The 7x7x7x7 Writing Prompt :
Grab the 7th book from your bookshelf. Open it up to page 7. Pinpoint the 7th sentence on the page. Begin a poem that begins with that sentence and limit it in length to 7 lines.
Grab the 7th book from your bookshelf. Open it up to page 7. Pinpoint the 7th sentence on the page. Begin a poem that begins with that sentence and limit it in length to 7 lines.
So my dear friend, Corinne, put up this blog challenge as an FB status and soon all hell broke loose. Women in all shapes and sizes began hitting their keyboards with various suggestions of how this could become a big thing in our group. Dissections led to excuses, delays, requests, groans, moans and wishful thinking. Trust us to wander all over the world, before we settle down to doing what was asked in the first place.
Bhavana, true to her blog name, quietly tilled her vast vocabulary to fertilize it with her seven lines. Simple but powerful lines that spoke silently with every word. I just had to go look for my seventh book! I had been too lazy this month and neglected my blog for far too long…….
Midnight’s Children has long been on my to-read list. Any wonder then, it was the seventh book, lying there, gathering dust? The sale tag had still not been removed. (Yes, I can ignore you if I am not in the mood.) The book begins with a page marked with a Roman IX . So, I did what Corinne had done herself. I counted to page seven and took it from there. Ok, Salman Rushdie writes very long sentences. I had to count thrice!!!
I finally picked what struck me in the seventh sentence ‘A wedding’, a paragraph…….
A wedding, a paragraph
In the chapter of life
Marriage is the book
Where memories celebrate
Your path, your destiny
Together, alone, until
the sunset fades forever
I am just back from a fantastic beach wedding. I was reminded of mine. I remembered my parents’. It would have been 39 years this Jan. My father-in-law just celebrated his 50th, even though, my mum-in-law passed away 17 years ago.
Why do we celebrate a marriage? And, I say marriage, not wedding. Because a wedding is for a day, a marriage is day in and day out. Of course, it takes guts and gumption not to kill each other over the years. But, it also takes a whole lot of courage to start again when you think it’s all over. And we do that, not because it would mean an investment in training another person to understand us. It is because, somewhere, deep down, we want the person to know and love us inspite of being ‘us’.
The best explanation of marriage I’ve ever had is this fabulous piece of dialogue from the movie “Shall we dance?” Yes, we do need a witness to our lives. Because, tomorrow does eventually come.
Comments
Loved, loved it, Vini. Lots of January marriages in your family, I see. Ours too – my parents, my brother and me. 🙂
January I guess is the logical choice after December in this part of town. 🙂 Thanks for the prompt. It made me post…finally!
Fab, fab post, Blogwati G. Vini, you rock, almost always 😉
Joy always,
Susan
Thanks Susan. You just adore me, don’t you? 🙂
Wow!!! Your post is so profound and shattering my silences. My fav line is “It is because, somewhere, deep down, we want the person to know and love us inspite of being ‘us’.” You said it…
Am an emotional baby…hugging you now again!
You better plan that meet up quick. I have too many hugs pending now…….:)
Together alone until the sunset fads for ever !
Beautiful Beautiful poetry and a beautiful post !
Thanks Ruchira…….I loved penning it too!
Love this…as always fab.
You are just tooooooooo generous 🙂
My parents celebrated 57 years together – they would’ve celebrated their 60th yesterday if my dad was still alive. My brother celebrated his yesterday as well. Sadly mine ended after 27 years. I believe that we had completed the karma that brought us and kept us together. So what is the definition of “for life”?
Suzy, ‘for life’, according to me, are the living years you spend together. Could be 1, could be 10! ‘For life’ also means while you are alive with the passion that keeps you going. Sometimes, it does wear out and then life takes another turn…always for the better. Believe it! Hugs!
Wedding for a day..Marriage for life! Wow…good to see u back after a brief hiatus 🙂
Feels good to be back too, Prateek……..too far, too long it has been indeed!
Lovely poem. Marriage is truly the most unique social experiment of them all, one that annoys and excites, and then instructs and heals.
Thanks Subho. Yes, marriage can make an author of the ordinary 😀
Vinita,
This clip you shared, it has stayed with me for the past seven years. I never forget it. Just last week I was quoting it to a friend who was going through a nasty breakup. Somehow, your sharing it has made my heart full. It is so ‘connecting’ to find someone else too loves something you love- and for the same reason.
I don’t now why, but I feel like thanking you for giving me this feeling of resonance. Somehow my response to this challenge seems to have come true.
xoxo
Dagny
Awwwwwwww Dagny…..hugs! You know the wedding I went to…they read this there…..the whole dialogue…..and I was misty eyed. You know it…but it still tugs at the heart. I am glad I could pay it forward……..
Marriage is something else. It really is a rollercoaster of experiences and emotions, day in and day out. Lot of work, angst, loads of joy. Well said!
Thanks Rachna. Every relationship requires all of those and has them too. Marriage, however, is the only one that gives you a rightful ownership of the property 😛
Fantastic BG !!I remember these lines from ‘The Notebook’ by Nicholas Sparks,
“So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s going to be really hard; we’re gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me… everyday.”
Another one of my fav is from ‘Runaway Bride’…”Look, I guarantee that we’ll have tough times. And I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us will want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don’t ask you to be mine I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Because I know in my heart, you’re the only one for me.”
Very touching post. Most of the teenagers and young people I know swear that they will never marry, for reasons only logical to them. But I know they will miss it if they dont..cos one day after the party of youth dies down, you want to just sit down, you need company. Someone who is just yours. For a lifetime.
Thanks Anita. Whether you decide to marry or not is personal…..but if you do……go the mile 🙂
Beautiful one Vinita! Earlier people used to call it the 7 year itch, now I say it’s more like the 2 year itch! With tolerance running amok and patience running low, learning to live your relationships has become more and more important! Happy Anniversary again! And here’s to a lot more of those beautiful memories! Cheers!
Deepa
The 7x7x7x7 Writing Prompt
Thanks so much Deepa. And yes, every word you say is true for present times.
Hi BG,
Wow, this looks like an interesting concept. A good way to never let writer’s block come in one’s way of blogging. Great going.
Maybe I should start a spin-off to this one and try it out on my blog as well.
Beach wedding sounds quite interesting. Loved this post. 🙂
Regards
Jay
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Sure you must. The possibilities are endless. Yup, that is the pic of the beach wedding. It was fab 🙂
Not merely until death do us part but till the world ends! Lovely lines.
Thanks Suresh. Well, when one spouse dies….the world does end in a way….
Very beautifully expressed… loved wedding is for a day, a marriage is everyday… as somebody said, grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.
True Shilpa. And no matter what, it is the sunset when you really feel the need of a companion.
Love it love it love it!! Totally 🙂
thanks Bhavya 🙂