Skip to main content

An Escalator

Life is like an escalator 
You climb on, and it moves 
You can't pause it, you can't hinder
But the movement of your legs
Shall become a catalyst 
And when it's the end of the ride,
It doesn't wait; you either climb off promptly,
Or get your slippers stuck at the end of 
The belt.
Nothing can be decided by you,
There's no slow motion here.
Only your balance 
Can keep you on the escalator of life.
You can either skip steps, go through them
Or let time transport you to the right places
At the right pace
But whichever decision you make cannot be
Reversed,
Because climbing up a descending escalator 
Or descending an ascending escalator 
Is a hopeless waste of time, in my opinion.
There is no purpose fearing the end;
No purpose going back to avoid climbing off
The step depends on the way you see the edge;
As a beastly, man-eating monster,
Or a machine, that helps you out.

There are many things you can understand 
From the working of an escalator,
Whether it's about the movement of life, 
Passage of time 
Or about perspective - 
Depends on how you look at it.
It depends on
Perspective - 
Ambivalent, versatile, everpresent 
Perspective.

Comments

  1. ShyamalaMarch 24, 2025 at 11:03 PM

    Kunjuuu!!!!! Excellent da kanna!!! Only you can conjure up such a beautiful poem from something as mundane as an escalator!!! I love your thoughts that you’ve present led as an analogy between life and escalator. As you rightly said, we get to choose the pace of our lives - either rush towards our destination skipping steps here and there or go with the pace that life has in store for us.
    But but but , at times , when you have to get down / reset when you feel you are on the wrong path, it’s ok to go on the opposite side and get down when you still have time , no?!
    Beautifully written da kanna kutty!!
    Love you loads ,
    Shyam aunty

    ReplyDelete
  2. T.SrinivasanMarch 24, 2025 at 11:47 PM

    The way you analyse anything and apply to human life is simply superb Shriyandhaa. ladder and escalator are used for climbing up and comming down still they teach us something which you have understood very well and presented it in your style which is extraordinary. Good . May God bless you
    From
    Pushpa patti

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Clouded

  Every night, I bring myself  To stare up at the sky -  But turn back home, with a frown on my face, Clouds blocking stars, showing wry.  Every morning, I peek out the window  To marvel at the sea above - But turn away, losing hope,  Cotton figures, masking what I love.  Every time I see the clouds,  I curse them, with all might,  They don't deserve to be up there,  Ruining the bright days and starry nights.  And one day, the clouds finally went away,  And I stargazed in much peace.  But suddenly, the sky felt a bit empty -  Although dotted by the stars, without fake fleece. In the mornings, the sun burnt the pavements -  And something inside me missed watching  The white shapes that merrily float past -  I didn't realise they had much meaning.  Though much couldn't be seen, they brought A wholesome feeling - that you probably can't see -  You only can, when one day,  The clouds decide t...
11 comments
Read more

Thunder & Lightning

Lightning is that which intimidates,  But thunder is that which wishes  To follow lightning.  That is to say,  Thunder follows lightning's path,  But reaches a different destination.  But thunder can be far more intimidating -  You don't need to see it to believe it.  But aren't we told to not blindly believe  Whatever we hear?  For all we know, the "thunder" we heard,  Could just be the bark of a very large dog.  But lightning is something we see - But can we believe everything we see?  Perhaps the lightning is just  The lights, somewhere in the sky  Fluctuating.  But if we can't rely on thunder  Or lightning  What if they're both played together?  Though thunder always follows,  Never leads or walks beside,  Surely, we can believe  If we see it, and hear it.  But how great could the coincidences be?  No, to believe it, you must feel it -  And not just a mere ink...
8 comments
Read more

What it really feels like, being indecisive.

  Let's get started.  Pick the next line:  You mean I need to choose?  You'll do just fine -  That is NOT true -  Whatever, pick the next -  I CANNOT DECIDE .  I mean why not?  That's my flawed side.  Oh, ambiguous, are we?  Sure, just pick a line for me. Is this turning into a poem?  It better be!  Why can't you decide on one answer?  What if one is better than the next?  Don't think too much about possible blunders -  That is exactly why I fret.  You can't not have an opinion -  But that's how it is.  You should really change -  It's not my fault I'm indecisive.  Think about it, I'm used to heat, but at the moment  I can use some cool But I can survive in the Sahara if I have to But I'll suffer in cold rooms, I might even solidify  But now, the heat is a bit hard to bear  But I'm afraid, the AC might get too extreme -  ALRIGHT, I understand, it's pretty hard to ...
7 comments
Read more