Lotus and Koi

 


The Lotus and the Koi


Original artwork and poem by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2025


The Lotus and the Koi, a study in elegance and grace
Nature’s lesson on coexistence for the human race
Consider the Lotus, it grows in waters dark and murky
Still rises above its circumstances, looking cheerful and perky
Making the most of its lot, the flowers are incredible 
The stems are a culinary delight - they’re edible
In Japanese culture, the Koi fish is a good luck charm
Found everywhere in rivers, lakes and ponds, it’s the norm
Said to be a harbinger of success and prosperity 
Everyone wants one, a testament to their popularity
There is much we can learn much from this unlikely pair 
To be radiant, resilient, contented and thrive anywhere

Comments

Anonymous said…
Lovely!!! They have introduced this fish in the small waterways in the PuLa Deshpande Park, also known as the Indo-Japanese garden due to a collaborative process. (WhatsApp comment from a friend from my hometown Poona/Pune)
June 28, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Kieran said…
Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the large koi fish are so precious, costing thousands of dollars, that thieves steal it for a secondary market - Kieran
June 28, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Anonymous said…
Btw , Lotus stem is eaten in India as well especially by the Sindhi community (WhatsApp comment from a friend)
June 28, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Kieran said…
Yes, I was surprised to see it in a salad with a light vinaigrette … yummy - Kieran
June 28, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Anonymous said…
And the Sindhis came to India as refugees after the partition, I think they ate a lot of lotus stem, and they actually have a lot of regard and respect for it. (Reply to above comment)
June 28, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Kieran said…
We had over 60 Sindhi families resettled in a housing colony behind our home in Poona. They were crazy for moringa (drumstick) flowers which they considered a delicacy - Kieran
June 28, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Anonymous said…
I actually tasted moringa flowers recently and it was great. First time I ate the flowers and made some cutlets from a Goan recipe I found online. Our tree was full of them (Reply to the above comment)
June 28, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Kieran said…
How interesting. I’m growing Moringa this summer. 🤞🏼- Kieran Gonsalves
June 28, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Anonymous said…
Like stained glass Kieran (My dear sister on WhatsApp)
June 28, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Kieran said…
This was totally organic. All I knew was it had to have a lotus and koi. So I started with that.
I was thinking abstract but the true colors seemed more appealing
Once I painted the subject, I started filling in the background. Since I hadn’t used blue for the lotus or koi, my first couple patches were blue - which was perfect for the water so I stayed with that
I ended up with the stained glass look which is satisfying
Funny how sometimes it all comes together 🥰 - Kieran
June 28, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Anonymous said…
Beautiful and graceful (WhatsApp comments from a dear friend)
June 28, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Kieran said…
Thanks Elaine. This composition came out of thin air. I wanted to paint a lotus and koi but didn’t have much else to go by. It was totally spontaneous
After painting the two, by chance I started with blue since it was the only primary color not on the page - it struck me to stay with blue for the water
Sometimes things just fall in place 🥰 - Kieran
June 28, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Anonymous said…
Beautiful! The glass painting style fascinâtes me (Whatsapp comment from an artistic friend)
June 28, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Kieran said…
I’m now at a point where I sit each day in front of a blank sheet of paper and let my mood abd fancy take over
I felt like painting a lotus and koi fish in harmony
I then penciled in the interconnecting curves and lines
Once I started the koi, I decided not to paint random colors
After coloring the lotus and koi, i started filling in the background with blue … which as it turns out was perfect for water
All spontaneous. All organic - Kieran
June 28, 2025 at 6:26 PM
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