Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

- Edgar Allan Poe

I have witnessed some of the most beautiful mornings, days, evenings and nights in this city. Its lush green, especially in the areas I have lived in. Its adorned with many lakes, Upper Lake (Bada Taalab), Lower Lake, Shahpura, Kaliasot Dam.. which are great places to hang out and make Bhopal a paradise for morning walkers. I can not count the number of times, I have just went to any of the above lakes, just to hang out with friends, for morning walks, for being alone, or with someone special. This is where I bought my first bike (A blue 150cc Bajaj Pulsar – motorcycle), and drove it on the perfect curves and open roads in pure bliss. This is the place I’ll always root for. Bhopal.. the city of my dreams.

PS: Above photo is of Upper Lake, Bhopal and was taken by me on August 31, 2008. I’ll be posting more from the same day in coming posts.