Woods..

I thought of redesigning the front end of my blog when I came across this template that has all wooden boards.. My creative-aesthetic sense drew parallel with the Blog title ‘Musings of a DriftWood’ and here I am with the new background graphics.Well the ‘wood’ connection went a bit deeper and I sat recollecting all the poetic renditions which had the wood playing in its backdrop, So here came Robert Frost musing,

’The woods are lovely dark and deep

But I have promises to keep…

And miles to go before I sleep..’

I have heard these lines like innumerable times all through school-college farewells and I have them written in some school days slam-book as well. Then there are Byron’s lines,

’There is pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is a rapture on the lonely shore

There is society, where non intrudes

By the deep sea, and the music in its roar:

I love not man the less, but Nature more’

Not to be left behind, Wordsworth paid the following tribute,

One impulse from a vernal wood

May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,

Than all the sages can..

I’m sure many more minstrel tributes exist for Mr. Woods. But none so charming as the ‘Touch-Wood’ charm. My sister and I had a ritual back in schooldays. On the way to our school there was this ‘Pangar’ tree(botanical name (Aesculus indica)). It had a slight curvy trunk and you could hinge your school bag on it and rest for a while. With light shoulders I always enjoyed gazing up at its lofty branches. For no apparent reason my sister and I named it as the lucky tree and every morning we did our ritualistic ‘touch-wood’ for a lucky day. More so fervently if we had a test or exam scheduled.

I have a little wooden treasure from college-days as well. So here goes another ‘wood-story’. We had this little quadrangle beside the Dean’s office. The authorities did not think kindly of it and the tree was cut. I cannot explain my affinity for it but I picked up a little stalk of the fallen tree and pocketed it. Later I discovered another ‘tree-loving’ friend of mine carrying another little stalk. Well this ‘tree-lover’ friend of mine even had a crush pet-named ‘tree’.. we often stalked 'the tree', despite his knowledge!

At times I feel like an old lady with lots of stories and perhaps with just a wooden walking stick missing..Before i put in more ideas into your head.. its adieu now