Poetic Domestic
I am not entirely sure when this idea took roots in my mind, but it's been a while since I've switched my perspective on ‘domestic’ being monotonous, commonplace or dreary even, to something rather poetic. The seed might have been planted when I came across the book ‘Poetics of Space’ by Gaston Bachelard. The title was intriguing to a young me and his ideas fascinating. (I should confess here that I have never managed to read the book entirely in spite of multiple attempts, but someday that will happen too.) I began to notice phrases like fractured light, pale shadows on the wall, and the little moments illustrating these phrases around the house on any random day. They seemed to add a very tactile, intimate layer to an otherwise mundane event. Soon, I was actively seeking the poetry in the simple things around me.
And guess what, you'll find there's plenty of it going around, a subtle presence behind the dreariness of repetition. One only had to pay attention and this beautiful story unfolds. A great place to start this quest is to watch your parents or grandparents going about their day. Experience over the years have reduced their actions to undervalued anonymity. A pinch of salt artfully flung onto the hot kadai, the blanket folded with that flick of a wrist, a stain removed or a weed plucked off a plant, the day’s newspaper folded with a flourish, and the spectacles folded over and kept aside on the table - it's all done so gracefully and effortlessly. You can then move on to the light falling on the wrinkled skin of their hands, or the slowness of their gait. Follow their piercing gaze, as they watch over all that's going on. This is a lesson in mindfulness. Take a pause, and notice the light falling in through the window, the shadow of the plant on the sill, the flicker of the curtain in the gentle breeze, and listen to the sounds of the birds it is carrying.
Once you get started, one little thing leads you to another and yet another - both the animate and inanimate teeming with magic and poetry. Being conscious of this in the everyday can change your life. Domestic is poetic, and in turn, our lives too. When you feel the poetry, you can push through the stressful parts with equal grace.
