The Sunset and Sunrise

As the horizon embraces the setting sun
The sky adorns a crimson cape
A splatter of yellow,orange ,red spread across the sky
A glimmer of sadness of a day gone by
Leaving a trail of memories behind
Of accomplishments and defeats
Of being courageous as well as flawed
Of decisions taken and left half way trodden
Of choosing the path less traveled on
Of re-visiting the to-do-list
Striking off some and underlining the rest
Of promises made to the self
Of ambitions dreamt …….a few lived
Many more yet to be achieved
Yes, somewhere hope gleamed
Made way through the cracks in the myriad splatter of colors
Dusk settled paving the way for yet another tomorrow
Another opportunity to do what is remaining
2017 is about to culminate
An end that precedes another beginning!


Image Courtesy : A Friend

The Painting on the Wall

Sitting alone with Silence as my only companion
The afternoon Sun peeping in through the window pane
I gazed at the framed painting on the wall...
lost in thoughts
When suddenly the image moved!
Was is for real or just a fragment of my imagination?
Amazed, my eyes traced its distinct outlines
The contours explored took me to a new World,
Never before experienced
I traveled with the little frame of a girl
Along the banks of an unknown river
With birds chirping in the distance
The breeze almost touched my hair
I lived a beautiful spring afternoon
That day sitting alone in my little room
I saw a story coming to life unexpectedly
Realized that amazing things happen all around us
We just need to pause and indulge
In the beauty of life encapsulated
With the essence of the yet unknown....unexplored!

Image Courtesy : A Friend

Festive Lights…….(Poetry form: cascade)

Certain instances bring back flashes of memories from the past and at times I am left amazed when I am unable to find any difference between the past and the present. Somethings are left untouched by time, I believe and are constant. My fascination for old buildings is one such thing .I love to get lost in the thoughts of the times spent at my ancestral home  particularly during the festive season which brings back innumerable fond memories. A picture clicked by my friend evoked those sentiments again and I spilled them out here.

Thanks Radhashree for giving permission to use the picture clicked by you as my muse for this composition.

 Festive Lights…….(Poetry form: cascade)

Dusk came galloping wielding shades of grey

The winding alleys enveloped with dark wings gradually

 And , Night descended instantly

Festive lights spread hope at all corners

Illuminating the old lanes laced with memories of the day

Dusk came galloping wielding shades of grey

The ancient balcony looked around amused

As glitterati environed the winding footpath magically

The alleys enveloped with dark wings gradually

Same day sometime long ago the balcony was not ancient anymore

But strangely those dark wings still embraced the winding alleys

And, Night descended instantly.

PC: Radhashree

 

Day 31- OctPoWriMo 2017- I survived and how!

Day 31- #OctPoWriMo2017

What! It’s the last day of OctPoWriMo2017 already?
 I was really warming up and planning to play with words and forms!
Well, never mind, will wait till next time!
 Wow! I kind of rhymed it !

Thanks to the organizers of this fabulous platform where I got to create so much and learn extensively!
This attempt has fueled my passion and love for poetry .

Yes, I have survived this challenge and how! Though missed the first two days, did not follow the prompt given on a number of occasions, but nevertheless delved deep into unexplored territory and yes, attempted Haiku as well! Feeling accomplished but hungry for more!



Image Source : OctPowriMo2017

The entry for Day 31: Poetry form Acrostic (one of my favorites) on “Mysterious”

Moving randomly- the alphabets A- Z, as if playing hide-and-seek
Yellow hat putting the grey cells to work passionately
Somehow the words played pranks with the mind
Thoughts came and went like the rapid gust of wind
Encircling the untrodden terrains of creativity
Raring to go ahead, but at times stopping dead
Inching again with determination regained
Ousting all fear of failure and donning the Green hat of creativity
Ushered in rainbow colored thoughts finally
Satisfaction – oh so dear, as the musing got an image, gradually!

Waiting for next year!

My compositions for Days 30 and 29- OctPoWriMo2017

Day 30: Forbidden

Well, not following the poetry form today as want to wander a bit before settling down. While taking a stroll  and contemplating on what to write, came across a tiny sapling emerging from a concrete slab covering the ground . The image kept haunting me till I penned down the lines below:

A rebel!

The tiny sapling pierced walls of concrete
Prohibited from emerging
She was crowned the princess with Wings!


Day 29: Still bent on tiny compositions . I remember after a long spell of rain when the skies cleared and the rays of Sun emerged , I gasped at the beauty as I looked up at the sky! I still get goosebumps as I recall that moment! Hence, my idea was born for this poem:

Stunned !

The warm rays kissed my cold lips

Nimbus clouds dissolved

Your ardent love took my breath away!

Silhouetted memories

Day 28: OctPoWriMo

Sense of Belonging

I was raised in a joint family where laughter and togetherness was synonymous with our existence. Then life happened and with the passage of time we drifted apart to different parts of the country and world .We hardly get to meet once even in a year now . I was thinking about this prompt when I saw birds flocking together and flying towards home at sun down. They made a spectacular vision against the crimson –red sky with the fading rays of the Sun biding adieu . I heaved a sigh as I longed to experience the belongingness within the warm walls of my ancestral home amidst my family members.


A short emotional composition today( off the suggested form) :


The murmuration of a flock of birds
against the crimson sky
Silhouetted memories gone by
An overpowering sense of belonging
Still leaving behind the fragrance
Adorning the pages of the old album
Another day has come to an end
In a distant land
And the heart yearns
To be engulfed in the moments
So familiar yet so distant
That sense of belonging
Brought to life once again
By the flock of starlings
Against the crimson Sky!

Your fragrance- a bouquet of Memories

Day 27: The scent of a flower

Attempted poetry form : Haiku

I don't know, but I have tried this form earlier but somehow the essence was not coming through my compositions. The prompt today made me attempt this once again since with the fragrance of roses I always remember my grandmother who was a lady par excellence! I would always love her and those wonderful memories would be cherished as long as I breathe!

My humble attempt:

A bunch of wild roses blooming 
The air still resplendent with your fragrance
Memories cascade down my eyes (tired)

Days 26 and 25- OctPoWriMO2017

Day 26:  Poetry forms in pictures
Attempted poetry form : cascade

I love travelling to the hills as well as beaches. While surfing through the archives, came across this calming picture of a beach where we had visited a couple of years ago. The pattern of waves falling against the shore encouraged me to develop a Cascade .

So, my entry for today :

The cascading waves

The waves came to meet the glistening shore 
Gradually, one after the other, softening as they neared 
Surely,  they have so much to say to one another

Tales of far and wide, of ships and aquatic life
As the moon shone above , quietly , witnessing this encore
The waves came to meet the glistening shore 

It was their moment, meeting towards the day’s end
When the sky embraced the dark blanket and the ocean soothed
Gradually, one after the other, softening as they neared 

The birds were home bound, their hearts filled with warmth
At the very thought of meeting their family members
Surely ,  they have so much to say to one another.

PC: Self

Day 25:

Taste of Satisfaction

A Soliloquy for me as I think what if " Satisfaction" spent sometime alone and had a quiet conversation in solitude ?

I am happiness personified
A feeling cushioned with gaiety
The reason behind….
The smile that travels from the lips to the eyes
That has a Midas touch
That catapults emotions to new heights of elation
That sentiment which sends ripples of warmth
Across the contours defining expression
When the mountains, hills, meadows and springs
Seem to share the joy , the bliss
When everything around looks fresh and new
Adorning the glorious tiara of contentment
And life appears to be so different, yet so endearing
Filled with music, oh! So pleasing!
When the heart cannot but stop singing!
When the sensation is craved to be experienced
That emotion which follows aspirations accomplished
That which brings the taste of satisfaction unadulterated!

Rendezvous unparalleled- A Blitz Poem

Day 24: "When Lovers Meet", #OctPoWriMo

Attempted poetry form: Blitz

The love depicted in my poem is defined by the love for knowledge which entwines the minds and then the souls of two individuals who are different from each other in all possible ways, except this insatiable quest for enlightenment of the mind.They meet accidentally but with the passage of time grow fond of each others company and meet almost regularly thereafter. The bond grows stronger and stronger and so does their love.

Happy reading !

Casual encounter
Casual rendezvous
Rendezvous intriguing
Rendezvous insatiable
Insatiable for knowledge
Insatiable for consciousness
Consciousness elevating
Consciousness about existence
Existence defining purpose
Existence defining meaning
Meaning of life
Meaning of living
Living the dream
Living as companions
Companions conjoined
Companions made
Made for each other
Made to be together
Together the journey
Together garnering
Garnering understanding
Garnering cognition
Cognition held firmly
Cognition of this venture
Venture into a world
Venture into enlightenment
Enlightenment transfigured
Enlightenment illuminated
Illuminated their minds
Illuminated their souls
Souls so diverse
Souls so different
Different yet so similar
Different but near
Near through cognizance
Near by thought process
Process not comprehensible
Process but phenomenal
Phenomenal  is their friendship
Phenomenal is their love
Love without any locks
Love sublime
Sublime is the feeling
Sublime is the emotion
Emotion for one another
Emotion unparalleled
Unparalleled fondness
Unparalleled warmth
Warmth
Fondness

My entries for days 23 and 22- OctPoWriMo2017

Day 23 : "What is the message"

Attempted poetry form: Nonet

The concept took me to one of my old compositions," The Rainbow". I have always been fascinated by the magical existence of the glorious rainbow with the unique seven hues and feel that it spreads the message of peace and contentment . My spirits are uplifted at the very moment I see a rainbow across the blue sky ! My tribute to nature and its magical effect on my life!

I am the Rainbow

My entry is scripted right after a refreshing downpour
When clouds fade and the warm rays intersect
The prismy droplets, I emerge as a Rainbow .
Concoction of seven hues, My existence
defined by their warmth ,rejuvenated
Have a chat with the butterflies
Then I bid adieu with a
message of peace,
Contentment!

Day 22 : Purposeful passion

This idea is so near to my heart that I can write again and again! I love the poetry form "Acrostic" and though I have tried this form earlier, I am encouraged to try it again ,all the more because it given purpose to my composition as well.

Here it is:

 Re discovering the Golden Self once again

Poetry Form: Acrostic

Pursuing her dreams has always been difficult

Adjusting and accommodating demands of life prevalent

Sometimes the distance seemed to grow with each passing moment

Somewhere her hope to impart knowledge to the underprivileged

Instilled courage to bridge the gap between aspiration and reality

On she ventured alone to fulfill her destiny

Never after the first step did she ever look back

Watched the young minds bloom in the shade of enlightenment

Inspired others to follow suit

To come and join hands with her in this adventure

Hoping to rediscover the golden soul hidden beneath the layers

Polishing and garnering faith in the minds of the less fortunate

Urging them to journey on this wonderful path

Revealing the power within to accomplish what one dreamed

Purpose given to an ordinary life enhanced to serve

Overwhelming is the satisfaction experienced henceforth

So many lives brightened with education

Emboldening them on to realize what once their golden souls dreamed!

The Old Banyan Tree

Day 21: #OctPoWriMo : Nothing remains the same

Attempted poetry form: abecedarian.

The concept today gave me the opportunity to re visit my childhood where I certainly went with high hopes of finding everything  unchanged but was amazed to see the alteration . It certainly made me realize that "Nothing remains the Same!"

Another year almost tumbling to a culmination

But I, sit here near the window sill lost

Clinging to the memories of my childhood

Dear to my heart, yesterday, today and always

Eager for a home-coming, but that seems like a dream

Frolicking across the terrain of memories

Gathered during my last visit

Happiness knew no bounds as I landed on home ground

Instantly my spirits lifted up and I felt determined

Jumping, running I covered the last few yards towards my home

Knocked on the old wooden door with delight- I visualized

Lo and behold! What did I find?

Moments later I realized that I still didn’t reach

No, wait a minute, my mind quizzed

Over there was a park just near where I lived

Playfulness of happy children filled the air during the evenings

Quiet, it was very quiet as the scene had changed!

Rows and rows of buildings stood there silent!

Somewhere down the lane stood a banyan tree

The same tree that had been our playmate innumerable times

Up we climbed, played hide and seek behind its thick trunk!

Vivid are those memories still, alive but cannot be re-lived!

Wondering what happened to those days?

asphyXiated stood there lost in a reverie

Year long wait to re- visit childhood cut short

Zealously the childish mind hopes that all will be same once again!

Days : 20, 19 and 18- #OctPoWriMo2017

Well, here's a bouquet of my offerings for days 20, 19 and 18 .

Day 20: Desires and remembering

Posting an old composition which depicts the love blossoming between a lonely building and the first drops of rain:

Drenched in Love !

Cool breeze brushed against
Embraced the agitated heated walls
Of brick, mortar and concrete
Nimbus clouds gathered
The environ wore a look romantic
The first kiss of the droplets
Of the first shower of the season
Sent shivers down the walls of the building
Shivers of joy, Adrenalin rush
It blushed with cupid’s touch
Love evoked sentiments unknown
In the mind of the building forlorn !


Day 19: Fox of Foxy

Interesting prompt, my attempt at "Florette"

A foxic encounter

A cold winter morning in the wood
The campfire reminding of warmish days of childhood
Suddenly the crunch of dry leaves broke the reverie
Smell of danger lurked heavily in the neighborhood

Could feel the twitch gnawing at the nape
As if a pair of steel grey eyes caught every movement in its grip
Cold sweat washed over the nervous figure
Unaware about the crouching predator camouflaged in cunning cape

The air was strangely still , as if waiting with baited breath
To watch the turnaround of the events at length
The fire still burning bright with all its might
In a flash I brandished the flaming sword with all my strength

The blood curdling howl froze the blood in my veins
My trembling knees refused to be commanded by my brain
But I held my ground as the fox circled around and then left
It was a foxic encounter nothing less than an emotional hurricane!


Day 18: Everyone went on Eating!

Poetry form: "Palindrome"

Tried my best, this is what resulted in the end ! :

The Rolling Stone

She is-  obedient girl,
A dreamer ,a seeker , a traveler at heart
  Was Attired She stiffly
One day, at the dinner table
Her wandering soul announced ,” I am a rolling stone”.
“Rolling stone, are you?, chorused the family through
A laugh,” What a joke!,” and they went on…
But still at heart, wandered the rolling stone,
Stiffly she attired was
At heart a traveler, a seeker, a dreamer
Girl obedient, is she?


Wow! finally feeling accomplished!!!

Magic is in the air.....when you believe in it!

Day 17: #OctPoWriMo

Well, tried to weave a story that I had written sometime back into  a poem , but I am sure that I must have crossed the limit of 50 words!

The story is about a mysterious phone call that magically saves the life of my protagonist's aunt.
So, here it is :

Memories are those fond images adorning the album of life
Some bring smile to the face, some color to the eyes
While turning over the pages revisited the mountains 
The usual visit to my aunt’s place atop a picturesque hill
It was a cloudy morning and the air thick with damping spirit
I was about to leave to join my aunt at the studio at 10
When the storm descended without a warning
Darkness enveloped the horizon and it looked like evening!
Flashes of lightning sent shivers down the spine
When all of  a sudden  screamed the bell of the landline!
A voice….trembling ,choking with emotion warned me of a danger
An accident involving my aunt!
When abruptly the line went dead!
Grabbing the flashlight I ventured out without a second thought
The climate had worsened with each passing second
It was difficult to see through the thick sleet of rain
The road was treacherous and played pranks with my sight
It had become unknown all of a sudden
I have traveled the mountainous paths so many times
But that day everything was bleak and strange
I hurried as fast as I could but slipped and fell on the muddy road
Panic stricken and drenched to the skin I screamed for help
Only to be greeted by the continuous sound of rain and the lightning intermittent
Painfully I stood up and with grazed knees but determined will
I moved on towards the studio situated up-hill
Reached after what seemed like an eternity with parched throat
Scared to discover what I feared the most, I tried to shout
But strangely no voice came out!
I shouted again with all my might,” Auntie!”
The echo of my own voice replied back quite eerily!
I tiptoed towards the door that was open to my surprise!
Peeped in with the only sound of my thumping heart playing havoc in my ears
Could not locate her in the dim light….but wait,something peeped from behind the desk
Her shoes….I ran to find her unconscious on the floor!
******************************************
A couple of days later, I went to visit her
At the hospital where she was recovering from an accident fatal!
It was a bright and beautiful day with the rainbow adorning the blue sky
As I put the bouquet of roses by her bedside, she flashes a smile
As colorful as the rainbow outside!
***********************************************
The call that came that day still remains a mystery
I left it that way and as I looked at the rainbow above
My heart skipped a beat as I realized
It must have been magic that saved my aunt’s life!

Scared to be alone!

Day 16: #OctPoWriMo

Prompt : Losing your fears and tears

The protagonist in my poem has a heart of gold but is outspoken and doesn’t hesitate from calling a spade a   spade. She is also quite impatient and is unable to hold onto relationships for long, but she is scared of loneliness. The very thought of returning to an empty house suffocates her .The silent rooms mock at her loneliness . Yes, she breaks down in tears at the very thought of living alone all these years!

Tried to follow the story-line based concept even today where till the end the fear remains.


“Oh! When will you learn to be polite,
Not call “a spade a spade”, and disrespect!”
Echoed the oh so familiar voice !
Against the rooms resplendent with her fond memories!
“But, I just told the  truth,” blurted the innocent curly haired rebel!
Yes, form her early childhood, she wore her attitude on her sleeve!

Those memories became all the more vivid
In these quiet mammoth –like cages
Built of cement, bricks, mortar and concrete!
She was even scared to breathe
Lest she disturbed the looming silence enveloping the grim palace!

It has been a long journey…..alone for her mostly
Relationships came and went like the varying monsoons
Some dark, some cloudy but dotted with rainbows intermittently
But….all gone now, an integral part of History!

Things could have been different, though!
Had she been less of a rebel and more a common girl,
But No!

She ached to re-live those wonderful bygone days
Surrounded with laughter, chatter instead of this foreboding calmness,
It was scary! Those silhouettes housed something sinister!
Danger from the darkness lurked at every corner !

She longed for companionship at this juncture
When the sun had set leaving behind the misty dusk
When the cognizance of the vivacious day lay etched
In the memory of each rock, boulder and atom of clay!
When the breeze whispered with the leaves of the trees in the darkness
Somewhere in the old palace, she is still awake!
Unable to sleep out of fear
Of loneliness!

The Clock!

Day 15: #OctPoWriMo

Prompt : Fighting the urge to Vomit!

What a prompt! But it sure encouraged my thoughts to spread wings and fly towards a different direction today.

A story -based composition with this prompt inculcated is hereby presented.

I tried my best......hope you like it as well :-)



Tick- tock, Tick –tock
I was doing exactly what the clock does….
Move and change places
Almost after every 6 month
At times even a week till I finally didn’t have strength
But the memories of that formidable incident
Haunted me day and night
Leaving me irritable, insomniac.

That day when my world crumbled around me to a thousand pieces
When that terrible piece of news reached me hence
My reflection, friend, soul-mate, my blood
My only source of strength in this whole wide world!
No more…. No more would greet me with arms wide open
At the end of a tiring day when I would reach our den!

No more teasing, cuddling ,caring for one another
Oh! How would I survive in solitude where we had dreamed together!
Red! The color red! Devilish ….morbid….makes me sick
At the very sight my inside churn and scream to come out!
I feel weak, overpowered by this strong urge to vomit!

No drop of red at the place of my solace!
Curtains, covers, draperies, clothes, sheets
All need to be white, pristine
Else, I would roam homeless, sleepless without respite
As the nightmares keep visiting me till they decide to reside!

Do they know that you are not there anymore?
To rescue me from their vicious grip?
To hold me tight when I scream in sleep?
To comfort me when I tremble in panic?
They do, I am sure!

For I see Red all around me, all over me
When I close my eyes!
I am sleep deprived!
Trotting along wide –eyed in search of oblivion

Tick- tock, Tick-tock
The clock on the wall still does its work
And again I step outside,
In search of a place which I can call Home!

The deafening roar of Silence!

Day 14: #OctPoWriMo

Day 14: Movement and Words

Today I will drift a bit away from the given prompt and focus on the power of silence which has inspired me to think time and again .

Powerful, stoic,
Emphatic, intelligent
I have many shades
Percolating the cacophony mundane
When used with purpose
I surpass all words
Leaving behind an impenetrable impression
To be pondered time and again
Deafening at times ,
Knocking incessantly on the doors
Leading to Conscience.

The Palette

Day 13: #OctPoWriMo

Prompt: Art in the wayward mind

True! So True! I loved the images and taking inspiration from them allowed my thoughts to drift around a bit before coming to a standstill in front of an unused and old palette lying alone at one corner.

My poem for the day :

As the rays of the morning sun
Fell on the palette lying forlorn,
The dried colors gleamed back in delight!
Red, orange, blue, pink, green and white
The rainbow adorned his studio
And the artist came back to life!
Freedom of expression decked each composition
Thoughts, emotions imprisoned for so long
Came tumbling down like the voracious torrent
As each stroke of the brush waltzed on the blank canvas
The air became resplendent with music
Music of love for art, for the artist
Bouquets of suppressed feelings
Deep, profound engraved the drawings

The spectators gaped in amazement
Praise, adulation, name and fame
All showered on the silhouetted frame,
Still peace was not to be found
He roamed for inspiration day and night
That insatiable hunger for the ultimate portrait
Left him restless, sleepless, homeless
They pointed at him and said,” There goes a madman! Beware!”

Ha! No one understood his quest!
The everlasting affair of Muse with the artist 
The bitter sweet relationship
Of creativity with pursuit

Till the final piece of art,
Evoked the pain within,
They said ,” It’s his best work, till date,”
Ignorant of the situations that lead,
To carve the final stroke,
With his last breath, “ The End”.

The Bookshelf- repost

Day 12: #OctPoWriMo

Whew! What an incredible prompt! Didn't have the courage to attempt it so re posting an old composition which suits the concept, though.

Imagination stands in the Road- As a child my imaginary friend or friends rather were books and my favorite place was near the old bookshelf which stood quietly at one corner of the drawing room. Gradually I lost the habit of reading and was caught up in the hullabaloo of mundane life. During one of my recent visits to my home, I found the bookshelf still standing at the same corner and looking at me sadly. It was then that I thought about these lines:

The bookshelf stood quietly in the corner

Old, lonely with silence as partner

The glass panes layered with dust

Made it difficult to discover the

Treasure cove hidden in its breast

Books of travel, history, love, prose and poetry,

Pages yearned to be read again

By curious eyes filled with wonder

Seasons changed, it’s summer again!

Sunshine brightened the room in all its splendor,

Also brightened the dark corner

Did the shelf dance in delight?

Coming back to life…….

Or was it a momentary mirage

Played by conspiring game of shade and light!

I approached expectantly with bated breath,

Goosebumps accompanied my trembling gait,

Proposing for the first time would have been easier instead!

Opened the door carefully in amazement,

Oh, it blushed a rose red!

Held a book like treasured possession

The romance with words began hence,

Back to reading books again,

Delving into the magnanimous ocean,

Old habits die hard, they said,

It was on hibernation, I believe in my case,

Waltzing into this phase of life,

The old book shelf indeed danced in delight !