Himalayas

Himalayas by Helen Renaux


How tempting, how luring - you snowbound peaks!
Reaching high up into the cloudless, sky -
Roof of the world you’re called; no wonder why
As sunlight paints your peaks with golden streaks
While the vales beneath you in darkness lie.
At first light of dawn your tips catch the sun;
High, high above this cold, snow covered earth
When continents crashed to first give you birth.

Gazing at you from green valleys below;
Remote and inaccessible you seem;
And yet - your peaks have been conquered so
Many a time by man - your lure extreme
Beguiles and pulls him to challenge you;
Your inhospitable ice slopes he braves
To suffer pain; frostbite and sometimes too
To lose life; to lie buried in icy caves.

A sudden, swift, swirl of a wispy cloud
Encircles and crowns your celestial height
With sun kissed glory; you stand tall, erect
Haloed for a moment; a hallowed sight;
You are oblivious of this effect
Yet, not mortal man: who looks up in awe
At a wondrous sight of a peak lit bright
Tempting and luring - to climb as before.

The elegant lammergeyers don’t try
To reach your peaks even though they can fly,
Higher than most; the griffin vulture can
Glide effortlessly too with its wing span
Silhouetted against the glacial fall
Of ice rock faces in their soaring thrall;
These birds of prey despite their skill and might
Do not attempt to reach your awesome height.


Yet man - who walks but upon his two feet
Will scale your cruel face and toil and beat
The terror of your dreadful slopes to reach
Your seeming insurmountable peak.
Man's indomitable will defeats you,
To gain pre-eminence - attain his dream;
To conquer you and to join you in your
Majesty, there to share your reign supreme.


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A New Post by H.Renaux - same day

It has always been my belief that we humans have a greater capacity to imbue our minds with the ‘Inner Dimension’ that is within our consciousness, waiting for the right key to open it up. Constraints of living in the modern world have disadvantages no doubt, but it is important to look inward in order to expand the mind and I have always believed that – the mind (our consciousness) is the power, the body the vessel and the spirit is infinity – a point that we have not yet been able to extend to - that point of Nirvana. We are all able to find that key of the inner dimension if we have the desire and most important, in this life of many activities, to search for it.
HR


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Early morning writing is a task for every writer and this is a self dialogue on the subject.


Procrastination – Morning writing

Curled up into the foetal position,
Waking up in the early morning haze.
Does one have to get up and write?
Right now?
At this early hour of the day? I say
No, rather lie here and dream, and gaze
At the ceiling than pick up a note book and pen.
One’s not in the mood.

No, no, that’s not the rule of an author, a poet -
Write - write anything. Look out of the window.
Be creative; be aware of things, like fresh air,
Rustling trees in the wind with leaves autumnal
In colours, red, orange, gold. Be bold.
At this time of the morning?
Not likely!

Yes, pick up a note book, with a page that is blank
Scribble or scrawl on it words, any words.
Hold on to the pad now, don’t put it down now -
Start writing.

No, just a minute. First coffee -
Caffeine’s good for the mind.
Kettle starts boiling, pour into the café tier
Aroma exhilarating now fills the air,
Nose starts twitching,
Waiting for the tasting of the
Morning elixir.

Sipping, enjoying this first taste of the day
Coffee’s so good now, mind’s fully aware.
Now one can write.
Pick up the note book, pick up the pen
But wait – mind’s blank – oh dear!
What now?

Look at the blank page fill it with words, any words.
Words of awareness, description and such
Just write poems. Alliterate, assonate, rhyme.
Describe the morning it shouldn’t take much -
Write now!

Listen to the birdsong; look at dew on the leaves
Glistening and twinkling, then dropping.
Smell the fresh grass of the morning,
Dampened with dew drops
Or just say what you’re doing
Right now.

Oh dear!
Procrastination’s destroyed it,
One’s waited too long now
One’s broken the mood now.
Oh, what a pity, it’s lost for today. Still,
There’s always tomorrow, another new day,
Then one can do it.
Write Now!

Helen Renaux