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I Double Dare You

1 min read
the edges of things are always deceptive.
because we are taught to believe
in endings and beginnings.
 
but the truth is:
There Are No Borders.
 
and all boundaries are lines
drawn in the imagination
(like the equator)
 
people like to put things
in their places.
 
(we believe in belonging
somewhere)
 
this is the problem with 
poetry-
 
(it does not understand
belonging)
 
and it will not be put in place.
 
with crayons on paper maybe
but who can live life strictly
inside-the-lines?
 
the color of countries that
cannot be contained
in cliches where- 
 
the red of your heart spills
into the red of the rose spills
into the red of the sunset spills
into mehendi on the hands of a bride. 
 
and who can explain these things?
 
but what i want to know is simple:
 
who settled the sky on top of the mountain
and who drew the restless margins of the sea?
 
everything flows into everything
else.
 
like a picture drawn without once
lifting pencil from paper;
this world.
 
now tell me the story of your life
(whoever you are) go on
i Double Dare you!
 
tell me the story of your life
 
without once touching
mine.

Posted by Pavi Mehta on February 14, 2012
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Community Reflections

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46 Reflections shared

Mary Feb 14, 2012
Oh, how wonderful to read this poem and this message on Valentine's Day. All to often we forget whats in the heart and listen to whats in our head. Today we need to "Double Dare You" (ourselves) to start listening to our hearts and together we can have Valentine's Day everyday.

Maria Feb 14, 2012
Just beautiful!!! we all are interconnected!!
Aparna Feb 14, 2012
Beautiful & profound. Thanks for the touching experience.
Muran Feb 14, 2012
My heart can see you-
Hiding behind the magic shadow,
You created in front of you,
So you can see me very close,
But I can also see you through my heart,
My heart can hear you,
Keeping my ears close to the walls of the sky,
And I am listening to your heart,
My soul can touch your thoughts,
As my soul is living in you,
I can feel your thoughts,
Shooting to the sky to reach to the moon,
To switch off his lights,
To see the lights of love in my eyes.
Barbara Feb 14, 2012
breathtaking poem
Sheela Feb 14, 2012
Stirred something within my heart! Only when I am quiet, I am able to listen to what's within. Something from outside ...like this poem..ruffles something unknown to inside to move into action...If that is not inspiration, what is it?!
Bill Feb 14, 2012
What a lovely way to express our interconnection - thanks Pavi!
Kathleen Feb 14, 2012
this lovely poem helps me celebrate Valentine's Day in a meaningful way. Thank you. I've shared the poem on Facebook to spread the words.
Kathleen Feb 14, 2012
Who is the poet of "I Double Dare You"? Is it Pavi?
tiffany Feb 14, 2012
beautiful & true, thanks for sharing :)
Shalini Sahai Feb 14, 2012
Thank you for sharing your poem Pavi! It's one of my all time favorites.
Guri Feb 14, 2012
Hi Kathleen, Yes the author is Pavi :-)
dr.Tezen Feb 15, 2012
enlightening!
Magnesia Feb 16, 2012
All we've got is this life
it may not always be great
but it's definitely worth fighting for
and time that seems such a friend when we are young
tries to run away from us as we get older
all thoes moments, that we long to hold on to
moments of glory, of joy
of hurts that made us stronger
moments that we want to bottle up
hide in a hole
or keep a secret
are perhaps moments that made us now we are
or what we will be
and should darkness fall or as we go weaker
these moments
will shine a light
and lead us home
Lavanya Feb 16, 2012
Wow! Beautiful! Inspires us to connect with everyone :)
Chenee Feb 16, 2012
Thank you Pavi for such a lovely poem! It's important to remember that we in fact create our own boundaries, but they really just get in the way.
Sharmishtha Feb 16, 2012
Simply wonderful... Coincidence that I was reading a couplet today
" roop rang te rekho nyaare, tainu lakh parnaam karaa
Man budhi te aklo bahre, tainu lakh parnaam karaa"
Translation : One that has no form and that is beyond intellect and works of mind, my salutations.
Once we realize such "being" then there is no barrier, there are no boundaries and one universal love is established. In fact at that time, the differnce of sky and the mountain also disappear, you and me become one :) :)
Jackie Feb 20, 2012
It's a pity i read this late. Such a wonderful reflection of the heart.
Manpreet Mar 2, 2012
Awesome!
Din Jul 10, 2012
Brilliant! Love it :)
Aziza Sep 18, 2012
Beautiful! Wish more people could understand the non-existance of borders and boundaries. I wish more people could live their lives without their thoughts and beliefs imprisoned in little boxes with no room to take in more ...
Dilip Shah Dec 12, 2013
Pavi,

Thanks for the true gem. My life, to others may seem like a constant struggle. For me, it is a pure pleasure, day in and day out because I have so much to be happy about and to be thankful for. There are no boundaries to my happiness and my thankfulness.
Sunaina Aug 5, 2014
Nimo and Audrey just shared this with me and I am so grateful. Pavi dear, this is so beautiful and perfect. I bow down to the place within you where this magic flows from. Thank you for sharing some of that magic with us. <3
Harpreet May 24, 2015
Wow...... Just Love it!!
Jyoti Jul 26, 2015
Beautiful, like sharing the awe inspiring stars and planets from our own spaces and yet being able to share it.
Prarthana Aug 31, 2015
Beautifully written dear friend
sunita Feb 26, 2018
So beautiful...thank you so much.
Victor Jan 10, 2019
Beautiful, deep and the Truth. The tone of this poem reminds me of Yunus Emre. Bravo!
Muheed Jan 24, 2019
Wow.. Beautifully written
Zizwe Apr 3, 2019
CAN ANYONE SUMMARISE THIS POEM FOR ME. I AM INTERESTES BUT LACK UNDERSTANDING
Barbara Schwartzbach Jul 16, 2021
Beautiful to read and now to share. Thank you invisible angels who put together these posts.
Neil Jan 5, 2023
Just re-read this after many years. What a delight!

Every line is packed with wisdom and profundity. You rock Pavi! Thank you for sharing your light with us.
Ojas Mehta Feb 6, 2023
I Double Dare you!
Tell me the story of your life without once touching mine.
This is going in my journal. Such a simple, clear and powerful way to show the interconnectedness of all beings. What's the point of living for ourselves, it's such an old, ignorant way of being.
Susan Clark Jun 27, 2023
Stunning -- this puts the words that were in this morning's journal pages to music. Thank you!
Allie Mar 10, 2025
powerful reminder
Rajat Mishra Mar 10, 2025
To understand that the seemingly solid edges of things are, in reality, fluid. Everything merges into everything else. Truth cannot be confined to any one place or religion—it is all-pervading. Borders are nothing but imaginary lines, yet we have hypnotized ourselves into believing in their reality so deeply that they have created divisions within our minds. We associate ourselves with a particular place and time, but poetry refuses to be confined by such boundaries. This illusion of separation must be recognized—at the very least, by confronting poetry, which is far better than facing a weapon that reduces us from living beings to mere remnants of existence. A color, no matter how defined, always longs to merge with something vibrant—that is its true destiny. The flow [...]
Tizz Mar 10, 2025
Pavi, this poem, every time I read it (I have read it often) brings your voice with it. Your beautiful, gentle voice. I love this poem. Don't forget. Double-darers go first. Oh you did. =) My story: I want to know every language and meet every person in the world so that I can hear the story of every person. I suppose that means I need to live forever. ∞♥∞
sharmila Mar 10, 2025
Beautiful....
I believe there isn't any story that would touch yours....
Nomita Mehta Mar 11, 2025
Oh the punch line says it all. My body feels the burden of it, but then I can also tune into the feeling of being carried by it! Yes the latter gives me goosebumps!
Alice Grossmann-Güntert Mar 11, 2025
Collaboration among the communties and regions of the Global Ecovillage Network blurs the borders of cultures, of faiths. Transdisciplinary interdependence is the rule of thumb. How could I contain myself merely as GEN Ambassador to Europe...when Ghana sends their Cacao Beans up there....
Ezekiel Mar 11, 2025
This is so wonderful!
kate Mar 11, 2025
Such a beautiful poem - it speaks to my heart
Derek Rugsaken Mar 11, 2025
Fantastic! And so true. Yes, our story lives in the stories of those we touch, I am in your story and you in mine.
anjleena Mar 17, 2025
simply beautiful..thank you Pavi..
Evelyn Asher Mar 18, 2025
Exquisite. We are all connected.
mary Apr 7, 2025
Oh, how we in the US need to pay heed to these thots of interconnectedness!
Not just to one another as citizens of this land, but even, moreso, to the world community, of which we are only a small part.

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