The Space Between, Photos by Cotton Coulson and Sisse Brimberg -- National Geographic

The Space Between, Photos by Cotton Coulson and Sisse Brimberg-- National Geographic

Silver Curtains

Breathe in, breathe out, she watched his chest rise and fall.
Motion within his eyelids,dreamscape tainted tall
Darkened desires, red thoughts and fantasies
Her ruby flecked eyes and lips had said it all.

Moonlight streamed through the open windows,
The wind billowing the linen curtain white, infused with silver
Alive, soaring, breathing out, exhaling, twisting sheets quiver
She saw him lost, lost in pain and pleasure shadows.

The boned walls, gaunt and splattered with invisible dreams,
The pulsing carpet stained with bleeding tears, little streams
Fingers clenched, the gasps the moans...and falling to nothing
The skeletal bed, clawed and enmeshed with silent screams.


She spread her black velvet wings and watching his twilight sleep
The silver moon beckoned, whispered of red veined promises to keep.
He would never dream or moan her Rubied name-
Lust for a stranger, twisted ecstasy, Blood of Life was her wicked game.

Can you hear me now?

Can you hear me now?
As I mouth the words, you yearned to hear...
Can you hear me now?
As the glass cut my heart, and you shed no tear.

Can you hear me now?

Long calls, longer talks, words flowed all day long.
Life was a melody, you and me were the song;
The universe was in your arms, my world, You and I—
Till death do us part, only to love till we die

The christened vows, the house we set,
Your friends my friends, loved them all who I met
Satin nights, sunshine days, Time in a golden daze
Life was a bliss, till she turned a hard gaze

It started with a note, a text, a hidden smile,
You disbelieved at first, then doubts flowed awhile.
The time away grew longer, we missed out on talks.
You doubted my every word, but silent, your eyes were hawks.

Then you confronted, accused, screamed, ranted and raved
I tried to pacify, I thought you'd see sense, but you were crazed.
You just wouldn't listen, each word tore me asunder
Outside the clouds were black, torrential rain, and thunder.

I left to get proof- your surprise birthday party was the plan.
Video clips and pics from family and friends, memories in a can.
Why did doubt rear its ugly head? My love was no fake.
You thought I had betrayed and Lust was the Snake.

It could never happen to us, our love was so strong
But, watching your twisted face I knew I was wrong
Wanted to grow old with you, dreamed the dream from so afar
Blinded by my tears and rain, I didn't see the car...

Can you hear me now?
As I said I love you, my body lay crushed, veins ribbon frayed,
Can you hear me now? I know that you don't.
Its been 50 years, but beside you I have stayed.

Stone heart

I spun the dreams in gossamer, I knew they would snap.
I spun the nightmares in steel enmeshed, I knew they would bleed.
His eyes closed, slowly, bated breath mine- rapt.
He was lost to my weave, his subconscious freed.

He flew his memories, sprang on all sides with bewildering speed
Valleys opened, vistas vibgyor, luscious and deep
Inward I drew, heady and drunk with greed
Skimming, gorging, consummation more than need.

Smiling eyes, lithe fingers, caresses and kisses crowned
Faces loom, bodies bound, heat and flame around.
I chased, he ran, drawing closer, lust for blood unbound
I sucked his strength, breath weakened, a hollow stepped sound.

Faltering mid-step, memories and nightmares, screams sound.
Sense of loss, grief, pain, old, old heartache, shattered now,
Tainted dreams, silver edged, he slipped, my web I spun
DreamWitch they call me, loveless, lonely—my eternal Tao.

Where they mate...

Clouds skim over the city-line, skittering folds of grey, tinged red,
As the night lights beam up their vibrancy, their hopes and dreams
Of the glittering rich sighs and the dulled trapped screams...
Corpulence gloats, lost in his folds of a million appetites
As Incubus Greed mates with Succubus Envy, entwined satin sheets.

Clouds skim over the thatched roofs, fleeting folds of white.
The solitary street light cowers from the dark, Moans-
Escape the twisted bodies, thrashed in the collective pain,
Faustian dreams, shattered hopes of forgotten gleams
As Incubus Desperation mates with Succubus Frustration, entwined torn cotton sheets.

Clouds skim over gaping roofs, luminous folds of silver.
Gaping ceilings, broken windows as Moonlight plays hide-and-seek with Shadow.
The lizard motionless, eyes silver as the broken roads
Skulls gleam white, scrubs fight as Wind seeks any living soul
As incubus Desolation rapes the City of Bones of forgotten eons ago...

The All Spark

This is not the story line of the Autobots fight for the All Spark Cube with a cute Shia Le-Bouf and the super hot Megan Fox running between the Hot wheels with an attitude. It pertains more towards the frisson that many of us seek in the other person, in life, in all the things that our hearts aspire for, we dream about, pray for. But if it is not there, you might as well be marrying and living only with your mobile or blackberry which many of us cant live without... Come to think of it, lot of stories get written on the spark connection, or the moment when your heart skips a beat, the pulse races or you get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside your heart.

Relationships starting with the sense of attraction are definitely more passionate initially, but if not sustained, can end up feeling like someone threw cold water on you on a winter morning in bed. The fizzle goes flat like a soft drink left open for a day. Many of us seek this attraction at varying levels with a lot of success and less success, or become members of the Lonely Hearts Club. Sustaining this attraction once found is the toughest part, but there have been people who have met with considerable success and their glow even after 20 years of togetherness is proof.

Always tell each other that you are the most beautiful person in the world- both externally and internally as a person. Once you did think that your partner was beautiful. And if you say that, now there are wrinkles, cellulite, baldness and gray. Beauty doesn't last for ever, is what you can say. It doesn't, but if the love stops because of that, you too have aged. And how fake could you be if you fell in love for only the superficial things and not for the Real person.

Simple gestures of affection, like a hug, a simple kiss, a caress makes a lot of difference to the relationship and cementing the mutual affection.

Make the same effort to dress up for each other for special occasions, or simply once a week, plan something special for your respective partner, the same way you did during courtship. Romance is an emotion which is thus a state of mind. If you tell the mind that it was there, is there, and will always be there .. It will. The mind follows what you tell it to do. Haven't we been able to convince ourselves that the scum bag who broke our hearts was not worth it? And we were able to get over him or her. It works the same way. Tell yourself everyday, believe in it, and so will it be.

Always try and find the things that you like about the person or find beautiful about- it could be the smile, the eyes, the laugh, the very nature, the funny sense of humour. What you fell in love with , is what you should see. Time changes us to a great extent, but our very essence does not fade. It gets suppressed. Keep that essence alive for each other.

Sing and dedicate love songs to each other. A simple note saying 'I love you", makes your day. If you like receiving them, you should also give them, right? No relationship can work if it is one-sided. Do unto others as you would they do unto you..". Makes sense?

Smile, laugh, cry with each other. You lose touch with your emotions and expressing yourself, you lose touch with what makes you , you! Your humanity, your humanness. Nothing separates you from a cyborg/robot in that case, if life boils down to carrying out only your duties and existing, not living. Machines exist, we Humans Live! Don't ever forget it.

Now, comes the second part of relationships and existence- The All Spark which we call life.

It is normal to have people around you who might not be happy, but if you only are surrounded by unhappy people, it is time to do a reality check- do you only attract negative people around you, do you only keep trying to help them out , or do you get any help in return? Does it really matter to them that it is you who helped, or will anyone do. Then, if that is the case are you just not trying to delude yourself with a temporary feel-good factor, or are you genuinely making a difference. Remember, we transmit and absorb energy. So it is up to you to only keep attracting and maintaining negative energy around you all the time, or also make it a point to have positive people and their infectious, restorative energy around you as well. This doesn't mean you stop interacting with people who are sad. Try and make them a little happier, try and make them see the silver lining in the dark clouds of life.

Always remember, life has its ups and downs. But once it hits rock bottom, it cannot go any further down. The only way anywhere is up. And it is up to you to make it so.

It is good to have material desires- the latest Jaguar X6 series, the latest condo in Monte Carlo, the largest yacht, a 22 carat pink diamond, the jimmy choos, the Chanel and Givenchy gowns. But never forget that when it is time for us to leave the world, we will only take up that much of space as the coffins we are enclosed in, the pyres we burn on, or other ways in which our bodies are prepared to move on to the next world. At that moment, if you have only people who are clamouring for your funeral service to get over, so that they can get back to their work, their business, grab your property papers and possessions, your bank balance, or throw away all that you had so lovingly stored over the years, what was it that you really had been living for? Pettiness, quarrels, jealousy, bitterness, spite and all that negativity- no one who will actually feel sad that you are gone, say to themselves that they miss you, shed a genuine tear over you?

Think it over, and really Think... What has been your life's worth to those people to whom you think it mattered the most. If it is only your bank balance, property, jewels and possessions. It wasn't You that mattered. It was the package deal you came with. Sans that what were you, a friend, a lover, a caring benefactor, an aunt, grandpa, parent or child? Think and then evaluate where you stand and where you want to go...

Goats in loins

Some sights make you scratch your head, like a sudden attack of dandruff. No flakes fly (eew!), but the cerebrum does tickle. A singular file of presumably male goats, each approximately 2 feet tall in height were seen walking placidly in the early hours of the morning through a busy market place. They had cloth bags or pouches tied around their reproductive organs... Loincloths?! Protection from dirt, or some other reason cannot be fathomed. Only that, you think this might be one of the reasons why there is something wrong in the air, or gradually an obsession is developing for the sign of Capricorn. Firstly, there is a movie titled 'The Men Who Stare at Goats', and secondly you see the celebrated four-footed actors walking around in loin clothes.. What next? A bra on the cow's udder and bulls wearing boxers..?