I made this image using Photoshop and wrote this short poem thereafter. It is about my visit to my mother's village in Punjab.
Last time I walked down the muddy dirt dearth that traversed my village and my mind, I found solace in the shapes in the sky. They ranged from rugged and rigid but soft, to sordid orange peels scattered like dusty leaves in the morning frost. They fell softly on soft hands caked in dust, as I walked down the dirty dirt path dividing green fields like rust. It was the land of creation, in a land of wealth. It was forgone like the twill of a discarded nest from trust. My state of mind, in this state of me, was read in peace between pages of Siddhartha’s journey. It was the sun, it was the sand, it was the soft dirt that I could taste in my hands. It was in the water and the sky, this calm in me was neither here nor mine. It was transient— a sort of enigma. It came as I came to this place, and left me subtly and suddenly from my curious embrace. Because then I was back, and it was home sweet home. America was the same, it was the same reality shows. But I know now what kind of place it had been, Punjab had the character of peace among my kin. It was the song of creation played day in day out, it was just a place just a few days away, it was home away from home, it was merely and more than mundane. In such and such a way, it had a divine character that measured beyond any other place I've braved. It was a peace of mind within my peace of heart, it was the love of a land and its fresh scents. It was living among brush strokes of crimson skies between green fields among bird songs; it was beautiful, it was sublime, it was art.
anti-dearth
ReplyDeleteNice post Gagan. Keep raising the bar for us and maybe we'll get actual readers besides Matt.
ReplyDeleteAlso, for everyone, remember we have to be unafraid to speak our minds and criticize without mercy or compassion. If we don't get good feedback this whole thing is useless. It takes the "practice," out of "practice, ...some kinds of masturbation," you see?
Start here:
I'm concerned that you've give our audience too much credit and may be intimidating or losing them in your text, Gagan... remember to aim low here. We're very much about cheap and easy, so think less Slumdog Millionaire and a lot more Rush Hour 2. It may have played better if you watered down the "artistic parts," in favor of sexing it up a bit, perhaps with some carefully worded trysts or a smattering of pop culture references, i.e Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods or the latest news about American Idol's Simon Cowell. Even better, dangle vague hints of a sequel that could feature shallow additions to the same formula. This will give the readers a predictable and therefore palatable experience that still seems a little new. You can even be creative with the gimmicks, like a potential return trip to Punjab, but this time with a score to settle, or a promise to keep. Keep it simple enough to fit in a sound bite though. Maximum returns, minimal effort.
Seriously though, nice picture too.