Famous Last Line

India (Original Poem) I hear much joy in the music, View elation in the dance Feel happiness in the laughter, Soulful spirit in poetic romance. I feel love in the language Swelling in my heart. Reverence for God and Goddess In beloved families far apart. I love the customs and the people As they celebrate each day Living life to the fullest In their honor I wish to pray That I may learn to be as humble As loving and as kind, To be blessed by elder wisdom In every senior that I find. This is a gift to give my children To open their sleepy little eyes. To see the value in rejoicing, To reach for stars up in the skies. When they learn this knowledge To listen well to the sages, They will know of sacred secrets Handed down through the ages. India (New Poem) Handed down through the ages, India's Gods and Goddesses call Out to me from sacred places. I want to bathe in Ganges waters, Be there when monsoons arrive, View Holi's colors on happy faces. I wish to absorb all the beauty, Mix with all the friendly people And sing in celebration's song. I want to enjoy the festive music And watch the dancers dancing, I wish to truly feel that I belong. I'd revere every God and Goddess, Have respect for all Gods I know not. I'd love to learn of Ganesha's power. I want to meditate in floral gardens Contemplate by reflective pools... Connect my spirit to the Lotus flower. I would take my small camera with me And shoot all the sights and sounds, Share my heart with natives blissfully. I'd love to share in children's laughter. Share my thoughts and culture too. I'd treasure my time in India eternally. Famous Last Line March 9, 2016 Holi: Holi, the Festival of Colors. Holi is celebrated as a welcoming of Spring, and a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. What that translates to in action is an enthusiastic dropping of inhibitions, as people chase each other and playfully splash colorful paint, powder and water on each other. People also attend bonfires to commemorate the story of Prahlada. Ganges: Hindus consider the waters of the Ganga to be both pure and purifying. Nothing reclaims order from disorder more than the waters of the Ganga. Moving water, as in a river, is considered purifying in Hindu culture because it is thought to both absorb impurities and take them away. What the Ganga removes, however, is not necessarily physical dirt, but symbolic dirt; it wipes away the sins of the bather, not just of the present, but of a lifetime. Ganesha: He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. In fact, Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) whose idolatry is glorified as thepanchayatana puja. Lotus Flower: The Lotus, the national flower of India, is a symbol of supreme reality. Hindu religion and mythology portray goddess Saraswathi, the muse of learning, as being seated on a lotus flower. To the Indian psyche, the lotus is more than a flower – it represents both beauty and non-attachment. There is a saying that although it grows in mud, it smells of myrrh. Toru Dutt in her sonnet “The Lotus” addresses the flower as the “queenliest flower that blows.”