Mountains

If you ever feel despair, head to the mountains. They have magical healing powers. You will always find solace in their green laps. There is nothing more calming than the hypnotic whistling of a gentle breeze floating through the mystifying labyrinth of tall trees. The singing of birds infused with the silence of solitude is a live concert in nature's mesmerizing amphitheater. 

A wet kiss by the suspended clouds makes you blush with pink cheeks, and a peck of warm sun rays peeking through the canopy of tall trees warms your existence. As you start hiking on a narrow trail, a mischievous squirrel runs down from a tree and starts skipping in front of you as your Pathfinder. It seems that the tall trees, which surround you, are the enormous incense sticks that nature has planted to disperse its unalloyed aroma. 

Every turn on your meandering trek surprises you with breathtaking vistas. It could be a thunderous waterfall creating its path through gigantic rocks or a placid Alps Lake surrounded by magnificent mountains. As you draw near a waterfall, a cool misty shower washes your worries away. How can one ignore the invitation of a flirtatious mountain river that vaults through the rocks? You sit on a rock with your feet swinging in the rapids and admiring nature's astonishing presents to humankind.   

There is nothing more beautiful than a turquoise lake in the lap of snow-covered mountain peaks. You pull your trousers up to your knees and touch the water to weigh if the water is warm enough to take a dip. Your inner child searches for a perfectly flat rock and makes it fly over the tranquil lake waters creating gorgeous concentric ripples.  

The mountains are magical. Go and feel one… 

व्यतिथ, व्याकुल हो विचलित जब मन मेरा, 

करे जाग्रत नव चेतना एक आलिंगन तेरा। 

विस्मित मैं कि किस प्रस्तर के हो तुम बने,  

चकित कि मानव संग इसी धरा पर हो तुम खड़े। 

****

- अतुल श्रीवास्तव

[Photo: Yosemite National Park, California]