what a life!!!

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

one from me:
No time to visit the next door buddy,
And sink in the life with gossip study

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Period

even after two cups of coffee, I am engrossed in these beautiful lines by Davies. How apt!!!

When Maggie Ma'am read out this poem in fifth grade, it was yet another mugging job for me. At that time, I beleived that such a situation is not common and holds true just for the poet. Years have passed, and with time both the poet and the reader have lost in time's books.

Time and again, I used these lines to begin a presentation. Even then, I was not able to relate to them, it's just a phrase after all, isn't it?

And today when my boss assigned me jobs after jobs, (making me realise...even the word "holiday" will be looked as "murder"), the first thing i uttered was "what is life"
then the entire poem scrolled across my eyes...

here i am a eeny-weeny person giving a take on life...

Life is large and abstract just like ocean, i cannot actually hug the mighty ocean. But when i stand on the beach and fold my hands, i feel it's presence. Isn't the same thing with life. One can actually talk to life and feel relieved. Some people term this thing as "talk-to-wall" or other terms as craziness, but for us creative thinkers, that's the only route to think in abstract.

When we pass a street these days, we overlook what's happening in our surroundings. It's just the traffic signal that can make us stand and stare, nothing else. And that time, we see how others are coping with life, some are struggling to cross the road, and some even for food. At that time, we think that if only we could help them out or be a part of their life. It's not that easy as I think it is. Sometimes, we flash a smile to such strangers. And the next moment, we are instantly included in their lives by the smile they flash to us. It also happens that our smile is returned with a frown instead of a smile and that's when we realise that smile is not an easily available thing in this world. This is when I yearn for solace. I find solace in solitude amidst nature! It's always the case with me, sometimes I yearn for a good company for a conversation over coffee. But other times i hunt for solitude. That's when i start crying automatically, even when there's no need to. How frivolous life is! isn't it? In the race of life, we are not even able to give time to ourselves. It' always friends, work or traffic. Suddenly we realize life is not made of moments, but of chores. And that's what I hate about modern life. After yearning for time for a long period, when we finally get it, we don't know how to use it. Amidst this hullabaloo, that beauty regimen waiting since eons is taking a backseat. We get time to read cosmo tips on quick-to-dos "before goin to bed", but not to apply those.

The situation is that there's no night, no day, just a list of jobs, which if not completed have to be followed tomorrow.

Stop...Think...Act
Take time out and breate easy, because...

a POOR Life this, if full of care
We have no time to stand and stare...

Come on people stare...
Not those handsome hunks or beauty babes, but stare at your own life and mind it..not other's life!!!