Hello writers,
August has come round quickly hasn't it? It’s time to get back to Write...Edit... Publish... where we are writing to Moonlight Sonata in our series of musical prompts. I had grand plans for this one - wanted to take a different direction, do a humour piece because honestly, what I know about classical music, Western or Eastern, can fit into a pinhead…aaand, well...here I am with a poem, it kept buzzing in my head and wouldn’t be shaken off. So much for the different direction...best laid plans of mice and men, what can I say?
Before I post the same old same old poetry, I
just want to sneak in this delightful rendition of the Moonlight Sonata being
played on the santoor, an Indian instrument of Mesopotamian/Persian origins, so a fusion of East and West on several levels.
Finally, here's my entry for Moonlight Sonata, hope you enjoy this one too.
Show me your shine
The moon shines with
whatever it has got –
cloudy skies, mid-phase, an
extra-large spot,
it doesn’t wait to be
perfectly full.
Broken but lit up is also
beautiful.
The winter strips the leaves
from the forest -
not every season ends up with a
harvest,
the river itself shrinks to
a thin thread
beautiful still on the half-dried
riverbed.
Each life is complete precisely
at death,
it must shine within its own
length and breadth,
half finished, broken,
imperfect its timing
but beautiful still - because
it’s tried shining.
There’s more to beauty than
shining at full,
shining on empty is far
more beautiful.
WC - 103
FCA
Tagline : Shining on empty.
Incidentally, there are so many people I know who're shining on empty right now. Not
just shining, but dazzling. You know who you are. Salute!
Read the other entries here :
Huge thanks for this powerful reminder that broken has its own beauty. And is more than enough.
ReplyDeleteLovely poem like moonlight glinting on a lake. I like shining on empty, and my brain leaped to "Running on Empty", one of my fave Jackson Browne tunes.
ReplyDeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteBrava!!! Adored the music bytes and your words were expanded after the uplift from them... YAM xx
Loved the videos, especially the santoor. What a great sound! And your poem is a beautiful illustration of positivity. Shine on, Nila! ☺
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for the music. Your poem impressed me, especially the second verse and the second line "not every season ends up with a harvest." It made me think of Beethoven not grasping the harvest that he written with Moonlight Sonata. He never had the chance to appreciate what he'd done. Your poem is very deep, emotionally, and I enjoyed it. Shalom aleichem
ReplyDeleteLOVE! Shining on empty is such a powerful phrase. Over the years I've taught so many wonderful kids who've personified the phrase :)
ReplyDeleteI love listening to the music. Played it the entire time I wrote my story. Now it's becoming a habit. Thanks for sharing! Your poem captures the beauty of the sonata perfectly!
ReplyDeleteLove, love your poem. And the videos too.
ReplyDeleteI like your poem. Shining on empty. Poignant.
ReplyDeleteNancy
So many wonderful, quotable lines in this, and gorgeous turns of phrase. I enjoyed the music videos, as well. I love a twist on an original musical piece.
ReplyDeleteYou nailed it Nila. "Shining on empty is far more beautiful..." Such a beautiful, thoughtful poem. I enjoyed it all the more as I read while listening to MS played on the santoor. So different.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the haunting renditions of the Moonlight Sonata, which I listened to as I read your powerful poem and felt my heart swell at the sentiment that runs through the poem. A philosophy that speaks to me, illustrated by the phases of the moon, each one beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThe dubstep remix of the Moonlight Sonata was a new experience for me. The santoor version was playing as I read your poem. It was amazing!
ReplyDeleteHi Nila,
ReplyDeleteWhat an exciting rendition. I really enjoyed the mix with the santoor! The classical rendition played by Lionel Yu was amazing! Such a talented young man.
I LOVE the title of your poem and it is so true...Anyone can shine on EMPTY. Thanks for sharing this incredible "Trio" with us...
Cool music videos. I’d never heard of the santoor. I Googled it for more info. The poem fits well with the prompt. There’s a lot of truth in all the verses. The last two lines summarize everything perfectly.
ReplyDeleteNila, I enjoyed the fusion of Eastern and Western sounds. Very clever.
ReplyDeleteThe dubstep remix is a passionate mixture of crazy and complicated notes.
Your poem is beautiful!
This is such a beautiful poem! The message is also a powerful one. Marvelous!
ReplyDeleteHi Nila - wonderful poem with such a poignant take on Beethoven's Sonata ... the moon is always a delight to see in the sky and as you so rightly describe it always has a different look ... sometimes one doesn't need to see it - like this past week ... when it was really bright - the sturgeon moon was in its ascendancy.
ReplyDeleteI will be back to listen to the videos ... cheers Hilary
Fun to hear the song played on a santori. Great use of the song in your poetry. I enjoyed your post.
ReplyDeleteI'm participating in WEP challenge for the first time.
Mary at Play off the Page
A lovely poem with a potent message. Well done, Nilanjana.
ReplyDeleteNilanjana, such a beauty here. I loved the examples you drew upon and how they fit 'perfectly' to give an important message about beauty in 'imperfection'.
ReplyDeleteThe image of "shining on empty" is unique and lovely. Thanks for posting this one, Nilanjana.
ReplyDeleteWe don't need to perfection to be beautiful. Loved this poem. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you all. Glad that you enjoyed the poetry and the music. Connectivity was bad while the reading was on, so I couldn't respond individually to your comments.
ReplyDeleteI used to love to look for the new moon. I need to remember to do that. I got so used to always being busy, busy, busy, that I forget to just be.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and dazzling :)
ReplyDelete