Friday, February 08, 2008

Reality.

I was seated in the front seat of my Honda Civic, after a long time. I forgot how the road feels in the front seat. It does feel different form being behind the wheel, being in the front seat and not behind the wheel that is. Okay, so in any case, I had a better view at the world that was hidden under the veil of motherhood the last couple of years. Roads looked more vibrant under the bright traffic signals. The light of neon signs cut thru the dark night like a prism from a high quality diamond. I looked around and let the beauty of the night sink into my mind while my kid brother drove me to pick up pizza from a nearby joint.
He stepped out to get the grub and I was all by myself in the front passinger seat looking around and doing what I do the best - doing nothing! The car parked beside mine was vibrating with the music set to the highest notch on the volume control. A teenage boy was waiting just like me. I got a glance of him and looked around to see what else I could see. Then the door beside the Pizza business caught my eye. "Grimmon's" it read, In illuminated grey letters potruding from the front wall of the premisis. Underneath was something written in paint. Astigmatism made me squint my eyes as they were not framed with the seeing aid. "funeral services" I read and my stomach flipped. It was a weird feeling that I could not place. It was not a pleasant one though. I looked at the front door frightfully curious. It looked as lifeless as what it deals in. I squinted my eyes further to see what it said. A nine digit phone number with tiny lettering above it that said "crimation and burial services and Casket showroom"
"Casket Showroom" The word leaped on to me. I had an urge to go take a closer look, to peep in and see what a showroom that showcases caskets might look like. I did not dare. Was it not crazy to think such thoughts? Thoughts of wanting to see into a showroom as grave as this one right before me?
I looked back at the door of the pizza place. I could see a beeline to the counter, my brother somewhere in the middle of the line. I saw people walking out with boxes of pizza and bottles of soda. None of them looked at "Grimmons" like I was looking at the place. Intrigued, scared, numbed! A place that co-existed with a food joint, a dry cleaner's shop and a large grocery chain and none of the passers by seemed to have noticed it. It was there, like this reality that exists right before us but we ignore, or perhaps decieve ourselves into ignoring it.

The only reality that chases us all. The only reality that we run away from but can never escape. The reality that mortals ignore and go in a mad hunt of things that can never be immortal.

Me and my philosophy, reflecting over a business sign that stuck me hard and deep! so here goes.

Lifting the shroud of ignorance,
It beams
The ultimate truth
The reality of life
And beyond.
But makes us
Close our eyes
In its blinding light.
And all our brethren
Perish in
A powerful deception.
A beautiful Illusion
Endless.
Endless.


So here's to I, me myself for having the nerve to write this! LOL.
Cheers to Life!

2 comments:

  1. This is one thing I like about this country. Graveyards are part of a neighborhood. What you refer to as people ignoring reality - I would like to refer to as people having accepted this as the reality and ultimate truth.

    What is true cannot be avoided by not making it part of the daily life. And then, why fear the truth? I believe that we need to make the best of the time at hand. For we never know what's coming next. Rather than live in the fear of the next moment being the last moment, we'd rather be as happy as we can now. Then, I will not feel bad about spending that moment in the queue outside the pizza shop next to the casket shop.

    It is a very different discussion on why someone would like the casket to look a particular way that suits his or her current taste. Does it matter at all as to what taste or status of the person the casket reflects, when in the end it will lie buried in the ground out of vision? But ironically, it is that taste that is feeding the current livelihood of the businessman or the casket maker, so it is not so bad after all!

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  2. Hmmm. A point I'd totally missed. I think I was looking at it at that time of the day when it looked ignored. Your point of view makes perfect sense. The place being in a premisis where food is sold drives home a point that this country embraces death like a part of life. See.. I missed that side of the story altogether. Thanks for broadening my perspective:-)

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