The lesser vice...

We tread the green hills slowly along with the sun.
Greedy eyes groping for every sight of greenery,
Gulping every breath of cool, fresh air,
Resounding every chirp, every rustle, every gush;
Of the birds, the leaves and the crystal water falls.
Accustomed to the White, Black and Grey of civilization,
This green hue was a pleasant retreat –
A retreat to the wilderness…

…A wilderness that discovers my peace,
Long lost in the battle of strife.
A wilderness that revives my youth,
Long lost under the burdens of civilization.
A wilderness that restores my soul,
Long lost, seeking the lusts of the body.
A wilderness that heals the bruises of an aged civilization,
A wilderness that tranquilizes, rejuvenates and regenerates.

Yet, as the sun begins to hide beneath the sea,
A shadow seems to spread over the wilderness.
All the intimacy and oneness with the wilderness
Begins to flee, and a stranger faces me.
A stranger- dark, unknown, impenetrable
Stares back at me with a ghastly look.
And I, shivering like a child, wail and seek
The comfort of my nest, the warmth of my hearth.

On my bed, as I repose, I wonder:
What is more frightening- Wilderness or Civilization?
One stands dark, unpredictable, impenetrable;
The other slouches tiringly, loathsome and burdensome.
One sends a shiver running through the body that paralyzes;
The other slowly and steadily sucks the nectar of life.
One marks the retrieve to the primitive, atavistic origins;
The other promotes a meaningless, soulless progress.

Hercules perhaps had an easier choice between Virtue and Vice.
While we his successors, speculate to choose the lesser vice.

Written after a trip to Chikmangalur... A beautiful place but the drive back was one of the scariest drives I have ever had...