MIND OVER MATTER.

Why should we tighten
What we wanted to l(o)ose
In the first place?
Satisfaction is not dependent
On the length, breadth or depth...
Its the performance that counts
Whats on your mind
Gets translated into actions
Its the skill that
Heightens and dampens
To get you on the top 
Or to blow your mind off!!!

---{A new product called 18Again, a vaginal tightening cream has been launched in India. The above lines say what I think as do many other Indian women.}

For - G-man

A THING CALLED BEAUTY.

Beauty pageants over-rated, beauty industry a boom

Looking young and good today is a dope

An epidemic of this age

Spares no one, affects everyone of every age

All the hype and effort makes one look boomm

Look good & you're perpetuate-ly high on this dope

Occasionally, the media exposes a dope

Wherein reality, nothing arrests our age

Gullible customers, companies cash in on this boom

You b(l)oom, you dope and you age with grace and experience!

For - 

dVerse~ Tritinas

(Boomm is a slang meaning bored out of my mind)

MESSAGE FROM ABOVE

Like the nectar

They fall from heaven

Diamond drops gleaming

As they roll down the leaves

Millions of them

Cascading and pouring

Filling up the thirst

Of all those living.

The side walks and the 

Craters in the street

Fill up much to the 

Glee of the kids

They float the paper boats

See them get soggy

And then disappear 

Down the drains...no pain.

These puddles...

Though muddy and murky

Stilled for a moment

Can mirror everything perfectly...

Let the rain first stir you

Then calm you

Still you and soothe you

So, you too can see.

For - dVerse

LOVERS COVE CHALLENGE #4

Andy

"Behold! I am renewed again, for the spirit of love has descended upon my heart!"

Crystal

"Years, I've wandered aimlessly through the midst of the shadows trying to elude the dark."

Elen

"Darkness isn’t always so dark becomes hope when our imagination wants to look for a light." 

Radwa

"A light that has been trying to find its sight through such darkness night."

Kriti

"This darkness becomes me, I am but the light of our shadow that quivers."

  

Eclipse

"Yearning for a flight towards the dream, away from the claws of fear." 

Lubaina

"And I rise, rise towards destiny till what the heart wants seems so near."

Nilanjana

"Yea, and  so I rise, wearing this darkness that’s also light, like sapphires beyond price."

Anjali

"I would rise and fly high till I touch the sky, conquering an eternal bliss.”

Bikram

 “The bliss I feel… Ah it transports me into a world so enchanting, and suddenly, I am set free…"

MY LINE

"This is the Eden of our love...which I will cherish and safe guard forever"

For - Lovers Cove Challenge- August.
The details of this challenge can be found here - http://apd-loverscove.blogspot.in/

MAGIC POTION OF CHILDHOOD.

                                                     (Photo credit Borg de Nobel )

He was nothing short of a wizard
For us kids, he was a magician
And his room stacked with
Rows and rows of bottles filled
With liquids of various hues
Of Reds and Oranges
Gleaming in the overhead light
A lone bulb dangling from the ceiling
Adding to the mysterious aura of the room
We got sick, just to drink 
This magic potion he prepared...
Be it a simple cough and cold
Or a viral fever
He mixed tonics from various bottles
And they tasted divine
Nothing like medicine!

For - dVerse ~Poetics

PLEASE DO NOT TRESPASS.

The day my daughter started her college, my dad told me to get her enrolled in self-defense classes. That is how we live today - in fear!

As a woman, I cannot even fathom what a rape victim goes through. I shudder even at the thought of it.

Recently in Mumbai, a young lady lawyer was murdered in her apartment by the security guard of that apartment building.He lusted for her. Sadly, he is booked for murder and not attempted rape!

Whom do we trust?  

A father keeps his own daughter imprisoned for years raping her repeatedly and impregnates her several times. She is helpless. She gives birth to his children without any medical help. A couple of them die. The rest she brings up in that hell hole. She does not have any option.

I saw a caption on a social networking site - "RAPE PREDATES MINISKIRTS".

If the cause of rape is the way a woman dresses, then is there any logic when a man rapes a 2 year old baby girl?

How can anyone explain the rape of of 60 year old woman in her house?

Women do not think of rape.

Women do not invite rape or rapist.

Women do not dress up for rape.

Women want to live their life on their own terms without the fear of their bodies being compromised for the lusty feelings of some sick men.

She is stuck

In that cold place

A deep, black hole

The only sounds are her screams

Pleas and moans,

Her cries for help and whimpers

The exhausted sobs.

She is sucked

Again and again

Into the grim pit

Of blood and gory

The muck and dirt

As she fights

To free herself

She scrubs and scratches

Again and again

To rub off

The loveless touches

The animal imprints

That violated 

Her body, mind and soul

She is blind

To the world

Has visions only of

His cold eyes,

His breath, his lust

His assault and his thrusts

That ripped her life apart

She is stuck

In a place she didn't want to be

Battered , bruised  and scarred

Permanently...she is stuck

In a place she didn't want to be.

FOOD, WINE AND FUN.

So, what was a South-Indian vegetarian, who cannot tell a French cuisine apart from a Mexican or any other cuisine; a person who knows nothing about wines; a person who was brought up in a conservative family where drinking was and still is a taboo...doing at a food and wine paring event?

That's me. Well, its never too late to either learn or to start drinking. Right? To be downright frank bordering brash, all I wanted was to add a zing to my otherwise dull social life. And, I wasn't disappointed.

This event was organized by the Four Seasons Wines at the Novotel Hotel in Mumbai. The ambiance was elegant, chic and warm.

The event kick started with an introduction by Mr.Abhay Kewadkar - Head UB - Four Seasons Wines and Chief Wine Maker. He chalked out general guidelines as to which wine should be paired with which type of cuisine. Spicy whites like Riesling goes well with spicy food which is typically Asian. Red wines are usually paired with food with red meat. But, he also said that as long as you enjoy your wine, you really do not have to care about what food pairs with which wine. That works for me just fine.

For the South Indian Vegetarian Cuisine which is pretty limited to Rice and its variations and also with variations of Sambar and Rasam, Rose' holds up well as it is semi-dry in nature.

Chief Chef Ranveer corroborated this information with some additional information. He invited us to cook Arancini, Sicillian stuffed rice balls and also Tuscan Lamb Raviolo, which we did with great enthusiasm. These were they served to us with Orange and Cherry Gastrique and it was just yummy.

                                 (Image Courtesy - MAARK)

The fun continued with Lebanese cuisine. Here, are pictures of some fun moments.

As one of my friends put it, it was a Sunday well spent with good food and fine wine and excellent company. I would like to thank GingerClaps and Four Seansons Wine for extending invitation to us.

SOAKED IN LOVE.

                                                                      (Google Image)


Killing me with silence,
Then with words
Cannot phantom this pain
Which is a source of joy
Makes me aware of
You being within me.
Dominating my waking hours
Seizing my dreams too
Drawing me and
Sucking me into you
Making me soak
Every bit of you
Until I can soak no more!!

This is for the Indiblogger The Surf Excel Matic #SoakNoMore contest. 
SoakNoMore

BLEMISHED.

They crop up like mushrooms
Some big, and some not so
At times impromptu...
Just when you have
A social engagement to attend
Wanting to look your best.
Blame it on age
Or easier still
Blame it on hormones errant
There is not age-bar
For these acne to erupt
And leave their mark behind!

For - G-man Friday Flash 55

FRIGID.

Pregnant pauses, thick yet comfortable
Eyes lock momentarily, empty glance
Words swallowed, muted babble
Everything so familiar, a routine dance
Each line on the face, every stance
The gestures that are made
The smiles bordering grimace
A decade together and the magic fades.

For - dVerse ~ Huitian Form

WORD PLAY

We can spin a web with them
Or string them together
And wear them with pride.

We beat them together for smoothness
Or just blend them with others
And we relish and savor them.

We mix n match them
Tailoring them to our needs
And drape around, making us unique.

We sip them or take a mouthful
Swirl them in our mouths
And are filled with warmth of old wine.

We toss and turn them
Or sometimes sleep on them
And we dream of them.

They seduce us,
Entice us, 
Keep us occupied.

We play with them,
Revere them, use them
We can't exist without these.

WORDS - We writers are defined by them!

For - Poetry jam

IN - DEPENDENCE.

We fought the British
For freedom
Yet, we still fight
Against a system
Of power;
Against corruption;
Lack of basic 
Amenities and values
For humans
More so for the
Freedom of women.
No one is perfect,
And so are the Nations.
We also fight
Within ourselves
With our fears,
Our demons,
Our thoughts....
Which make us
And also break us
In spite of all the lacks
We still celebrate
LIFE!

Happy Independence Day.

For - dVerse~Open Link Night

FREEDOM??

"I will protect you"
Says - 
Doting dad,
Loving brother,
Amorous boyfriend,
(not so) interested partner...
Only some men brave
Enough to give them
Wings - to fly;
Others just bind them
In the name of - 
Society
Safety
Love

Clipping their wings
And dreams
- A frog in the well- 
Is all She becomes
While staring at the sky!

For - Poetry Jam - value
          Theme Thursday
               G-man
               dVerse
            

CRIMINAL INTENTIONS.

He is a gentleman
Or so she thought.
He has the decency
To knock and enter...
No, sir! He barged right in
As if he owned the place.
Too shocked to protest
She let him march right in.
It is a crime to steal
Yet he did steal blatantly
Proud of his possession
A look of triumph 
On his face....
Thought he was polite
Enough to ask
But, no! He parked himself
Right there and
Made it his home.
She should have been bothered
By his intrusion
As it was not her home
He had invaded...but,
Her temple, it was...
Her heart that he stole.
She let him stay
Secretly enjoying his presence
Cos' she too had 
Done the same!!!

For - dVerse~ Open Link Night

GHOST BUSTER??

I heard a bell chime from one of the chambers which was closed to public. I paused, and listened carefully. Heard it again, a ringing from a small bell...twice in succession.


My curiosity got better of me and I pushed the door open and tentatively stepped inside. I saw a huge marble topped dinning table lighted with candles with red shades masking the glow...giving the room a eerie yet warm feeling. At one end of the table, I saw a couple, dressed in black in their royal finery...the lady graceful and the man elegantly poised, sharing a drink between them.


The lady slowly turned towards me and asked - "Would you like to taste some wine, my dear?"


I was taken aback. I did not realize that they had seen me. I blushed with embarrassment thinking I had gate crashed on the couple's private moment; politely mumbling my 'No, thanks',exited the room. 


As I stumble out of the room, the door closed behind me. There was something odd. I fished out the literature about the castle from my hand bag. I re-read it. There was no mention of the Royalty using this particular castle as a holiday home/summer home/winter home...it did not house the Royalty at all!


I ran up to our group and sought our tour guide Mr. Brown and asked him whether someone from the Royal family was staying there? "Madam, this castle has been closed for more than a century....never used by the royal family. Just open to the public on demand. May I know the reason for your question?"


I recounted the incident at the dinning room to him and to the people in our group. Mr. Brown's pale skin got paler as the people around me gasped!


For - Mag 129

CHILDHOOD AND SOME MEMORIES.

If you can't beat them,
Join them!
I was a lone girl
In a family of boys
Was their partner
In crime
Created havoc
Big time.
They taught me everything
To ride a bike
Play cricket, marbles...
Rock climbing and 
Treasure hunt.
Followed them like a pup.


We played with
Discarded scooter tyres
Pushing and running
Behind them.


We had a beautiful garden
Full of colourful blooms
Eluding sweet perfume
And we ruined it!
Running our tyres
Over the flower beds
Stomping them
In the process
Killing them.
The boys were punished
And I was let off
The could only scoff
Some perks
Being the only girl, works!!


For - dVerse Poets Pub

MY NIGHTMARE!

The rug was pulled away from under my feet and my world toppled like a pack of cards when my maid announced that she was quitting!!

She had caught me unawares and hit me where it hurts the most – my pride!

She had tried the old trick of the trade, asked for an unreasonable raise in her salary that I had to let her go. From a house maid she had promoted herself as a cook and she knew it fetched her more than the housework. But, when I did a market survey, I found out that I was already paying her much more than the market value.

I raved, ranted, frothed from the mouth and smoked from the ears. The Sita in me suddenly donned the avatar of Durga and I grew three extra pairs of  hands and all of them sporting a weapon aimed at her.

My claws began to show and I attacked her, not with the sharpened claws, but, with my sharp tongue.

I let her go after showering her with my wrath...a disguise for my helpless desperation. Where will I get another Bai at such short notice? Well, there was no notice at all.

A “May Day” message was sent across to each and everyone I knew in my housing society. Friends spread the word to their Bais, watchmen were on the watch for a needy maid.

In my desperation, I had almost tempted and willed my mind that I will take upon doing the house work (good exercise) myself. Then, a light bulb went on somewhere in the dark corners of my mind and I had a moment of ‘nirvana’ and I bit back my treacherous mind.

All is well that ends well...a steady parade of Bais knocked at my door and phew! I hired a maid.

I can have my Zen moment now....for an extended period of time J

ONE...FUN?

Voices or noises
Doubts or wisdom
Impulses or reasoning
Life would have been
More simple
And World, a better place
If there were no choices
No right way or wrong
Just one way
One thinking
One consciousness
Everything Universal...
Serve you time
On Earth and
Get done with it.
But then, would it be fun?


For - G-man

IN A RUT!

Sitting by the window
I let the wind
Caress my skin
Calm my nerves
My hair blowing and
Picking my eyes...
Or is it my emotions?
Breathing is shallow
I hyperventilate
Trying to gulp in more 
Doesn't work.
Magic is everywhere
But, they fail to move me
Today...I am lazy
And brain dead
Mind cluttered
To quieten...
I try to unthink

This is nothing but a
Common psychosomatic condition
I know, yet
I let it grip me!!! 


For - Poetry Jam - Verbs!

LIFE'S LESSONS

Driving in the heavy downpour
Wiper stuck....
Visibility poor,
Images blurred and distorted
Feeling edgy and panicky
Trying to focus
Could wait for the storm to pass
Or meet it head on
With belief and
Experience to guide
And expertise as compass
Or experiment
Things can go wrong
Or not.
Life! and its little lessons.


For - dVerse~Open Link Night