To see a world in a grain of sand...

I went for a walk today. And I went over those lines again. A grain of sand and a wildflower. Somehow it appealed to me in an unfathomable way. I come back. And sit on the stairs outside my doorstep. And I look up at the sky. It is a quiet evening. A few rain drops just kiss the summer soil. There is a mild feeling to the air. And it is good. I can see the whole place full of flowers. Like a newly married bride. Decked up to please and charm. It brings a smile on my face. A faint breeze begins to blow. I still wonder. I pick up a pebble and throw it at a shrub close by. I pick another. And I am about to throw it as well. I stop. And look at it. Look at it closely. It has a few lines on it. I pick up another one. It has those lines too. I try to come up with some meaning for those lines. And I am not able to. I throw that pebble as well. It just bounces off the grass. And disappears into the vast green before me. Then I look at my palm. And there are lines too. I am still. I get down the stairs and look at other pebbles there. I go to a violet colored flower and examine closely. It has some lines too. And then I again look at my palm. I get inside. Lie down on my bed. And I close my eyes...

Havent written anything in a week or so. Why? Because these few lines of William Blake have stirred me. And I was not able to decide on them. In a grain of sand. In a wild flower. The vastness of the world and the heavens. All that is there to it. Can it be done? And how? Realization. Perhaps the only word that captures the essence of these lines. And yet, leaves out as much for the spirit to remain in awe and wonder...The oneness of all. The emptiness of the world. And its abundance at the same time. May be we should see beyond the obvious. In a busy life. We have no time to look around. Something that is always before our eyes. But we never appreciate every aspect of it...

And I open my eyes. And some of it makes sense now. All the lines mean something. Some lines mean the same. Some lines dont. The stones. The flower. And my palm. The lines intersect at some points. And move in parallel at others. They are thin at some nooks. And have tributaries at other edges. Each line alones make sense. And all lines together do even more. I have the pebble and the flower by my side. And every other second, my gaze is drawn towards them. More towards those lines on them. These lines have some strange quality that now draws me towards them. I put both my hands together as if reading a book. And the lines on both palms connect. Seamlessly. And there lies the answer to my week long dilemma...

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
(From "Auguries of Innocence" By Blake)

Everything is connected. But, I see everything only in parts. Every part is brilliant on its own. But their presence together is even more so. The world too is connected through me. My ideals. My thoughts. My conscience. My faith. My karma. And each dictates if I am able to see everything. And if my soul can feel everything. In my palm. In those lines. I see some meaning now. That same meaning I see in the pebbles. And the flowers. The world is infinite. The heavens too. But so are the lines on the pebbles..the flowers and my palm. All I need to do is open my hands..and look beyond the lines. I am my world. And it is what I make of it....