This little fella at the Kolkata zoo one early winter morning, spotted us from the corner of his beady little eye.
Long term resident of the zoo and experienced in the ways of man, he didn’t waste anyΒ any time taking up his place in anticipation of what was to come.
We wondered what was up but not for long. Despite warnings to the contrary, eager visitors willingly shared their goodies – oranges seemed to be a hot favorite. Using his nose, he deftly twitched the segments away from the orange peel and stuffed them in his mouth. Clearly a discerning foodie rather than a mere glutton.
Another time, at a temple, I met Lakshmi the elephant who accepted ‘offerings’ from her fans. If they were coins she would promptly pass them on to her trainer and in return she would ‘bless’ the giver by placing her trunk on their head. But if someone gave her a coconut, she would crack it on the stone floor like a nut. From the broken pieces, she would delicately sniff out the coconut flesh and gobble it up in a jiffy. Her dexterity and expertise was a mesmerizing watch and has remained with me despite not having any photos.
As for me, I too live in anticipation. Invoking Sri Ganesha, the elephant headed-God, the One who is prayed first and is the Remover of all obstacles, in the coming New Year I hope that:
Clouded visions clear
Overcome barriers
Real or imagined
Β
Stride fearlessly
Upon destined paths
Vibrant yet tranquil
Thank you for reading and apologies for foisting my feeble attempts at poetry (if it can be called that!) upon you πΆ
In anticipation of a note from youΒ π
Stories and more 
Oh, elephant!! I love this take on!
The last photo is so beautiful. π
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Thanks Amy π
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I loved your poem / and then when I read it was a feebler attempt it took away from it – half kidding – but celebrate your style and let us decide- without any disclaimer – well I guess there are times for it…
But the photo with the fence and fog to the side – and then the words – sweet combo amiga
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Ahh thank you Y you are the best π – I just feel poetry is not my thing – perhaps one the invisible barriers I create for myself? But then one should also be honest with oneself π
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Yes – must have that honesty/ and you know your gifts more than I do.
And side note on poetry – I am half into poetry – I am not always in the mood for deep stuff and I don’t always enjoy symbolism and some of the styles – have times when I enjoy them and get moved (in only the way some lit can do) but so often the free verse poems are a delight – like here
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Yes, even I dont enjoy poetry most of the time – probably because I dont understand many of the deep stuff. But interestingly for the last few days I was reading a selection of poems by one of the most acclaimed lyricist, poet, writer and director of Hindi movies. I just love his work. Perhaps, that subconsciously egged me on. I had first written this poem as a sentence. Yet i felt compelled to try free verse
So long as it is readable, makes sense and doesn’t break any ‘rule’ I am over the moon π So glad that it worked (and I am taking your word for it)
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Well some rules can be broken with few verse – right?
And cool about the Hindi movie inspiration –
I have to share a link with one of my favorite poetry bloggers – she is from Canada and I love her “style” –
I will be back later to share it
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π
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Loved the mist, the barrier, the path…so beautifully captured…both the pic and the verses π
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Ahh thank you dear MM – you are forgiven π
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