inspire you to keep the flame of hope aloft. I felt ‘Sunset’ could be one of my favorites but then ‘Just One’ mesmerized me with the thoughts of how many kinds of love encompasses us. Each poem exudes an emotion, profound yet subtle.

The poems in this collection need to be savored slowly, to be re-read with sips of your favorite tea, coffee or wine. Highly recommended.
– Balroop Singh

Deeper #Tanka

Published on February 11, 2021 by balroop singh45 Comments

A portal beckons
Adventurous spirit calls
Fears forbid next step
Yet we drop down to explore
Will we return to share?

***

The secrets lay bare
Harrowing, endless steps loom
Fiery eyes threaten
Entrenched within crevices
Shady shackles pull us tighter.

***

Thanks to Sue Vincent for an inspiring Thursday #writephoto prompt Deeper

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Check my latest book: Magical Whispers

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#Life #Emotions #BookReviews

Published on February 4, 2021February 3, 2021 by balroop singh91 Comments

The journey of life is veiled in colors. I have written many times about life yet these two books revealed some more layers for me.

I was drawn in by the analogy – ‘Life is like a bowl of cherries.’ It led me into various alleys even before I opened the book. I love short stories and Sally’s stories regale you with various experiences that are woven into the inescapable web of life. The book begins with ‘The Weekly Shopping’ – the most appropriate, humorous yet grim comment on how technology has crept into our lives. It would make you wonder: can we escape such a trap?

Cronin’s Crisp style of writing, her adroit crafting of characters and her inspirational tone gleams through out the book. Kindness of Elsie would melt your heart when you read ‘The Scratch Card’ and ‘The Date’ would make you dance despite your age. Jennifer’s positivity and planning is superb while The Nanny took my heart away! It is hard to pick up a favorite story, as all of them tingle some emotional cord. A perfect combination of sour and sweet, I savored this “bowl of cherries,” which has a sprinkle of some lovely poetry. Highly recommended.

***

Finding a Balance by Lauren Scott captures myriad emotions that beseech us to accept whatever life offers and find a balance in tears and happiness. A combination of deep love and yearning, the poems in this collection exude realism, speak of sadness but also offer soothing thoughts. Scott knows that our only choice is to move forward. While we seek answers to our questions, comfort can be found in prayers and hope.

The poems are written in a simple and straight-forward style and are easy to understand. There is a craving to rewrite some unpleasant chapters of life, to open new doors, to brush aside dejections and embrace light. My favorite poem is ‘The Box,’ as “The walls stood bare waiting for memories to dress” evoke memories we cherish. Lovely!

Thank you.
Balroop Singh.

Enlightenment or Self-awakening

Published on January 28, 2021January 27, 2021 by balroop singh59 Comments

I stumbled upon this write-up in my archives.

This word: “Enlightenment” has always intimidated me…it has given me visions of rising up into a different world, a sphere beyond my reach and therefore I have been trying to understand it for many years now.

Buddhist interpretation of the word… “the awakening to ultimate truth by which man is freed from the endless cycle of personal reincarnations to which all men are otherwise subject” is quite overwhelming.

Then I read about self-awakening: the truth that lies within us, the emotions that guide us toward our goals, that define the purpose of our life. And I arrived at some conclusions.

Enlightenment is not just spiritual, not just a state of transcendent divine experience, which aims at liberation from self, craving, suffering and rebirth. It is the ability to comprehend ourselves, it is the power to peer into our hearts and minds and reach that state of spiritual bliss, which may or may not lead us to salvation. Within us lies a light, a light of thoughts, a light of sanity, of ethereal happiness the light that liberates, which may become divine at some point of time, if we make an effort.

Enlightenment is self-realization…knowing your true self, which may be different from the self you have been portraying to the world.

“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment” –Laozi.

How much you know about yourself? It takes us almost whole of our life to know what lies in our heart and mind; as it keeps on changing.

There are stages when we don’t know what we want. If we are smart enough to figure out, one fine day we realize that our passion is not what we have been pursuing. What we like as teenagers, we may not feel comfortable with, as we grow up.

Our taste for food, our aesthetic sense, our likes and dislikes, our friends, our perspective on life changes and we move beyond the world of appearances. We feel enlightened when our intuition starts guiding us, when we can take mature decisions, when we take pride in our achievements.

So enlightenment begins with plunging into our hearts, analyzing our thoughts and reflecting on the kind of life we have been leading.

Slowly we realize we need another kind of enlightenment: Enlightenment is to know and understand people around us.

How little we know about people around us! This culture of adopting a non-interfering attitude makes us strangers to each other, getting immersed in the sea of our own plans and pains.

Is spiritual enlightenment of any use in such a scenario? Aren’t we too selfish to crave for it?

Can we really attain it if we are oblivious of the suffering around us?

To my mind, real enlightenment comes from helping mankind, from wiping out abuse, discrimination, violence and exploitation around us. Enlightenment doesn’t make us a better person if we seek it just for us. It doesn’t erase our desires or may put an end to our own suffering. In fact it is the suffering that ennobles us.

“Enlightenment, joy and peace can never be given to you by another. The well is inside you.” – Thich Nhat Hanh.

Is enlightenment beyond the reach of common man? I don’t think so.

Would you like to be enlightened in the real sense of the word? I would love to hear from your side.

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Anything for Dreams

Published on January 21, 2021January 21, 2021 by balroop singh38 Comments

There was a spring in her gait, an elation that propelled her, an eagerness to fly, a yearning to have wings! She had been invited by the university to receive her gold medal. She was the topper of the year. She had waited for this day.
How could she forget this day? The day her bones felt lighter. The day she broke some!
Now what?
“Let’s cancel the program. Your foot needs attention.”
“I am good,” Laila hid her pain with a wide smile.
She ignored the swelling on her foot and got into the car. No broken bone could deter her determination to receive the honor in person.

Thirty years after the fall that had changed her gait, she says, “Sometimes the great bones of my life feel so heavy. Sometimes we take them for granted.”
“Do you regret your insouciance to injury?”
“Never.” Anything for dreams.

Louisa’s post inspired me to play with this prompt that I saw at Dare Boldly and followed the link: Prosery Prompt at D’Verse

The rules and prompt are:

“Write a story of 144 words or less (not including the title). The story must have a beginning and an end, and should not be poetry. Sounds easy enough right? Here’s the twist: You must use the poetry line I have given you within your story. You may alter the punctuation, but you must use the line in its entirety.”

Today, the chosen line is taken from Spring Azures from the book Wild Geese by Mary Oliver: “Sometimes the great bones of my life feel so heavy.”