The Elves of the Mangelinian Woods.

The Elves of the Mangelinian Woods

 

Beyond the furthest walls erected by mankind,

On the islands to the north of the northernmost human settlements,

In the midst of snow covered rocks and ice covered valleys,

There remained hidden, a lush green forest,

Given life to by the underground glacial rivers,

Given heat by the sub-subterranean geysers,

Given solitude by the absence of humans,

There grew a species long forgotten by mankind;

The Elves of the Mangelinian Woods.

Pointy ears & shining hair, they didn't always posses.

Feminine poise and grace, little did they carry.

Protruding noses, were replaced by tubby snouts.

The blue in their eyes, outshone the moon on a cold winter's night.

Tall, lean, weightless bipeds they seemed;

Had strides that bridged large floating chunks of ice;

And had skin, as pale as long-frozen specters.

Experts they were in living hidden amidst the snow;

Experts they were in foraging wild northern berries.

Little about them was known by mankind;

As knowledge about them spread only as rumors and folklore;

That too, only among the remote settlements in the northern hemisphere.

Cold wintery winds they could conjure at will, when displeased.

Lakes and rivers they could freeze instantly, if they pleased.

So the next time you have a sudden snowstorm up north.

Remember there is a snow elf expressing his mirth.

 

-A. Prashanth Narasimhan

(SriVishnudasan). 

A night in the woods...

 Sarvam Sree Krishnaarpanam Astu

 

A night in the woods...

 

A night in the woods...alone

No human to accompany me.

Just me and the moon,

That lighted my way.

Then came the dark clouds,

That hid the moon from me.

A night in the woods...alone.

No moon to accompany me.

Just me and the fireflies,

That glowed & fluttered all around me.

Then came the breeze,

That shooed the glitterbugs away.

A night in the woods...alone.

No fireflies to flutter around me.

Just me and the sound of dried leaves,

That cracked and splatted, with every step of mine, to keep me company.

Then came the raindrops,

That moistened the dryness away.

A night in the woods...alone.

No dry leaves to crackle below me.

Just me and the canopy of trees,

That shielded me from the pitter-patter of the rain.

Then came some mighty winds.

That blew away the leaves that shaded me.

A night in the woods...alone.

No trees to protect me from above.

Just me and the pitter-patter of rain.

Large drops pouring over me.

A million little companions drenched me.

A night in the woods alone, was all I needed to realize, I was never alone.

As one companion left, more came to embrace me.  

Thus seemed life.

The more loved ones I lost, the more loved ones appeared.

The intensity of the relationships thinned

But the love I received never lessened.

I learnt to embrace the love,

Knowing well the source will soon leave

But more sources will appear

Just to give the same amount of love.

More importantly, as the raindrops flowed.

I learnt to become the well.

For I too have to become the source

To quench the thirst for those seeking love.

 

-A. Prashanth Narasimhan

(SriVishnudasan)

A Special Place, My Safe Space!

Sarvam Sree Krishnaarpanam Astu

A special place, my safe space!
In the depths of the cathedral grove,
In the midst of the redwood forest
Is a special place awaiting my presence
Eagerly luring me toward it
With the promise of peace and solitude
A safe space where I could be my own
Stripped of my affectations and pretensions
Not another human to make me worry
About their perception of me
Their, so hard to achieve, validation.
No judgements…of me…to be made
No approval and appeasement, I’ve to strive for
Like the autumn leaves that wither away
So are my worries, doubts and concerns that drift away
Like the quail’s coo, my own breath sounds
So amplified yet serene, in the sea of silence around
The sight of green and brown in the ever shrinking jungle
Unlike the bright and blaring neon of the ceramic jungle
Gives me the feeling of peace, all anxieties quieting down
The earthly stench, the smell of wet mud,
This is the place that feels like I’m meant to be
 A very special place, my safe space! - A. Prashanth Narasimhan (Sri Vishnu Dasan)

Melancholia

Sarvam Sree Krishnaarpanam Astu

Melancholia:

Life was going on normally.
Nothing to ponder as an anomaly.
No achievement to be celebrated as success.
No failure to be brooded over or obsess.
Yet the heaviness of the heart increments,
Without any apparent predicaments.
What is this paradise that I seek to reach?
What is this fortress that I seek to breach?
None seem to come to my petty mind;
No real defeat to put far behind.
Apathy and Sadness, art thou siblings?
Bound together by invisible strings?
For together, in my heart, you linger,
With no reason to be deemed your bringer.
Moods are known for their nature to swing.
What tune do they really want me to sing?
Have my heart and mind turned into a single burrow?
To store and hoard, cauldrons worth of sorrow?
Day and night, it remains, this melancholy;
Any takers to exchange them in monopoly?

- A. Prashanth Narasimhan (Sri Vishnu Dasan)