Bow Down, Rise Up

 

Bow Down, Rise Up | A Song of the Bamboo

The breeze stirs, the flowers smile,

Butterfly wings hum and play...

Waves rise, the river hurries down,

Your rustling is the thanks you pay...

Wrapped in ripples of the breeze,

Branch and leaf all dance and sway...

Why would you hold the gentle wind?

Your rustling is the thanks you pay...

The wind turns fierce, the wild birds cry,

Leaves tremble, branches twist and bend...

The river roars, ho, ho, it calls...

In the raging wind, you...

How will you stay until the end?

Wrapped in ripples of the breeze,

Branch and leaf all dance and sway...

You cannot hold the raging wind,

So bow your head, and give it way...

Pliant, you bear it all...

Your branches rise to touch the sky...

Node by node, you grow up strong...

Yet who would cut you down, and why?

For those who climb, higher and higher,

You become a rung, you give your all...

They rise on, ever higher,

And we step gladly down, so none will fall...

Your rustling is the thanks you pay,

Bow your head, give the wind its way,

For those who climb higher and higher,

You become a rung, a gift you lay...

The bamboo teaches that strength is not stiffness. In a gentle breeze, it sways and sings, turning the soft wind into music. In a violent storm, it bends low, yielding without breaking, and rises again once the wind has passed. Even when cut down, it gives itself willingly, becoming scaffolding that lifts others to heights they could never reach alone.

So it is with life. Meet kindness with grace, and let joy find its voice. Meet hardship with flexibility, not defiance. Bend, but do not break. And when you can, serve selflessly, so others may rise. Every storm passes, and those rooted deeply and generous in spirit stand tall, stronger and wiser.

The poem is turned into a meaningful and beautiful song; 

you can listen to Bow Down, Rise Up | A Song of the Bamboo.

Tell me how it is.

For the beautiful melody and wonderful song, special thanks to SUNO AI,

Sinhala version of this poem - සුනම්‍ය (pliant) is available at ගල්මල්-Coral.

Craze

 

A widespread, short-lived fashion or fad

as a specific dance, toy, or diet.

A fine network of tiny cracks

in a coating, paint, or ceramic glaze.

To drive someone mad or insane,

or to cause a surface like

lightning waves run in the night sky.

That emphasize an intense, high-energy

wave of popularity.

Whatever craze is the term for

what is currently accepted or popular.

A massive, short-lived wave

of enthusiasm for something.

You call whatever it

defined whatever it may be,

every new invention is born in

a "craze" of the mind.

The Silent Magnetism of Calm Souls

`

They do not roar to prove their worth,

Or crowd the spaces of the earth;

They filter thought before they speak,

In gentle tones, serene and meek.

A raised-up voice they do not need,

For quiet truth is where they lead.

They do not live for hollow praise,

Or stage the drama of their days;

While others sprint to show and tell,

They tend the garden of their well.

They find a wealth that cannot break

In harmony and peace they make.

With careful steps, they walk the floor,

And never push a heavy door;

They ask of life a simple art:

To leave no bruise upon a heart.

To heal a fracture, calm a fright,

And step through darkness with a light.

In chaotic winds that pull and strain,

They are the shelter from the rain.

For power does not need to shout—

It is the flame that stays the doubt.

And in their presence, we find room

To watch our own quiet spirit bloom.

Tightening

 

If something is bearing and moving,

trend is to turn the wrench

and tighten further,

to make it firm and fixed.

In life it's the same too.

But

in both the cases

break point exists,

anyway shall bear it.

The Twilight

 

The dusk

painting my own

shadow very large,

at my feet.

The sun

is setting down,

dipping in the evening

darker.

The Shadow will disappear

in the dark.

True Wavy Black

 

Nourished with a few drops

of natural coconut oil

truly black stood in rows

like an obedient army

Young school days

fear of white coat and cane

had a little choice

trim down to carpet clean

Stepping into the race

crafting my own boat

sailing upstream

was the spring had wavy

Soon came the long summer

in the land where even native dates palm

roots stood in cool while heads burning

default, crew cut

Unwelcome falls appeared quick

treated seawater and harsh weather

influenced, no choice for a young

on one war of many fronts

 

Time has flown away fast

leaving me in the long summer

uncontrollable lifeless gray

peeping all over

It’s obvious, eyeball rollover

my bald and my NIC

sure no winter, not again

for my wavy hair...

The Journey

 

On verdant leaf, a strange spot's birth

A tiny mark, of life and mirth

It spreads its hue, like morning dew

And turns the green, to yellow anew

The leaf, once full, now withers slow

As if the sap, began to flow

In reverse, a tale of woe

As nature's beauty, starts to go

The tree, above, with sorrow's sigh

Watches its child, begin to die

It weeps, in silence, tears of pain

For life's brief span, and fleeting gain

The wind whispers secrets, as it blows

Of life's transience, and nature's woes

The leaf, now yellow, starts to fall

And with it, memories, of life's call

*an AI assisted poem