A Walk With Melody

With the same groove, I put my headphones on and started to go down the elevator, with a mind lost in thoughts of what music can soothe it, I clicked the ground button, but a while later it stopped on a floor, me being self-absorbed was still finding the perfect song to start my walk with when my eyes caught a glance of a little girl entering the elevator, with two little braids of innocence and joy held together she looked at me with her eyes full of curiosity, and then held her little Rapunzel’s hand on seeing me carrying my phone. The elevator then opened and she ran towards the reception area with a run full of liveliness, while I walked replaying my footsteps and reliving getting my perfect song to soothe my ears, I came outside and had a gaze at the twilight sky and thought as poetic and mesmerizing it looked, my eyes were still enrapt to see that little girl playing and running in the garden with her friends, with the butterfly fluttering about the dandelions and the little souls trying to catch it with their feathers of naiveness and candidness which I could see through my eyes of yearning childhood vividly…

I tried to walk away from the scenic view realizing that my perfect song had been replayed twice since I came down, with my eyes looking for another song to distract my mind I saw that I have taken an unknown turn on the footpath, and was hastily turning back when I pondered to walk today on this indefinite path and for the very first moment I wasn’t hesitant to walk ahead and discover the unknown, With the chilly breeze of “ adventure waits ahead’’ I dared to come out of my cocoon and changed the melody on my playlist from my treasured forlorn pieces of Ed Sheeran music and fiercely played ‘Demons’ by Imagine Dragons.

Though this change of playlist felt a bit dramatic it was a change from hesitation to boldness for me at that moment…I recalled the precious lines of Robert frost from ‘A late walk’,

 “I end not far from my going forth,

 By picking the faded blue’’

where I had read his gloominess go from being blue to being appreciative of the good part, I could see that as I was stepping on each stone I could see myself not replaying anything today, I could see afresh, the blooming flowers and swinging trees as if my eyes were trapped in the loop of déjà vu and I could see the hazy wings appearing gradually as I was climbing on the steep slope ahead, the wings of joy were reappearing, I chuckled to myself thinking they disappeared like childhood then…..Now I could feel the zeal in the breeze once again… I could listen to the melody of chirping birds and singing trees and my ‘perfect playlist’ was no longer needed to soothe my mind as the sound of nature seemed to be so blissful and calming …. the lines from Willam Wordsworth ‘Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey’ started replaying in my thoughts:

“With a soft inland murmur. —Once again

Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs?

That on a wild secluded scene impress

Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect

The landscape with the quiet of the sky.”

Today’s walk was indeed an adventurous one, I chuckled to myself, what if that little girl wouldn’t have caught my eye today? I would’ve then replayed the same steps, the same melodies, but just the mere change of turn rekindled my childhood and made me revisit the life which truly held its meaning of pure joy and love of surroundings.

Now as I reached the elevator, I can see that little girl when I turn to the mirror, I can see her as my reflection…and a new sparkle in my eyes.

Sanskriti Nagar

(Writer)