and then they sang...
In the quiet time of evening
When the stars assume their patterns
And the day has made his journey
And we wondered just what happened
To the life we knew before the world changed
When not a thing I held was true
But you were kind to me and you reminded me
there are some people who define us. who stand beside us and suddenly we feel complete. changed. transformed. metamorphosized into something better. something good. something that is necessary for existence. some of us serve as reminders to the world that things are not as bad as they seem. that the great tragedies of life actually come with a blessing. some of us don't see that. because we are too captivated by the great picture. the scene of horror. that we do not see the silver lining. it's kind of like those optical illusions. do you see the young girl. do you see the old maid. or do you see patterns and ignore the rest of the light and shadows.
That the world is not my playground
There are other things that matter
And when a simple needs protecting
My illusions all would shatter
But you stayed in my corner
The only world I know was upside down
And now the world and me, I know you carry me
i imagine that when you walked into the world, there was light. it was a soft light. nothing jarring. neither glaring. nor blinding. just a soft glow. it was white. the mother colour of all colours. it was gentle and spoke of the comfort of lovers' arms. it didn't pulsate. nor did it waver. it was still. stillness, that's what it was. a quiet moment when there was nothing but that white light. and then there was warmth. no, not heat. nothing as crass as that. but it dispelled the cold, frigid air. and it brought life. the sweet, sweet breath of life that we breathed in. into our lungs we took. deep, deep breaths. letting it fill us. warm us. calm us it was a sign of welcome. into the light. and we stood beneath it. and were glad. and had hope. but mostly we were glad.
You see the patterns in the big sky
Those constellations look like you and I
Just like the patterns in the big sky
We could be lost we could refuse to try
But we made it through in the dark night
Would those lucky guys turn out to be
But that unusual blend of my funny friend and me
the thing is, when i'm with you i think of so many beautiful things. like spring time. blooming flowers. soft showers on the mornings we could sleep in. cool, cool breezes. the kind that blows your hat off and then lets it roll away as you laugh and laugh and laugh. and when the sunsets. breathtaking. like the night sky. constellations sparkling for all eternity. spiralling on the eternal universe. but wait, let's not gaze too far. you, you remind me of such earthly things as well. like food. lord, we could eat forever. or cringing at off pitch music. and yet maintaining smiles so wide noone would suspect anything. and songs. they come. they go. and bless generations of people who would reach for them as their last sanctuary. for with these words we find ourselves braver. we are unafraid. we are undaunted. there's no place for us fairy folk, they say. but we found our refuge. and we were glad. sure there was fear, but from the victories we cheered. and mostly we were glad.
I'm not as clever as I thought I was
I'm not the boy I used to be because
You showed me something different, you showed me something pure
I always seemed so certain but I was really never sure
But you stayed and you called my name
When others would have walked out on a lousy game
And you could've made it through
But your funny friend and me
why do we do this to ourselves? we look at the world around us and marvel and lyricise with such exquisite precision. but when we look at the mirror and suddenly we are blind. we stare and stare and stare. and only the inadequacies catch our attention. we poke and prod. we criticise and curse. we weep and wonder. the mind is a terrible, terrible thing, for it can magnify the flaws to such giant shadows that we are overwhelmed under its tides. such fools we feel we are. driving ourselves mad with indignity because we are unable to fathom how perfection could lie in us. that's right. lie. in us. we are the judge and the jury. and we are the accused. our defense is dead, and we feel resigned to the fact we will never rise again. but then you came along. and your embraced us in your place. and we could go on. glad that we stopped for a moment. just... glad.
You see the patterns in the big sky
Those constellations look like you and I
Just like the patterns in the big sky
We could be lost we could refuse to try
But we made it through in the dark night
Would those lucky guys turn out to be
But that unusual blend of my funny friend and me
there are words that we have to speak. they say love is a many splendoured thing. but i don't believe that. love, to me, is about the struggle, the fight, the battle. it's about the words of encouragement. the pats on the back. the reassurances that, yes, we are not fighting alone. that we do not hold spear to spear because we are defined by it. no we are defined by each other. the weapons of war are merely our bridges. they are built over such troubled waters. and we churn on. biting our lips till the taste of iron wakes us up. and we again fail the revelry. that's where we stand. but you, you stood over us. and shaded us. and cupped our faces in your hands and said the calm words. in calm tones. and the hurts and pains. they last naught. and once again we are glad. our faces turned towards the sun. and we march. our hearts singing, they sing glad songs. glad. glad songs.
You see the patterns in the big sky
Those constellations look like you and I
That tiny planet in a bigger guy
I don't know whether I should laugh or cry
Just like the patterns in the big sky
We'll be together till the end is nigh
Don't know the answer or the reason why
We'll stick together till the day we die
i have no qualms telling you how amazing you are. each time you sing. each time you love. each time you smile. the words come in floods. but that's the thing, isn't it. some people find it hard to write because there isn't enough to say. but you know what's harder? when there's so much to say. when words fail us not because they don't exist, but because it's trying to describe the universe in three words. they asked me, tell me three words that describe you best. and i fail that. you can only use "perfect" so many times before it becomes meaningless, dry and bland. and that's what happened when you asked me to describe you. it fails me. but still you smile. and so i stand again. and my heart turns glad.
If I had to do this all a second time
I won't complain or make a fuss
When the angels sing that that unlikely blend
Are those two funny friends
That's us
- My Funny Friend and Me, Sting
there are people who define us. and you are my silent author. my divine muse. you are the pale finger that guides. writing the prose that illuminates my night. it's the darkness, not the light that we fear. because it is an unknown place. it scares me to think that i could lose myself in it. but then the song starts. and the melody winds around me and brings me to a better place. and my cursor moves on. definite. knowing. inspired.
i can't paint. and i can't sing. i can't design. and i can't photgraph. but i can write. and someday i will find the words. the right words. to hopefully define you. and it would be a perfect moment. and everything would come to a stand still. because nothing else would matter anymore.
and that, to me, would make me glad.
DuaGu
"When they said the word, all I said was thank you..."