“In your light I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.”
― Rumi
I was quite zapped with the idea that how I was ever going to complete this challenge.
Today is the last day. 'Z' is the alphabet. I have come up with zilch. I am afflicted with bad cold and am going about my daily chores like a zombie. I do not have the zeal to write at all. I see all the zealous writers around me and am guilty a bit for not doing justice to the last post. All I want to do is take a pill for the flu and sleep....Zzzzzzz!!
Its the center of your being ......Your core ......Your soul Its the size of a fist Encompassing a world within It is bottomless Enclosed in a small space It is spaceless. A muscle, Its strong as an iron... It is not you, Yet it defines you A guide, it lights up your path. When happy, it soars When excited, it gallops When sad, it pains Turns into a tiny, Claustrophobic place. Gets hurt many a time Bears the scars proudly Scars of a life well lived.
For - NaPoWriMo The challenge was to write about space....
This is an open letter to all of you. This is the penultimate blog of the Blogging A-To-Z Challenge, April 2012.
If not for the push and the vote of confidence from Sulekha, Sweepy Jean, Tameka and of course, Andy, I would not have taken part at all. It is because of their undying support and also other bloggers from the FB groups that I was able to finish this.
Yes, it has been daunting and mentally draining too. A great learning process. I had to stretch my limits especially with the alphabets after 'T'. Now, I can breathe a sigh of relief and take a much needed break. But, will I?
I have not been able to visit other bloggers who are taking part in this challenge as I have been on vacation since the 15th of this month. Thanks for the support from all of you who have visited me and followed me. Thanks to the A-To-Z team to
To my fellow challengers - great going guys, it has been a pleasure sharing this space with you. Love you all.
A girl's best friend once she becomes herself a woman, is always her mother. I would love to have been her xerox copy...she was so beautiful both in and out. I have written extensively about her on my blog...so this is it.
O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O stay and hear, your true love's coming.
The heaven such grace did lend her That she might admired be.
We have short time to stay, as you, We have as short a spring As quick a growth to meet decay As you or anything, We die As your hours do
Long had passed the hour of midnight Twice ere now had waking infants
After the day there cometh the dark night, For thou the day be never so long At last the bells ringeth to evensong.
The prompt is the "Centos"..... a poetic work wholly composed of verses or passages taken from other authors; only disposed in a new form or order. Here, I have taken from the poems of Helen Waddell, William Shakespeare, Robert Herrick , Sir.R. Winstedt and Stephen Hawes.
Normally, I do separate posts for NaPoWriMo and Blogging from A-To-Z Challenge...but, today, I have time constraint, so clubbing both.
The challenge was to write a lipogram/beautiful outlaw/beautiful-in-law. I choose lipogram - a poem that explicitly refrains from using certain letters. This is my attempt where I have limited my use of any other vowels other than the 'i'.
Brimming with bliss, Thriving... This cryptic writing I didn't dig Discipling mind I go with whim Finishing with a grin!!!
Like an other feeling, Patriotism is very personal. It may stem out of being born in a particular country or the feeling towards an adopted country. Of all the things that make me, this is one...that I am an Indian...and proud to be.
Bare, it stood in the corner, abandoned He sat staring at the empty canvas Brown with dust... In that smoke filled room Waiting for the light or just a ray. They had all come and gone At the time had served his purpose As his muse and warmed his bed He remembered them all Every curve, the textured skin, The smooth and the rough edges... Master of his game, He had brought them alive Breathed life, color and feelings; Once at peak of manhood, ego and creation Now, a well dried up and wasted Life was just passing by Minutes, hours, days, cannot tell them apart Waiting...for what? Divine intervention? Rags to riches and riches to rags Life is a wheel... Why can't it be a straight line? Waiting...for the life to ebb Born anonymous...will perish anonymous With a life in between.
Waking up with your thoughts My lips and tongue Hungry to taste you... Cupping you in my hands My lips touch you I close my eyes and relish your taste Taking it all, savoring Your hotness makes me warm Your sweetness satiates me....momentarily Your fragrance fills me up, You are coming on strong on me And I like you that way... Though not my first love You are my habit... My addiction... My cuppa TEA!!!!!
The hay(na)ku form is pretty easy. Each hay(na)ku contains three lines. The first line has one word, the second line has two words, and the third line has three words. You can chain hay(na)ku together into multi-verse poems.
Is this what's called a tunnel vision? Racing through the tunnel, The echo...the sound reverberates The lights of the train pierces the darkness I love the way the shadows dance on the wall People fascinated by their silhouettes Feeling of thrill mixed with eeriness A sigh of relief at the end of it. This is the journey of life Through darkness... At the end is the light And a whole wide world Only one should see.
There are a lot of words starting with 'S', I wanted to write today about. Sweets (I can't do without), sweetheart, sleep (another favourite), summer vacations, serene, soul....but, somehow I was not satisfied. So, I thought let me sleep on this...and like all good things (well, most) happening in bed ;-) I may get an idea. And, Bingo!
How could I have forgotten about him in the first place! Salman Khan, my ultimate hero.
Sallu, as he is called, is a blend of good looks, attitude, charm, persona, enigma, ruggedness.....am completely gaga over him. When in college, I never missed watching a movie of his. Well, over the years, I have missed many movies but the feeling remains the same...Unconditional devotion! Though the media has painted him to be a bad boy, he has a good heart...he is a philanthropist. He started an organization- Being Human...which has become synonymous with him.
I have met him twice in person....and I only remember that my knees going weak...sigh!sigh!sigh!
The disturbing chatter of birds The black moonless sky The silent windless nights Blanketed the earth with deary sigh
Then you came along, with smile so bright Made my life turn around and so right Changed the sails of ships around Painted this world with colors abound
The birds are now singing The full moon lights up the sky The soft wind ruffles the leaves The beauty of the earth magnifies!!!
For- NaPoWriMo Prompt is to write the opposite of.....
This is the original poem -
The Sorrow of Love by W. B. Yeats
The quarrel of the sparrows in the eaves, The full round moon and the star-laden sky, And the loud song of the ever-singing leaves, Had hid away earth's old and weary cry. And then you came with those red mournful lips, And with you came the whole of the world's tears, And all the sorrows of her labouring ships, And all the burden of her myriad years. And now the sparrows warring in the eaves, The curd-pale moon, the white stars in the sky, And the loud chaunting of the unquiet leaves Are shaken with earth's old and weary cry.
When God at first made man, Having a glass of blesings standing by; Let us (said he) pour on him all we can: Let the world's riches, which dispersed lie, Contract into a span.
So strength first made a way; The beauty flow'd, then wisdom, honour, pleasure: When almost all was out, God made a stay, Perceiving that alone of all his treasure Rest in the bottom lay.
For if I should (said he) Bestow this jewel also on my creature, He would adore my gifts instead of me, And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature: So both should losers be.
Yet let him keep the rest, But keep them with repining restlessness: Let him be rich and weary, that at least, If goodness lead him not, yet weariness May toss him to my breast.
George Herbert
So very true, right? If he had given us the REST, we would not have sought him. A wonderful poem.
After my surgery, I was asked to rest. But, how much can one rest? I tried keeping myself busy by reading, writing, eating, sleeping and ofcourse resting...but, all these gets on your nerves after sometime. I just wanted to get up and get going...out, to my gym, back to running, back to my routine. Man invented vacations to recharge his batteries, anything longer would make him restless!!!
This blogging and poetry challenge is draining my creative battery. I feel depleted. I need to REST my mind and recharge my brain cells. But, that's what the challenges are all about...stretching one's limits. I will have time to rest later. Easier said than done...it is quiet difficult to get over the addiction of writing!
I would sing for you But, that would be cruel Instead, lay in my arms I will rock you, Holding you to my bosom, With warmth I will fill you Brushing you brows, Smoothen your lines, Kissing your eyes, Crooning in your ears Taking you to the Land of sweet dreams I will rock you baby... Rock you to sleep.
Actually I do not like to use this word for people with homosexual preferences.
"The only queer people are those who don't love anybody." - Rita Mae Brown.
There is this guy who comes to work out in the same gym as mine. He walks, talks and gestures like a girl and doesn't hide that fact. He is pretty cool about it and that's what I like about him. And, it goes without saying that he is a butt of jokes.
The other guys who are working out and also the trainers are so blunt in making fun of him...they take jabs at him directly. How I hate it! This is very upsetting. We are all the so called educated people. Aren't we sensitive enough? Is it the guy's fault that he was born that way? Yet, no one spares a thought as to what that guy may be going through. Poor guy, he doesn't defend himself. But, just goes on about working out ignoring others.
When I asked my trainer about this...he said, "Hey, we are just having some fun, he doesn't mind." Fun!
The first book of his I read was "The Zahir"...and I was totally smitten by his wisdom.
I have not read all of his books, but, a few. I must also say that I have not liked all his books. Personally, Brida was a disappointment and so was the ending of Alpeh.
My all time favourites will be The Zahir, The Alchemist and The Winner Stands Alone. The Pilgrimage is very insightful.
One can so relate to his words and he is a true inspiration. I follow his blog and his 10 - 20 second reading short stories are simply awesome.
No doubt that - "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you acheive it"- is the all time favourite quote of many of his readers and it is also true.
"Whenever someone dies, a part of the universe dies too. Everything a person felt, experienced and saw dies with them, like tears in the rain." I could so relate to this passage when I lost my mom...I lost a universe where she was the nucleus.
"Talent is a universal gift, but it takes a lot of courage to use it. Don't be afraid to be the best." For most part of my life I believed I had no talent. Well, I had to overcome my limitations I had set for myself. At least, now I can say I tried.
What is with nature? It is so powerful It is calm Acts as a balm To a turbulent mind It is only kind Through the testing times Like a parent, Nature offers you comfort Hug you and soothe you.
These days kids are growing up with gadgets. Am glad that we grew with comics, books and outdoors.
I love this cute, fat guy from the comics, Asterix.
Tintin, Asterix, Mandrake and Luther, Phantom...they were such a part of our daily read.
Obelix stands out and apart as a character as he has been portrayed as dumb witted yet making funny remarks adding to the fun.
He, as a kid would have had fallen into a cauldron of magic potion prepared by the village wizard, hence, he had indomitable strenght. He is a menhir sculptor and would carry it every where and use it an weapon against the Romans.
He resents being called fat, the reason for many fights he has. He has a faithful and a loyal partner in his dog - Dogmatix. His shyness around women makes him look cute.
Well, we had public and private libraries then which are a rare sight now. I keep telling my kids the stories of Asterix n Obelix, Tintin...etc. I would want to read them those comics but, yeah, they are very expensive. The movies or the animated series do not do full justice to the written versions. Nothing like books!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: I see the beauty in a rainbow Cos' I have been told That there's a pot of gold And the ends of the bow And how I wish, I could lay my hand on this!!
Trying my hand at parody. The original poem by the same title was written by William Wordsworth.
As I do every year, I am spending this summer vacation at my home town, Bengaluru (Bangalore- former name).
I was standing by the compound and talking to my kids when I saw a lady walk by, wearing a nightie and it was mid morning.
When I was young, I saw the heroins and the vamps in the movies wear negligee and soft silk nighties. The concept of wearing pajamas and night dress is a pretty recent thing here.
With the advent of affordable nighties in the market, it became the new dress code of many middle class women.
Women of all ages and sizes can be seen in the parks brisk walking early in the morning. No wonder many middle aged, frustrated men come just to ogle at this bouncy- bounty creatures!
I have even seen women go to the beauty parlours in a nightie. Wearing nighties within the confines of your home is Ok, but some women change from a very worn nightie to little worn nightie to go to a store nearby. How logical is it?
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