In my school days, I was a silent gal (most of my friends now will definitely not believe their eyes after reading this). P.S. I said "I was". I used to stay in a small village in Northern Kerala named Kumbla. A place full of restrictions and danger, no going out after dusk. Strange place, now I feel when I think of those times. Bus fare to my school 4kms away was 25paise. Buses were quite rare. Not many people over there, one can find crowd only in buses. One could find people speaking many different languages- Malayalam, Kannada, Konkani, Tulu, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil etc. But then, that is where I've all my childhood memories. Those hills, the pleasant weather, the rainbows, all so beautiful. I sometimes wonder why no one noticed the beauty of that place. Meanwhile, even I did not notice. Such a beautiful place was quite normal to me, as I had seen it from the time I remember. But one day, everything changed...
When I was in my 7th standard, one day my English teacher had told everyone in my class to write a poem and come. Poem! The definition of poem for me was a description of a matchbox or a flower or a stone or any other such small thing written in lines of same length and the last words rhyming. Moreover, it is so vastly described by some poet who had all the time of the world to do all the research about this thing which is not all that important and not scientifically related. In short, completely insensible. And the worst part is that we have to learn it by heart for no reason. Like every other student, I too used to curse the poets for writing such ridiculous poems and making us struggle. All in all, I hated the fact that I was asked to write a poem and had to do it for the first time in life.
My imagination was exploring its heights when I was walkin home after school alone. There was around a 30 minutes walk to my house after getting down from the school bus. I was thinking- I will write a poem which I will feel like the worst poem I have ever read, more horrible than the ones in my textbooks. Then I will show it to my teacher. Surprisingly he will like it. All will like it. It will be published in a well-known magazine. I will become famous world-wide. I will earn in crores. I will turn old soon just like any other famous poetess. They are never young. They directly turn old. And finally my poems will be in textbooks. And the students will curse me like how I did. I remembered my curses. NOOOO!!! I almost screamed when I was having my dinner. I was happy that my teacher had given us a week's time to submit the poem.
A week passed by. I was still not getting a proper topic. I was getting topics. But I used to feel I have read poems on those topics. Finally it was the day before the submission of the poem. I was scared. That teacher was so rude. He would insult me in front of the whole class. And then, I was walking home. I was tensed.I could see my house at a distance. I wanted to run home. I ran a few steps and suddenly stopped. Something struck my head. What I could see in front of me was.......
Whatever it was, I wrote a poem on it. You better read the poem.
THE BEAUTY OF NATURE
When I was returning home from school,
The climate was very pleasant and cool.
A cool air was rushing in its own will.
In the midst of these, I saw a beautiful hill.
The hill was covered with greenery
With a cloud floating up its slope like a fairy
Walking slowly on a rainbow
It is the scenery for which I wanted to bow!
By seeing it anybody would feel-
That the beauty of nature is on its wheel.
It is the gift given by god; and if it is true
Then how beautiful will be god's view!
However, what a pleasant experience it was!
Much more beautiful than roses in a vase.
The scene had been vanished within seconds,
But it will be safe in my heart for many decades.
I often ask god, "Oh Almighty,
Please show me such nature's beauty."
Even if nobody sees and agrees that its beauty is worth,
I feel that it is actually the heaven on earth!
