Thoughts of a River

There is a saying - "You cannot step into the same river twice". A river signifies change every moment. The water you step into at one moment is gone the next moment. Our thoughts are also similarly changing each moment. The human brain is capable of millions of thoughts; new thoughts arise replacing the older ones. Just as a flowing river, our thoughts keep flowing. Some of the thoughts linger onto our memory for a longer time, some die fast, some are pleasant and some bring worries and tension. If we are able to witness our thoughts as an external observer, we can observe trends and patterns to the way we are thinking. Just as a river flows sometimes slowly and gracefully, we can cultivate to think peacefully and be amazed at all the life surrounding us. Sometimes, there are turbulences in our mind, as in a river. When there are such disturbing thoughts, we should remember that this also would pass, like the flowing river. The acceptance of this truth - This too shall pass, brings about a sense of calmness, clarity and serenity to the mind.

This book contains a collection of some of my writings over couple of years and it starts off with how a river thinks when it's born and plays along with the animals and birds which visit the river. Later, it faces turbulence during its flow, is sadly polluted by man and tries to wash away the waste material dumped into it.
The other poems in this collection include a prayer which gets answered as the poet sees the Divine in all he does. Each day is a creation of the Almighty and is an opportunity to study life and its amazing creations. As one of the poems suggests, life is indeed amazing, just the way it is, if we just open our eyes and heart and take each day and each moment as it comes. Worry and stress has become a part of urban living these days. This collection is my own way of unwinding myself and living life as it is meant to be lived- each day a celebration of the Divine’s Glory.

To get the most out of this book, please read this collection slowly, maybe one poem a day. Involve all of your senses into the simple words and let them resonate within yourself. After you read some part of it, please close your eyes and see with your mind, i.e. imagine the places and think the thoughts described. The writings are purposely small, simple and are not unnecessarily lengthy so as to let you imagine and associate to whichever place you belong to or want to visualise.

I hope that you enjoy reading this, as much as I have enjoyed writing this. The poems are small and simple as the words are only a means to communicate the feelings. If this book leaves you with a sense of peace, calmness, serenity and gratitude for the lovely life we all have been granted to live, I would be extremely happy, as it would have served its purpose