Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Lesson From the Seamstress

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My faith did not teach me to hate
My faith did not teach me to doubt
But I did both
Clouding my mind 
With unjust prejudices
Shrouding my heart
With unnecessary misgivings
When she smiled at me
I shied away, veiling myself
In curtains of aloofness...

But oft did I see from my window
Her bent head
Busy in stitching
She weaved clothes
While I spun suspicion....
You get what you give
I had heard that I know not how many times
But what I gave, she gave me not
And what she gave I refused to return
Her friendly gaze met my fake smile
Her amicable waves went unnoticed
Yet she persisted....
Yet I resisted....
Time passing by
I bloomed in health
Ready for things to come
Ready for a life
While her window was now ornate
With her beautiful creations
Which I admired
But acknowledged not
She was a seamstress 
Weaving magic on fabric
And what was I?
Oh ruthless me
What was I doing all that time
Disregarding and dubious
Locked up in twisted thoughts.....
It would have gone on like that
Had she not broken the ice
With a token of love
With a little gift of friendship....

That day when my window
Declared to the world
The arrival of my new-born
With a pink balloon
She came with a pink dress
Stitched for her unborn daughter
Who could not be born anymore
A dress she had stitched with much love
Her first ever dress 
For her only daughter now no more...
She gave it to me since my daughter was born
On the same day as hers was expected to come
A year ago...
It seemed like a sign
Her faith told her so....
What she gave was not just a gift
It was a re-birth for me
My mind released from restraining animosity
Freed
Unchained at last
I asked her why
Why... when I did what I did to her
(Yes, I could hold it no more
I confessed it all)
She said she was used to it
Many times in many places
Questioning glances, suspecting stares
Talks behind her back
All because she came from a different faith....
But she knew she could change it
Little by little
One by one
With love, with smiles
Her father had taught her so
We were all prejudiced puppets
Living in slumber
Dancing drowsy dances
Worshiping hollow faiths
With more than hollow hearts
She wanted to shake that torpor
With gentle vibrations of love
She wanted to rouse, to enliven
Those numb and frozen feelings
With ripples of affection....
I stood silenced
But at peace with myself
Liberated at last
Breathing fresh air
After ages it seemed
With an open and receptive heart....
She had learnt her lessons well
I learnt mine too that day
From the seamstress next door....
Unfettered and unburdened...
Hate weighs heavy on the mind and spirit
Faith, true faith, relies on love
It teaches not antipathy
It teaches not contempt
It endorses embrace
Towards one and all
It judges not 
By how one looks
It disapproves not 
Those who come from a place
Different from yours
True faith is the faith of love and respect
It binds, not divides
It integrates differentiation
It isolates not
The lesson from the seamstress
I will never forget.....




16 comments:

  1. What a lovely way to begin the day - a message of hope and renewal of faith in humanity. Thank you for sharing such beautiful thoughts penned in such a lyrical way.

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  2. This is beautiful and refreshing for the soul. Bravo!

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  3. That seamstress seems to be very positive and wonderful person. I know how people get judged easily because of their religion or faith.

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  4. Amazing poem, love and compassion resonates in every line. Simply beautiful!

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  5. Such a beautiful story and so wonderfully crafted in poetry!

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  6. Beautiful thoughts inspired by this unusual muse. Positive thoughts that restore one's faith and trust in human values.

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  7. Such a warm poem of affirmation. That's what we need today.

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  8. hey Sunaina, beautiful thoughts. so positive.
    Regards
    Tina

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  9. That's a thoughtful and a beautiful expression. And a great lesson to imbibe too!!

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  10. That's a thoughtful and a beautiful expression. And a great lesson to imbibe too!!

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  11. That's a thoughtful and a beautiful expression. And a great lesson to imbibe too!!

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  12. Such a beautiful one Sunaina! :) finding a lovely soul once in a while is refreshing to ours!

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  13. Amazing story written in the form of a poem. I enjoyed reading that Sunaina.

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  14. This is such a beautiful story... the message is both powerful and inspiring

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  15. Beautifully woven. A story well told. Very well expressed.:)

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