To get closer to love, I would chose you
Travelling far and bringing memories new
Deep in thoughts, I turned to look at my love
To hum slowly into his ears, all that I got hold of
I need you this morning, let's go exploring
No one to bother, making things matter
All these days passed by sneaking in your dreams
Playing with thoughts, away from boiling pots
I want a time together, walking hand in hand further
Let's steal some time for love, to live for now
Let's get real, you ought to know how I feel
The further I see, the brighter the star shines
Paddling up the sky I saw those lines
Will you take me there with you now?
We shall bring the stars to woo our love
breaking dawn, wishes the comet seeks
twilight zone, my secret desires speaks
Let's go further just to get closer
tugging close and lying on your shoulder
I will sing you songs that I wrote
While boiling rice and cooking oats
You know, I always wished to see
the world beyond the other side of the sea
Some day, I need you to quench my travel bug
I swear making you mine with a big bear hug
Don't ask me whether love grows by going far
But yes, new places do freshen up how things are
It brings the real child in me to jump out
Screaming in excitement, enlivens me throughout
I will go far to know us better and let be
To see what this big wide world beholds for me
I will go far to seek and preserve sweet memories
Sharing love, some histories and some mysteries
And together we shall make this wish come true
Yes! By going far and coming closer to you
The birthday candle flame carries my wish every time before she drifts away. A wish close to my heart, waiting for years and peeps once a while like a rainbow on a summer rain. Even now, when I hear the sound of an Aeroplane, the child in me gets excited looking up the sky with a smile. "Yes, I know how it feels to be there," murmured my mind and knocked open my secret heart desire which is yet to be fulfilled. With many roles I play in my life, as a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a daughter-in law and a friend, I have this one role which has been bombarding inside me to make one dream into a reality. But before I could tell you about my secret heart desire, let me first start with who am I.
Turning back the clock, I introduce you to the most important and beautiful people who gave me this life.
My Mom is my inspiration, a woman who I admire the most. She is the one who taught me facing life with courage in spite of all the problems she faced. Growing in her shadow, I learnt to value determination and an attitude of selfless love. Being married at the age of 16, even before she could finish her studies was no fun. She lost her mom when she was just 10 years old and my great grandma who brought her up wanted to get her married off soon. Having entered a joint family at a tender age, my mom was surrounded with commitments being the eldest daughter-in-law and in less than 18 months I was born. Yes! Even before she was 18, I lay there on her lap seeking her attention now and then. Then followed my siblings one by one.
My Dad is a hard working man and I learnt that he was doing his PhD. when I was very young and got a stipend with which he ran the family. Making ends meet became difficult right after my grandfather died of heart attack. Soon, my dad was burdened with more commitments being the eldest son with three siblings and a newly married man with a child. As I grew, I found that my mom and my dad had very little time to spend with each other and in fact never even had a chance to travel beyond my hometown.
But, in spite of all that has been happening in my family I should agree that I lived a life of a princess. It took me years to understand things as my parents were careful enough not to burden their kids by all means. As a child, I enjoyed playing in the fields, running in the park and drenching myself in the beach water all inside my hometown. My first trip happened in school which made me realize what leaving home exactly means. I felt homesick for the first time. Then, it was my college trip to Ooty, a point in my life where a sudden guilt surrounded me wherein I really wished my family to be with me to see and feel the beauty of the outside world because I knew they never had visited one.
Soon this little princess grew into a woman, got married and became a mom of two beautiful kids. Then, there came a day I had a chance to look beyond India. Yes, I was going to meet my husband exactly a year after he left England for work. I took this long to get to him since I had to get my children passports and visas ready. Soon, I was on my way to the "Chennai International Airport" to broad my very first International flight - British Airways. Yes, everyone in my family were excited and so was I. I got my instructions from my Husband through phone on where to scan the luggage, where to get a boarding pass, gate number etc. before I boarded the flight.
My first trip was with mixed emotions. Was I happy to see the other part of the world or sad about leaving my other loved ones behind or afraid of travelling all alone with the kids or excited about an adventure high up in the sky, I don't know. All I knew was I am right there, seated on the British Airways with my two little kids, each excited as I am and watching the mini TV embedded in their front seats. We were travelling together to an unknown location and in my mind, I began constructing an image of how England would be with what I saw in the movies.
A part of my travelling went by soaking in the beauty outside the window, taking care of my kids, nappy changes, studying the map on the TV display, watching movies, trying to sleep and sometime getting excited with every announcement of aeroplane turbulence. My first air travelling went smoothly and soon we all slept. A voice announcing our final landing woke me up saying, "We are now landing at London Heathrow Airport. Thank you for choosing British Airways!" and I pushed myself to see through the window. "London! Here I am", my heart yelled in excitement. Soon after boarding-off the plane, I saw my husband waiting for us eagerly. The moment I neared him, I started to cry childishly seeing him after a long time. We hugged and soon sensed how much we missed each other. We were together again. Yes, I travelled far away from home to get closer to him.
My first trip was with mixed emotions. Was I happy to see the other part of the world or sad about leaving my other loved ones behind or afraid of travelling all alone with the kids or excited about an adventure high up in the sky, I don't know. All I knew was I am right there, seated on the British Airways with my two little kids, each excited as I am and watching the mini TV embedded in their front seats. We were travelling together to an unknown location and in my mind, I began constructing an image of how England would be with what I saw in the movies.
A part of my travelling went by soaking in the beauty outside the window, taking care of my kids, nappy changes, studying the map on the TV display, watching movies, trying to sleep and sometime getting excited with every announcement of aeroplane turbulence. My first air travelling went smoothly and soon we all slept. A voice announcing our final landing woke me up saying, "We are now landing at London Heathrow Airport. Thank you for choosing British Airways!" and I pushed myself to see through the window. "London! Here I am", my heart yelled in excitement. Soon after boarding-off the plane, I saw my husband waiting for us eagerly. The moment I neared him, I started to cry childishly seeing him after a long time. We hugged and soon sensed how much we missed each other. We were together again. Yes, I travelled far away from home to get closer to him.
And life in a foreign land is a fairy tale. The cool weather got us more closer and we understood us much better. There was a time he even asked me, "Am I seeing the real you? You never have been like this before". And I answered, "Maybe you never noticed me fully". Yes, the more conservative we were in India and acting matured, the more playful we became here all alone. And mind you, the young couples snogging in public will make you look into each others eyes in love. You display your affections publicly and have no one to question or to look differently to what you do. Love was accepted in every form. It was a different environment, displaying different culture and a different life. Travelling far has brought us much closer together in a short time of our stay there.
- If I had a chance, I will go far to cruise on the Thames River getting closer to my husband and enjoying our evening in the stunning sights of London .
- If I had a chance, we will go far to Canary Wharf Ice Rink, a romantic fairy light lit path for skate lovers which will bring dashing closeness as we skate together.
- If I had a chance, we will go far to visit Disney Land Paris, wherein I will get to rekindle my childhood with my husband, shouting and screaming in joy like two excited kids.
- If I had a chance, we will go far to climb on top of the Eiffel Tower and ask my husband to propose me like a prince kneeling down with a rose in his hands.
But all these are secondary when it comes to my secret desire which is not just me. Yes, my foremost desire is gifting my beloved parents a travel that I wished to have myself. They both tried fulfilling their commitments one by one and by the time they did, they aged and was getting old. They did not enjoy the space or the time that we had in this generation. I want them to see and to feel the beauty of the outside world other than their hometown. I really wish them to experience time for themselves amidst the beauty of what the earth holds. I wanted them to travel far away from their routine life to get closer experiencing love and gathering sweet memories like I did with my husband.
PS: This post was written for British Airways, "Go further to get closer!"contest by British Airways and Indiblogger.
I am loss of words here.. Really.. Such a beautiful and emotional writting...
ReplyDeletePics and sketches are awesome.. Aeroplane shape poem scores a lot in this post..
All the very best for the contest :)
I cannot write in comments more than what I have already written in my above post. All I can say is thanks for visiting !
DeleteAll the best...lovely post !
ReplyDeleteBeautiful creative post with wonderful art work & poem, Uma! Gifting our parents is so wonderful!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes! :)
A very nice warm read! I can see BA flying you there. :)
ReplyDeleteAll the best!
Very detailed and vivid post it is :) Loved the opening poem a lot! Beautifully written.
ReplyDeletebeautiful poem and wonderful art .. all the best for contest :)
ReplyDeleteVery nicely penned, Uma. Great work with the poetry and the sketches.
ReplyDeleteAll the best. :)
NIce post.. .best wishes..
ReplyDeleteCreativity and intense thinking . Nice share.
ReplyDeleteLovely post!
ReplyDeleteLovely Post with nice Sketches and a lovely Poem... All the best for the contest!!!
ReplyDeleteI liked the sketches Uma , and really how nice the idea is ...to gift our beloved parents with the trip of a life-time..:-)
ReplyDeleteAll the best..
You have worded very well your respect and love for our parents.
ReplyDeleteOn a topic where 99% entries are about couples only, it was refreshing to read this unique post.
True and sometimes the right opportunity comes making us write the right thing at the right moment. Thanks for your comment :)
DeleteI don't know what to say...It was warm, full of feelings and right from the heart! All the best :)
ReplyDeleteHow creative and touching the post is! Loved reading :) Best wishes for the contest!
ReplyDeleteNicely crafted post, the way you've apprehended your experience is top-notch. Must also mention your sketches, surely take the post to a much higher level. :)
ReplyDeleteThis one chronicled your entire run from being a child to having children of your own.. lovely!
ReplyDeleteRicha
Well written and warm post Uma, nice photos too. It is true with me too, my hubby and I became very close after coming to US only, may be something to with the cool climate like you said :)
ReplyDeleteI kept reading the post, on an on, until that line where you wrote, I wish to gift the same to my parents... and I was goosebumped! Love the thought, so warm and true, I wish you give your parents this and a lot much more. All the best to you, Uma - you always come up with a creative entry that is equally beautiful in so many ways. :)
ReplyDeleteSure and hopefully if my wish is to be blessed, there is nothing compared to the joy and satisfaction that I may gift my parents - thank you!
DeleteBeautiful and heart warming post, Uma. Love the beautiful poem:)
ReplyDeleteVery well designed and written..I am sure this will be one of the top winners. ATB Uma!
ReplyDeleteGifting the trip ur parents is the best part of this post ! May all yr desires come true
ReplyDeleteThis post is liek a peep in to ur life and a good one :)
Loved your post, the gesture , the poem , the sketches...all. A truly beautiful post. All the best and thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteAwesome post .i hope everybody will like your post
That's a really lovely post. All the best. I hope your dream comes true. :)
ReplyDelete