Erudite Roulette: Dancing Dreams - TM Pujashree, Infosys Toastmasters

This post is special - the original nominee could not complete it, and TM Pujashree finished it in a matter of hours.

I can hear, the creaking swing outside, waiting for me...
I can hear, the slow heartbeat fluttering away,
I can hear, the voices begging me to run..to be free
I can hear my dancing dreams fading away....

I can see, the glorious night sky streaming with lights,calling me
I can see, those tears that you hurriedly wiped away..
I can see, my feet trapped inside the layers of filth and dirt
I can see, my dancing dreams slowly turning away...

I can touch, the blood laden wounds that refuse to heal..
I can touch, your hand shivering yet refusing to let go..
I can touch, your once pretty face, devoid of a smile..
I can touch, my dancing dreams slowly taking shape...

I can say, those words that are trapped inside your heart
I can say, those words that will fly me away...
I can say, those words that will finally let me go..
I can say, my dancing dreams to not let go.

I can feel, my tormented life rushing back to me..
I can feel, my soul smiling for one last time...
I can feel, the crisp cold air slowly soothing my heart.
I can feel, the dancing dreams finally pulling me away..

Topic given by TM Manoj Guru

Erudite Roulette: Yes, you can do it - TM Arjun, Infosys Toastmasters

Can you do it? It’s not even a question.

(PS: for a personalized reading experience, replace “do it” with anything that you want to do, but are skeptical about doing.)

Yes, you can do it. But before that, let’s talk about why you cannot do it, or rather why you WOULD not do it.

Speaking with common sense, the only things you CANNOT do are the ones that NATURE would not allow you to do. For instance: lift an elephant with your bare hands, run on water without any contraption strapped to your legs, spend a weekend on the Moon, et cetera; except for the last one! I’m not sure what your monthly budget for vacationing is.

Other than that, if whatever you want to do is humanly possible, then you don’t need to be a Cambridge degree holder to understand and agree with me when I say, yes! You CAN do it. The sole obstacle that keeps you from doing it is the APPLESAUCE story you tell YOURSELF about why you SHOULD NOT do it.

Nobody has said it better than Sir Isaac Newton (or did Shaktimaan say it!?!) that with every action comes an inevitable series of consequences. Whatever it is that you want to do, will bring with it certain changes in your life, in the lives of those around you, perhaps even stir the whole nation (if you’re planning to unveil a big scam, that is!), and numerous other uncertain effects that are hiding behind the curtains of future. BUT one thing is for sure that you will not be the same person ever again. You would have gained more knowledge, imbibed more experience, passed THROUGH the fear of uncertainty, once you have done it.

And this law of nature is what frightens us the most. It’s not that we don’t have what it takes to do it, it’s not that we don’t possess the abilities to accomplish it. You bet you do, and you KNOW it! But what you DO NOT possess is the courage to accept the consequences, whatever they may be.

You want to go ahead and marry the girl you love; but she’s from another caste, and you worry what would happen if your parents don’t agree to it. You have a hilarious idea for your speech; you know you can kill it, but you worry that the audience may not laugh with it. You are writing an article for Erudite Roulette, you know can write a stellar piece for it, but you worry that it may not inspire the readers as much as it inspired you.

Actions have consequences, and it’s the fear of accepting those consequences in their true form, that stops you dead on your track to do it. We think stalling will make it better, procrastinating doing it will somehow magically make failure proof… like to hear a secret?

IT WON’T! You MUST take the leap of faith.

You’re free to make your choices, but you’re NEVER free to choose the consequences. THAT is something that Nature hasn’t given you freedom to do.

So, if you think it’s worth a shot, GO, GIVE it a shot. And take it from me, YES! YOU CAN DO IT.

Title given by: TM Tanuja

Erudite Roulette: That Terrifying Moment - TM Pujashree, Infosys Toastmasters

TM Pujashree

That terrifying moment when you are walking alone in the dark and a shadow approaches you

That terrifying moment when you hear the TV switched on, but nobody’s home but you.

That terrifying moment, when you locked the door and yet, it creaks open,

That terrifying moment when you hear a baby’s laughter, but you are all alone in your den!

That terrifying moment when your eyes are wide open, yet you cannot feel your feet,

That terrifying moment when you open your mouth and see no teeth,

That terrifying moment, when you laugh when you cry,

That terrifying moment, when your parachute doesn’t open and yet you fly…

That terrifying moment when your teacher saw you sneak a note to that cute boy

That terrifying moment, when your mother saw you steal that toy.

That terrifying moment when your doctor made you step on the weighing machine,

That terrifying moment when you realized that the word “cute” literally meant an elephantine teen.

That terrifying moment when you read of an impending earthquake in your beautiful hometown,

That terrifying moment when your heart skips a beat because he isn’t picking the damn phone!

That terrifying moment when your mother informs of a small painless mole on her skin,

That terrifying moment when you pinch yourself but that nightmare wasn’t a dream…

That terrifying moment when your heart just wouldn’t stop beating and you don’t know why

That terrifying moment when you know you are unprepared to jump off the cliff and fly…

That terrifying moment when you are around millions of people, yet you feel alone,

That terrifying moment when you are laughing as you tightened the noose around your bone…

That terrifying moment when you survive in spite of all the fears,

That terrifying moment when you smile, amidst all the tears,

That terrifying moment, when you are chained to the bottom, yet you run free and wild,

That terrifying moment when you realized all the fears you had are just a fragment of your mind….  

TM Pujashree

Infosys Toastmasters

Topic by: TM Anish