haiku on an idea

~

an ephemeral

idea* flits by sweetly

a sky refreshes

~

*idea = this butterfly, the Celyon tree nymph, is called Idea iasonia

refuse to be owned

strange as it may seem, these are life lessons from a tree i was introduced to, on May 15, 2010. the koompassia exelsa. a lofty white-boled beauty, that is a haven for giant honey bees. tough to cut down [its bark is high in silica and very hard and brittle] and protected/ sacred in some places, you see it standing tall, rising above all beneath [why, you can barely capture all of it in one frame], defying the odds.

almost a metaphor for living life, truly.

unyielding in adversity, upright in gait, shrugging off any mold. as if to say...

... don't let anyone -- anyone at all -- define you*, confine you, restrict you, control you, brand you, or tame you. and, above all -- refuse to allow anyone to ever own you*. allow no one to dictate who you are but your own inner sap. and never let anyone's opinions mold your view of yourself.

for you are always so much more than any one frame...


* in the human context, you is substitutable by your mind, thoughts, feelings.

Koompassia exelsa (also called tualang)

no, this is not the whole tree -- the huge buttresses can not be seen!

taken from a canopy platform ~50m up another tree.

gives you an idea of size -- that's me at the buttress looking up to the koompassia (pun intended) :)
[thanks for clicking this snap, sridhar!]

the romance of chiaroscuro

"Rainforest... the falling cadence of the lovely word has gathered about itself the chiaroscuro of romance."

[with due apologies to Maugham]

The magic of a rainforest is in the play of light and dark (chiaroscuro). it reveals itself slowly. and one enjoys it slowly. there is as much a story in the deep shadows as there is in pools of light. here's a tribute to the sinharaja rainforest of sri lanka. as i saw, enjoyed and reveled in its mysteries.

leaves of a climber hugging a bark

a pretty liana with pyramidal bumps

the multiple textures lit up in patches intrigued me

captured as such - mossy bark

wild orchids

this green pit viper was lit by flashlight

tree sap

ferns

early morning dew drops outside our lodge

light, shade, hue and dew

ferns

also a fern

shooting is so much easier when an ace photographer is belting out his camera settings as he shoots :) thanks KV!

fern spores just about catching light