#shivu14

[shivu14]

A New Year, More Content

2018

[shivu14]

Her

Maybe she used to be unencumbered,

or somehow wildly liberated-

anything that’s contrary to what she knows now.

She goes about her days,

unsure and weary,

unease pervading her mind,

thinking about what is to be,

and what could have been.

From now on,

life is only reduced to time.

It’s always minutes, hours, days, and weeks,

as the months and years grow yet more uncertain,

with her growing resolve.

Perhaps one day,

she will triumph over all those voices,

and she can finally be free-

unencumbered and even more wildly liberated.

[shivu14]

MORE POINTLESS RAMBLINGS AND MUSINGS

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[shivu14]

The Tale of Two Entities: Russia and Trump

What do you see around you? What do you read? It rather perplexes me that I read different interpretations and versions of essentially the same thing time and time again. It seems rather ordinary and ‘conventional’ to read news about the Trump Administration, the Republican Party now being in complete disarray, the sheer amount of rhetoric, and obviously, the Russian investigations being conducted against the Trump campaign. Just this morning, I was reading the New York Times, when I clicked on the headlines, and realized the trap I had fallen into. It was declared that President Donald Trump’s own lawyer, Michael D. Cohen had connections with Russian authorities.

Since the Cold War, normalized relations between the United States and Russia has been nothing but an illusory reality that many Presidents have only promised. Donald Trump, in particular, has parroted this throughout his campaign trail. Yet, when we take a look back at the progress of the Trump Administration thus far, we simply do not seem to see the materialization of any promise or success on this front. The recent Russian investigations being conducted by Robert Muller and the entourage of FBI agents are ongoing and White House criticisms only continue to aggravate.  

When we take a look at the striking turn of events since Trump took office, the future of Russia- U.S.- relations indeed seem quite bleak. In the past few months, Congress has resolved to tighten international sanctions against Russia even further. In retaliation, Vladimir Putin has also severely curtailed the power of the U.S. consulate in Russia and cut down the number of foreign diplomats and advisors in the country by a record number. Russian officials recently proclaimed that they would respond to the U.S. shut down by closing down their Consulate in New York, Washington, and San Francisco. Moreover, President Trump continues to argue and prolong wars with words between GOP senators. Not only is this making him more isolated and entrenching the divide between the President and Congressional Republicans, but it also questions his authority and power to make good decisions that favor and safeguard the interests of the United States.

Critics of the Trump Administration, journalists, reporters, political analysts, governments, Republicans, Democrats only seem to think about how the Russian Investigation could potentially accentuate and bring to light the threat of hacking and international espionage by foreign hostile governments. Yet, no one really seems to pay heed to the fact that the sheer magnitude of media attention, controversy, and rhetoric only serve to discredit the system of democracy in the U.S. and the office of the President of the United States. The current state of affairs only serves to trigger yet more suspicion and mistrust within the government and the public.

While a whole nation partakes in this rather pointless debate, Russia continues to capitalize on the chaos. It’s almost business as usual for them, as they continue to follow status quo and stick to the foreign policy they have been following under Putin since the collapse of the Soviet Union. They are at the forefront of an investigation that does not seem to hurt them domestically and Putin’s approval rating in Russia continues to soar. International attention to the U.S. has also now turned quite sour as people question why an inexperienced, misinformed demagogue occupies the hot seat of global governance and international discourse.

What did Trump promise his fellow Americans? The crime he seems to have allegedly committed seems to be going more and more against him as we speak. Perhaps, losing the elections would have cast less doubt on his competency, blasphemy, and character.

[shivu14]

For what it's worth I'm sorry for the hurt I'll be the first to say, "I made my own mistakes" For what it's worth I know it's just a word and words betray Sometimes we lose our way For what it's worth

For What It’s Worth- Liam Gallagher 

It’s been quite a while since i recommended a song here on my blog. But this time I had to as the song really made my day! It brings me back to Oasis. For some weird reason, it sounded like an entire testament to Liam Gallagher’s life. As this is quite a new song, I would really recommend it. It just pulled out all of my heartstrings!

[shivu14]

Those Eyes

As deep as it may come across, this poem is actually literally about not having enough sleep, and often becoming cranky as a result. A lot it is exaggerated- but it is a poem. The poem can also be interpreted as expressing the sensation of feeling sleepy and tired all the time as well.  Bottom line, please get some sleep- at least 6 hours a day! I have learnt this the hardest way possible way. 

They cry out in pain when I open them,

their shrieks and retorts fill my visions.

They rage a silent but fierce battle in my mind.

ever minute, ever day, and every night.

Till now, I have been able to win,

but one day they will pull one over me and put me to sleep.

Sometimes, I feel them drooping like lolling puppets,

their strings too weak to carry their weight any longer.

Every blink is their sanctum,

where light and noise will momentarily not encroach.

They stare back at me in the mirror,

as I dress them up for the day,

and conceal their struggles-

one black brush stroke at a time on the lids.

They silently plead,

now finally almost docile.

For those few hours almost every day,

they finally cooperate and bask in the wonder of strange lands,

till a greater call snatches the reins from them the next day.

They decorate my canvas with colours-

grey, black, and at times, purple veins.

I see similar spectacles all around me-

shadows, markings, and blotches.

All our eyes tell the same story-

of toil, tears, tests, and time,

and all that is still beautiful.

[shivu14]

Behold the beauty of the iphone 7 camera!

[shivu14]

My Thoughts of FreedSong: Dream Song’

I have been reading some great poetry lately and am really enjoying some of the latest award- winning works. I read a poem by a poet named Tyehimba Jess, a Pulitzer- prize winning author. He has a rather interesting life and strongly believes in the triumph of coloured lives. His poem, ‘Freedsong: Dream Song,’ is a very strong testament to his upbringing and childhood, in my opinion. Its brilliance primarily lies in the simplicity and the sincerity with which he drives home the message he is trying to convey.

By the first line I saw myself instantly drawn into the moment and the mood of the poem. For me, the poem is especially relatable as I know that I may be impacted by similar circumstances. I was also proud of the fact that the persona in the poem, despite being a minority, carves out his own path in life and is content with what life offers him at the end.

‘Box Henry’, is a character in the poem who is in a metaphorical ‘box’, owing to the constraints and restraints in his life. Being a man of colour in a world of perversion, discord and bitterness, is its own obstacle in itself, but going beyond such social bulwarks is really a huge hurdle to cross successfully. The persona in the poem, ‘Henry’, is race and gender neutral and can refer to any minority group or any individual, in fact, who has had to cross societal and social hindrances to achieve what they want in life and reach that desired state of Nirvana we are all after.

The words ‘could’, ‘break’, ‘pried open’, and ‘survived’ accentuate the struggles that our persona went through and how he had to work tirelessly and rough it out to prove himself to the world. He doesn’t seem to lose confidence and lets his ray of hope guide him all the way to the end of his eventful and tumultuous journey through life.

The last line of the poem is probably my favourite when the poet writes, ‘Let Box henry grow in every head.’ Box henry are those inspiring individuals who have fought racial and religious barriers to excel and climb up societal, professional and financial ladders. They make the people around them proud of what they do. I feel that this line of the poem re- enforces the message of the poem sevenfold and is what truly makes Jess’ work so memorable and satisfying to read.

The title of the poem, ‘Freedsong’, truly highlights the fact that crossing those societal hindrances, despite the colour of our skin or societal standing we were born into, is what makes us truly free individuals. Sometimes, we let ourselves be bound by those constraints, and that is sometimes what truly holds us back. Perhaps, we make them worthless pretexts for our fears for the future. Crumbling those walls that surround us is perhaps what truly liberates us. The phrase, ‘black face worn, John was happy’, really embodies all that our persona achieves to make him truly happy at the end of the day.

This poem has probably made my week. It pulled at my heartstrings and really inspired me in a unique way. I hope to imbibe the essence of ‘Box Henry’ and become stronger to deal with the challenging times. There is a struggle out there for so many of us in this community and let’s best be prepared for the incoming storm.

You can view the poem here-

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/90219/freedsong-dream-song

Do let me know what you think