Knock, knock in Playa del Carmen

Very recently, we visited the Mayan Riviera. Travelling with us were my friend Anjan, his wife Bitasta and their 3-year old daughter Adrika. She calls me jyaja which is derived from jyethu, meaning uncle in Bengali. This poem is about our interactions in the morning before we would head out of our hotel rooms. Here it goes.

The morning after the ruin visit -
Knock. Knock.
Who's there?
"Mayan ghost," replies a tiny voice,
"We are all Mayan ghosts
except jyaja - he's a doggy!"

We go up and down hwy 307
looking for Xcacel.
Green sea turtle, green sea turtle -
Where can we find you?
The very next morning -
Knock. Knock.
Who's there?
Sea turtle.
Our Mayan ghost is now a sea turtle!

Next stop. Xcaret.
We sample the Mayan theme.
The next morning. Knock. Knock.
Who's there?
Spider monkey.
The turtle turns into a monkey.

Every morning the same routine -
Knock. Knock.
Who's there?
Mayan ghost to sea turtle
Sea turtle to spider monkey.
Innocence and imagination
of a little girl -
Part of my Mayan Riviera experience.

Footnote: the ruin referenced here is Chichen-itza. Xcacel (pronounced Ish-ka-cell) is a Sea Turtle Conservatory. Xcaret (pronounced Shcaret) is an ecological theme park.

© 2008 Sanjoy Haldar

Intersection and Interval

Last evening, I attended the Levitt Shell Concert listening to Bill Evans, Grammy winning saxophonist. It was an incredible experience to listen to a Miles Davis alum in his Soulgrass concert. The name of the concert was befitting as his music interlaced with traditional bluegrass style is really soul searching. His bandmates were also fascinating performers creating an evening of liberating music from multiple genres - jazz, bluegrass and funk. He even did an improvization where his saxophone leads were matched by the violinist. Almost like what one will find in any India classical performance called Jugol Bandi where the lead instrumentalist and his/her accompanist go into an impromptu co-creation.

While physically there, my mind was travelling and I was reflecting upon my life. Intervals and intersections are my favorite time and place respectively because they represent enormous possibility. While there, I jotted the following lines on my Blackberry that I titled "Intersection and interval." Here it goes. . .

At a crossroad -
do you follow your head
or listen to your heart?
Down on the ground -
do you wait for a helping hand
or bounce back on your own?
Your destiny -
do you leave it to chances
or are you making a choice?
Are events in history shaping you
or are you going to shape history?

Where are you heading? Where? Where?
Is your life a destination or a journey?

When dreams are shattered
don't rescind -
dream even bigger,
reach out for the stars!
If promises are broken -
don't withdraw into your shell;
forgive and forget,
love even more with renewed vigor.

At a crossroad -
don't just obey your mind
follow your soul!

************************
© 2008 Sanjoy Haldar