Her heart was going pit-a-pat
Beads of perspiration ran down her spine
Her palms were clammy
Her feet leaden
But now there was no turning back
As she stepped forward
A bloodcurdling scream escaped her lips
Pandemonium reigned all around
The weight of her costume had toppled her
She lay flat on her face on the stage
Such an inglorious, ignominious debut
Had left her red-faced for life.
It’s funny how this life
Which has a finite end
May seem endless at various junctures
For some it is an endless quest for truth
Seeking answers to questions
That boggle their mind
There are others for whom it is a constant struggle
To make peace with the demons that plague their mind
For most of us it is full of endless surprises
Some pleasant, some unfortunate
But most which throw plans in a disarray
Forcing us to plan anew
I look upon this journey as an endless learning cycle
Learning to love, lose, let go and love again
Accept with equanimity whatever comes my way
And what stays with me is the fact
Everyday we are given endless opportunities
To make sense of what has been handed to us
If only we would make use of some.
Day 31: Endless
Rivulets of sweat streamed down his face
He was woken up by a noise
In the dead of the night
He sat upright on his bed
Clutching the sheet to his chest
He was praying fervently
When he heard the sound again
Mustering courage
He gingerly placed his feet on the floor
Picked the heavy vase from the night stand
And with accelerated heartbeats
Filled with untold dread
Stepped into the living room
There sprawled in the centre of the room
Was his sister crunching and munching
On a bag of chips!
Up, up and away
Today is certainly my day
I have let go of my worries
And all of destiny’s furies
Shaking off the mental shackles
Letting go of anything that rankles
Loosening those gagging emotional ties
I am done with half truths and lies
Freeing my soul of craven captivity
Unleashing unbridled creativity
Lighter and happier than ever before
I spread my wings and soar
I am over the proverbial moon
Waltzing to my own happy tune!
Day 30: Dancing on moon
Bestowed ever so lovingly by dad
It was given to me without much fanfare
But as is the tradition in our family
A quirky nickname too was foisted on me
(that story is for another day!)
And that has stuck all this while
To family and close friends
I am that
The given name ; for official use
And shortened and lovingly
Mangled by school and college friends
Barked out by teachers
When I was in a spot of trouble
And that was that!
Then you walked into my life
Using it hesitatingly at first
And then completely owning me with it
A man of few words
My name on your lips
Is a barometer of your love
From morn till night
You repeat it like an invocation
And over time I have come to read
Hidden nuances in it
The day I don’t hear it much
I know you are upset
I’ve come to love it more than
Anyone can love their own name
It is a one word senryu as well as love sonnet
When you utter my name.
How many times it has happened
Faced by choices
Have wondered which way to go
Sometimes it is easy
And no logic is required
To drive the point home
At others, one has to prioritize
So that the right decision is made
The tussle between the heart and the mind
Though may fill one with angst
Can still be resolved
But there are those times
Times of moral dilemmas
When one doesn’t know which path to take
Being split wide open
Right through the middle
Like walking on the tight rope of
Ethical paradox
The schism causing
Great consternation
And a meltdown.
Day 28: Split in two
Let me tell you, my dear friend
This absolute mephistolean trick
Drenched to the core in wickedness
Is just not adorable!
Halloween is still a few days later
Your chicanery has started right away!
I am sharing an old poem today which seems so apt for today’s prompt. I had just started greying then.
Day 27 : What colour is it?
When I was growing up
Blue was my favourite colour.
Perhaps I liked the ever changing shades of sky,
Or because my house was blue,
Maybe my tranquil nature gravitated towards it,
Plausibly it was a reflection of a melancholic side.
As I grew older it changed.
I started liking pastels and dull colours.
They helped me merge in the background,
And avoid attention at all cost
Maybe I chose so, keeping my complexion in mind.
But over the years have embraced,
Warm and vibrant colours.
As my confidence in self grew,
I wore bold colours with a vengeance,
As if to prove something and make a point
But more so because I felt at ease
With my mature self at last.
But now that I think I am wiser and maturer,
Grey is the colour of my preference.
I wear grey hair as a badge
Of all the years…
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Today a unique festival is celebrated in the northwestern parts of India. It is called Karvachauth. It is actually a day of fasting for married women. They remain without food and water from before sunrise (5.00 a.m.) to moonrise praying for the long life of their husband. After they have offered water to the moon, they end their fast. This festival is believed to have started off as a day when women fasted for the safety and longevity of their menfolk away from home, on the warfront. It is celebrated on the fourth day of the waning moon of the eighth month of the lunar calendar.
There are many stories about the origin of this fast.
What I find interesting is that whoever had started this tradition, hundreds of years ago, knew back then that the life expectancy of men is less than that of the womenfolk and that, they would need their wives’ prayers for longevity! 😃
Another interesting fact is that on this day, while offering prayers before sunset, women dress to the hilt in bridal adornments (sixteen in number) from head to toe.
My poem is about how the women today, may not actually be adorned in those sixteen bridal adornments everyday, but symbolically how they conduct themselves in everyday life, epitomizes that.
सोलह श्रृंगार
यह सच है कि अब नही सजती हूँ मैं
पर सोलह श्रृंगार आज भी करती हूँ मैं।
माँ- पिता का आशीर्वाद, माँग का झूमर है,
पिया तुमसे प्रणय वादा, मेरा सिंदूर है।
बालों का गजरा, जूड़े को बाँधे, मेरी कलम है
ललाट पर मेरे, अभिमान का टीका है।
आँखों में मेरे है प्रेम का काजल
मेरी नथ, मेरा आत्म विश्वास ही है।
मीठे दो बोल तुम्हारे बने मेरे कर्णफूल
पिया तुम्हारा बाहुपाश, मेरा बाजूबंद है।
मेरी कलाइयाँ खनके नन्हें हाथों में
गले में बाँहें तुम्हारी, मेरा हार हैं।
हल्दी-मसाले ही मेरी मेहंदी रचे हर रोज
चाबियों के छल्ले बने मेरी अंगूठियाँ हैं।
कमर में खोसा आँचल है कमरबंद मेरा,
मेरे पायल और बिछिया, मेरे कदमें की उड़ान है।
यह सच है कि अब उतना नही सजती हूँ मैं
पर सोलह श्रृंगार हर रोज करती हूँ मैं।
Bridal Adornments
It is true I don’t dress up much these days
But I do use the sixteen adornments till this date.
My parents blessings adorn my forehead
My promise to love you is my vermilion
The pen keeping my hair bun is like flowers braided in my hair
My pride adorns my forehead like bindi*
My eyes are embellished with the kohl of love
My confidence I wear like my nose pin
Your sweet whispers adorn my ears
Your embrace is like my armlets.
My wrists are adorned by our kids’ little hands
Your arms around my neck replace the necklace
The spices I use for cooking, colour my hands like henna
The house keys are like many rings on my fingers
The loose end of my saree around my waist is like an ornamental waistband
The wings you give me are my anklets and toe rings.
It is true I don’t dress up much these days
But I do use the sixteen adornments everyday!
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