A Day At The Opera!
Have you ever taken a train ride alone that lasted a full day? Have you ever experienced the opera that performs daily?
I love India, and I love nothing more than it's countryside! In my view, there is no better way to experience it than by undertaking a long distance train journey. Flights miss out on the point completely while road trips require too much attention to the road and very little freedom of thought. Not to mention, the inevitable change (for better or worse) that the touch of a road brings to the countryside.
So it was fantastic standing at the train door, wind blowing my hair back, as scene after scene of beauty passed me by. Palm plantations that stood against a lazy morning sky, as if painted on a gray canvas. The leaves changing from a yellowish brown to a deep shade of green as my eyes moved up, blushing like a new bride under an admiring eye. Next, a farmer burning the undergrowth in his coconut grove had set up a sight so spectacular, like watching poetry in slow motion from a fast train. The smoke curling up slowly, held from it's escape by the foliage, forming snaky wisps brilliantly lit by the morning sun. Providing an idyllic background on which the dreamy smoke extended it's arms welcoming you in an embrace. An embrace that would hide you from all the worries that went to bed with you last night.
The sun worked overtime as the conductor of an orchestra through the day. An orchestra played by undulating green fields, by banana trees standing in rows, by hilltops dressed in shades of brown and green, by little shanties standing proud, and by big cities whose sudden discordant notes jarred you back to reality. Jarring notes without which the composition would be incomplete though. Oh, what fun it is when lunch is followed by a shimmering lake caressed by a strong wind! It's touch leaving the lake visibly aroused, with passion. Yet, in her arousal she welcomed the little birds like her own children. Birds that landed and took off leaving behind a trail of ripples, which were subtly highlighted by the brilliance of the conductor in the sky.
All this on the backdrop of a sky that changed all day long, so subtly that you never noticed it until the encore. When suddenly the rage of red and the fire of orange blossomed and the sun decided to be more than just the conductor and took over the playing of the final piece. Filling out the stage with his fiery presence, dominating the colors of the new bride, of the passionate lake and it's homecoming children, taking the pride as well as the embarrassment of the city and filling it with a color that dominated your senses. Senses that could taste the fire within, hear the heartbeat of passion, smell a forbidden yearning, and reach out to touch a bit of paradise.
As you reached out your hand in love you saw the sky blush to a rosy pink and as you pulled your hand back there was the violet of jealousy and eventually the darkness. The black curtain indicating the end of the best opera you could have asked for. Just as you began to smile at the thought of your heart feeling like a churning pot of emotions you realized that it was not over yet. Because the sky had handed over it's brilliant blazing gold coin in exchange for a purse of silver ornaments so she may win your heart all over again.