Engineman 3rd Class Jay “Chef” Hicks (Frederic Forrest): How come all you guys sit on your helmets?
Soldier: So we don’t get our balls blown off.[Chef laughs a little, seems to think for a second, and then sits on his helmet.]
(Dialogue from the 1979 American epic war film, Apocalypse Now)
Let’s watch a short war movie montage first, a compilation by Plot Point Productions (Quote by Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine in “The Lion in Winter”):(Please pause the background music to stop interference while playing the video. You can do so from the “♪ Roll your Soul ♫” section on the right. Sincerest apologies for the inconvenience caused.)
War & Peace: a theme on which zillions of pages have been wasted and countless martyrs canonized. Yet, there’s nothing that war has ever achieved that we could not better achieve without it. The world may be quieter and warmer at your cozy home tonight, but is not in another hemisphere or clime.War is not just about explosives, or borders, or agendas, or treaties. All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal. There are words hidden within worlds and worlds legible without words. Four such inherent implications, presented in the form of haikus and short films:
ALARMA wild thunderclap;
Her veiled silhouette escapes
Into meek silence.
[“Shock and Awe”. Written & Directed by Chase Palmer. “The simplicity of the story trumped the need for an actual translation of what they were saying. At times subtitles can be distracting, particularly when the dialogue is simple and the film so short.” – Miky Wolf (Sound Editor), on being asked why English subtitling wasn’t done.]
≈
DESTINYFortune beckons you
Yet you refuse to pick up;
Your inbox is full.
[“8”. Written & Directed by Acim Vasic. Best Short Film Award at the 8th edition of “Monfilmfest Giochi di Cinema de Casalborgone”. IMDB link here.]
≈
TRAUMAFlashes of combat
And moments with beloved;
Now bound forever.
[“Somewhere Else”. Written by Gregory J. Wilson; Directed by Brendan Bellomo; Produced by Brian Thomas Wilson. Shot in 2 days with the Phantom Flex camera, this was the first film shot with the camera while still in its prototype stage.]
≈
DEMISEThe soldier sits still
Waiting for the enemy;
A dove flies over.
[“Articles Of War”. Written, Directed & Edited by Daniel Kanemoto. Read about how the movie was made here. IMDB link here.]
≈
To conclude: War is neither a solution nor dissolution; it’s an unending succession. Peace is neither a definition nor an institution; it’s the real constitution. Om Shanti!Click to listen to the 1969 number “Give Peace a Chance”, written by John Lennon.
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Copyright © 2012-2013 Tanumoy Biswas and The Nomadic Soliloquist. All Rights Reserved.
The Nomadic Soliloquist 
fabulous haikus tanumoy! brilliant pieces!
Thank you so much! I had no hope (not adept at writing haiku) when I scribbled them. You really brought some seeds of light. 🙂
They are really good! I read a lot of haikus because I love writing and reading them. I believe good haikus come from heart, not brain.
Truly said. And your words inspire me to get better. Thank you! 🙂
Great post! This bit is particularly brilliant:
DESTINY
Fortune beckons you
Yet you refuse to pick up;
Your inbox is full.
My inbox is full…
It brings to mind the piles of mail I have yet to open. Things sitting in my inbox. Clothes folded but not put away. Clutter, everywhere clutter. There’s no room for growth and spaciousness in a world of clutter and to-do-lists. How can I sit and meditate next to a pile of laundry on a carpet that needs to be cleaned? How can I make room for the joy of knowing my true self when I have to pay bills and make phone calls?
That is where this comes in:
DEMISE
The soldier sits still
Waiting for the enemy;
A dove flies over.
I must allow things to crumble. I must not interfere. If I look up I will see the dove, I will know that what comes next will be better, death is part of life. The wheel will keep spinning. Clinging, grasping, controlling…these are not the ways of the wise. Allow the demise of the Ego and have faith In God. Know that your angels will guide you. Follow the dove. Walk away.
Love love love the insights you give me. ❤
And every time you visit my corner, you bring so much of light for the soul. Wow! Every word you wrote seemed to vibrate the inner chords of my being. Such powerful thoughts you emit!
The cloth-imagery was so beautiful! I just kept reading it over and over again. And then, “Follow the dove. Walk away.” — that stirred deep. Thank you for such lovely insights! You are a blessing on earth, truly. 🙂
Just beautiful! I agree. All beautiful. All true. Words are powerful. Poignant. At least they can be… Yours are.
You bring such a joyous feel with your words, Jessica! Thank you! 🙂
A lot of impact here. 🙂
Is that so, Cao? 😛
*boom* *boom*
Yes! Always. *boom da boom*
😀
I was just blog-hopping, and the name (being Indian, I am too) captured my attention. Loved your post. Particularly the demise haiku.
Ah, Shukriya! 🙂
Such a happy feel to find another fellow Indian here… glad to connect with you, and thankful that my humble corner caught your eyes! 😛
Good day,
Tanumoy
Great 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
“A wild thunderclap;
Her veiled silhouette escapes
Into meek silence.”
Huzoor, how do you come up with such marvels? I truly enjoyed this post. The way it is presented and how you have worked your way around it, is simply amazing. The videos, Haiku, and the theme to which you have subtly dedicated this to, is as brilliant as can be. I have only watched “Shock and Awe” yet and from it I could tell the rest must be as good as it. Shall sit down to watch the rest another time. Meanwhile I shall try and figure out how you do what you do.
O’ Nomadic one, such a joy it is to witness the myriads of your “ink’s” hues and tints.
Keep penning and keep surprising us like you always do.
*smiles… and more smiles*
Aha! Another tweaking was this one with the realm of verse and reality, probably like millions have done before… yet a topic which pings me every time I read the newspaper or watch the news channels.
You must… you must watch the other ones, for each one of them has a story to tell, a story of its own. 🙂
Surprises, there shall be more, Sahiba… as of now, your presence and your fragrance keeps the ‘ink’ in this piece alive.
*bow*
Few days back I finished watching Band of Brothers and The Pacific…
War is ugly. The destruction, the mayhem war brings is not just physical, but it also scars the heart and the mind of people…
Loved your haikus… they were to the point. 🙂
Lennon also wrote “Imagine” in this context.
One of my fav…
Two very powerful series, both of them.
Thank you so much… tried to portray 4 aspects. Glad you liked them. And yes, Lennon’s “Imagine” is deep, though few words are controversial… but nonetheless, one of my favs as well! 🙂
love your work and the saying “words within world and the world within words”
Great pieces. Well done, Tanumoy. Blessings and love to you ♥