Monday 28 July 2014

Clear : haiku





Haiku Horizons prompt “clear”


                                                         
   




 

                                                



pristine white snow
melts our hearts
global-warming on the rise

global-warming on the rise
clear streams gurgle down
to quench mankind

to quench mankind
river soils her soul
flows to merge

flows to merge
clear saline sea
end of journey.



The two photos are clicked in Leh-Ladakh where we saw the snow melting to form clear streams rushing down to the plains.


Monday 21 July 2014

Asafoetida

                                              abc15 (1)


Asafoetida is a perennial plant which grows upto to 6 feet tall and has a fleshy taproot.

Asafoetida or hing as it is Indian languages is also known as the stinking gum because of its strong flavour.

 Asafoetida is a dried latex which is extracted from the living underground rhizome or tap root of the perennial herd , Ferula. It is available in the market in the form of brick, piece, or powder form.

Asafoetida is an important ingredient in  most of the Indian recipes for flavouring indian curry , pickles. 

Its health benefits are manifold :

Asafoetida is added to curries , Indian Daals for aiding indigestion. 

It is added to buttermilk and drunk to get relief from flatulence.

It is used to relieve chest congestion and release of phlegm by mixing a pinch of 
asafoetida , honey and ginger and consumed orally.

It is considered helpful for women  with menstrual cramps.

Due to its strong pungent smell , it is used in insect and mosquito repellent.  

It has an additional benefit of lowering cholesterol.


                             
Asafoetida in brick form and powder.
                                                                                         Asafoetida plant.



                                         For  :  ABC Wednesday

                               Thank you Densie Nesbitt and Roger.


Information and pictures courtesy Google.

content




                syrupy pancakes
          eats to heart's content
               sugar levels soar

             -----------------------


         for : haiku horizon


Sunday 20 July 2014

Temptation.


Magpie Tales

      


                




bright colours
perfect shapes
gleaming and shinning
luscious and inviting
promises of a juicy health
alluring me to succumb
to the temptation..............
Eve, dear Eve
thou fell prey to the sweet talk
a bite of the forbidden  fruit
banished mankind from Eden.

Oranges, peaches and apples
my eyes feast on the apples
Poor Eve! Innocent Eve
the golden fruit beckons.
mesmerizing  my senses
As I leave the Eden Fruit Shop
my bag is full.



   


      For :  Magpie Tales

Friday 18 July 2014

No questions , please

                                           Photo: The title's a bit misleading, isn't it? No, we're not talking about those lovely pair of "flip-flops" that you wear to the beach. (Though I must admit, they are quite nice). This open prompt is about a time when you've changed your opinion about something or someone. 

Date: 18th July 2014
Link : http://wepostdaily.wordpress.com/2014/07/18/flip-flop-open-to-all-prompt/ 

(Link only opens at midnight on 18th July 2014)

Guidelines:

1/ The post can be as short or as long as you want. It can be a haiku, 100-words or 55 words fiction, long fiction, satire. Absolutely anything goes as long as it relates to the prompt.

2/ You need to paste the link to your blog in the comments section before midnight IST, so yes, that’s by 23:59 today, Friday, 18th July 2014.

3/ The prompt is open to all, not just Project 365 guest authors. Every single person with an online voice (or otherwise – in which case please email us your “creative article”).



The oft asked  innocuous questions to a newly wedded couple , ' so when is the stork going to visit?' Or ," when will we hear the pittër-patter of tiny feet?" sends shivers down my spine, bringing uncomfortable memories to the fore-front. These questions posed may be used to break the ice or tease the lady , but the underlying overtones are never pleasant and are an invasion to the privacy of an individual.

Being married for ten long years and with no addition to the family worried many people. Colleagues at work place  subtly hinted at seeking medical aid. 

Neighbours would  'flaunt' their babies taking pride at how fast they were at re-production. 

Even my old maid pointed out to a nest chirping with fledglings , prayed God for my house to be çomplete'. 

I had learnt to ignore the concerns and had built a wall of indifference around myself to ward off the barbs. I was asked by one lady in the building not to attend the 'naamkaran' (naming) ceremonies of infants.  Nazar lag jayegee. I loved and still love babies and failed to understand how my presence at the ceremony would harm the innocent ones?

My neighbour's  mother-in-law asked me to chant hymns and perform pujas to appease the celestial beings to become pregnant. 

One old lady concluded that I had sinned as I used to partake non-vegetarian food which is forbidden in  my caste.

I felt I was the cynosure of the whole world . People would discuss , debate and analyse the reasons for my barrenness. Their fertile imagination made it embarrassing for me and my husband to attend weddings and parties where the topic of the bedroom gravitated to the drawing room. I could have written a thesis on this subject and earned a doctorate degree.

A friend who was facing financial difficulties was seeking the help of a renowned astrologer to tackle her balance-sheet, casually asked me to meet him to find a solution to my problem. I felt I faced no problem and was on the brink of asking her to visit a financial planner instead of an astrologer. 

Now my child is fifteen years old and as I look back with a  degree of anger, I count my blessings as my in-laws never asked me uncomfortable questions . My parents were anxious and their concern is unquestionably natural.

My anger and irritability has scaled down with the passage of time but I have vowed never to ask personal questions to others. A woman's body is not meant just for reproduction purpose should be firmly drilled into every female's head. My  heart and mind are more important than my womb.

Children are a pleasure and parenting is a mixed bag of emotions . Leave it to an individual to exercise his/her choice of continuing their lineage or not. Procreation is not universal.



                                                           


Inhale, breathe deeply and allow others to breathe. Do not breathe down other people's neck.

                                Live and allow others to live too.

                     Readers have you ever been at the receiving end?

                      This post is written for Project 365 - A post a day .



Wednesday 16 July 2014

The ram

                                    PHOTO PROMPT - Copyright - Adam Ickes

PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Adam Ickes




The lawyers having worked out the separation for their clients to the last details, there lay no further delay for treading different paths.

“May you start your life without past animosities”, said John, peremptorily, thrusting a toy ram into her arms, a reminder of their second anniversary gift.

Knowing his innate quality for deception, her sixth sense prevented from accepting it but she did not want to exacerbate the situation and quietly left.

She felt being watched. The ram sat in a strategic corner of Maryann’s bedroom with its camera eyes wide open, recording all her movements unknown to her.

                   Thank you Rochelle for the wonderful photo prompt.

                                                 word count : 100

                                        Friday Fictioneers Rules.


a dog's life

Fraught
Honorable 
Nocturnal












nocturnal duty 
fraught with dangers
intentions honourable 

intentions honourable
when barks wake up sleepers
chases thieves away.

Sunday 13 July 2014

award from Privy


Thank you Privy Trifles for the Liebester Award that you have so generously
passed it on to me. Its very nice to be loved and acknowledged.

Spreading love and happiness comes naturally to you, Privy and this is amply reflected
in your blogs.

                                                                               


Accepting this award from Privy , I am supposed to answers some questions posed by her.



What is writing to you?

Writing to me is an extension of  pouring my unsaid thoughts . Writing is therapeutic and I love to read what I have written.

Why blogging?

The social networking has /is a boon of technology. As am shy person , blogging is an effective tool to reach out to people without actually being seen. The virtual  semi-anonymity is encouraging.

What does your blog mean to you?
It is like penning my diary. And Gemini in the sky is my canvas to unleash the colourful thoughts.

If given a choice what would you like to change about LIFE right now?
I would like to possess more energy.

Say something to someone you have always wanted to.........
To the naysayers : I am not listening.

Meaning of life to you in one word.
Enigmatic 

One song that describes you perfectly.
A true Gemini I am , no one song can describe me fully but I love songs with foot-tapping beats. No sad songs for me.

How will you like to be remembered?
I am in love with life and would liked to be remembered as a person who has embraced life wholeheartedly . No tears please.

Words for me.
Visiting Privy's blogs  means a soothing balm to the soul. The vastness of LIFE's LESSONS  is neatly condensed to small paras of gyaan.


                                   
Google Images.





 

Stairs

Magpie Tales

Mag 228


                                  


                              Lost in the maze of reminiscences 
                          groping through the folds of the mind
                                I remember the glorious era
                         of pristine laughter and hushed whispers
                              echoing in the aisle of childhood
                                 lost in the hurried transition
                                       of growing up phase.

                                    The palace of abundance
                                 now bereft of magnificence 
                            pale shadow of the bygone years

                                  the footsteps running
                                          up and down
                                          down and up
                                 The stone stairs black
                           veiled in tattered carpet red
                                       bore the brunt
                                  sheds tears silently
                                  enlarging the rot.
                                  console each other.




                                                            I hurry and scurry
                                          to leave behind a legacy
                                             of past rich history.


                   


                                                              For : Magpie Tales 

river of hope


July 9, 2014 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write story about water.  What significance does water have to the story, the setting or character (s)? How is water evocative or manipulated? What river flows through your imagination?


                  DSC_0069


Staring at the brown rugged mountains and the clouds reflecting in the 
azure waters of the river, she felt thirsty, thirsty to catch a glimpse of him.

Today, she had cooked a delicious hot meal of rice and chicken curry and
post-lunch he would regale with his stories of far-off lands.

The horizon turned pale crimson, the birds flying back to their nests.
Tomorrow I will cook prawns curry, his favourite dish, she thought and turned
back, feeling disappointed.


She preferred the distant hope of mirage rather than face the cruel reality.

                     Unknown to her, his spirit watched her.



                                              For : Carrot Ranch : Flash Fiction 


                                                   Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction
Word Count : 99

pages of life.

Lillie McFerrin Writes

Five Sentence Fiction – Pages





                                    SOURCE


The papers rested uncomfortably on my Burma teak-wood study table , unread, unseen by me.

The presence of the life-less reams of sheet gave me a sleepless, disturbed night of tossing and turning of indecision, halting the slender ray of hope.

The path of our life suddenly split, branching into another direction and you chose to tread the unfamiliar path, all alone.

A decade ago , I smiled , your cheeks blushed crimson red as the ink dried on the page and we were united.  

As the first rays of the morning sunrise , I pick up the pen , freeing you from the bondage of my heart.


                               For : Five Sentence Fiction


                                               Lillie McFerrin Writes


Friday 11 July 2014

clouds

PHOTO PROMPT - Copyright - Kelly Sands

                       https://rochellewisofffields.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/roiling-cloud-1.jpg


Staring at the unsold painting, the clouds of anxiety and doubts started
to build up.A tempest was taking the shape of a gigantic demon, 
threatening to drown my slender hopes.

My labour on canvas could generate enough revenue to buy a roof over
my head.  I ambled to the end  of the art gallery keeping my fingers crossed. 

"I would like to meet this artiste", said the blonde lady with solitaires 
sparkling around her swan-like neck, pointing to my painting.

My pulsating heartbeats resonated in my ear-drums. I quickened my pace 
towards her.

Later, I clicked Property.com on Google.



                         Thanks you Rochelle for the wonderful photo prompt.

                            Friday Fictioneers Rules.

Word Count :  100


Wednesday 9 July 2014

eerie aura: haiku


                                             

                               Eerie, Guarded, Translucent

Her translucent thoughts
guarded under veil of mystery
a ghostly eerie aura surrounds

a ghostly eerie aura surrounds
as the guarded veil is lifted
her translucent thoughts flee


                        For : 3 Word Wednesday 

The pebble in the shoe.

                                                                   wednesday prompt

Write Tribe has come up with an interesting prompt and the prompt is based on a book called - The Pebble in the Shoe

Source : www.vidyasury.com


All of us have a pebble/s deeply etched in our psyche and feel it impossible to dislodge them. It is not easy but nay it's not too difficult either.  I have successfully dislodged a pebble before it became a boulder in my path. Go ahead and read this.......................


                                               The Pebble in The Shoe.

Walking under the canopy of the green branches swaying to the breeze, my thoughts evaporated with the sun.

“Er , What’s wrong? Why are you limping? “

“There’s a pebble stuck in my shoe”, I felt like riposting. But I do not have a tendency to display my rudeness and only manage to smile.

"Öh! You have put on WEIGHT”, stressing on the last word, deliberately.

“My feet have never complained nor has the weighing machine ever yelled at me”, resonates in the folds of my  cerebrum and I adorn a mask of fake but polite smiles.

“Your hair is greying. Why don’t you dye your hair…………..” and the voice trails off.

 "I prefer to walk alone on the untrodden path and flaunt my wisdom” and this time the words flow out from my sound box effortlessly to hit her eardrums.  Smiling sheepishly, she beats a hasty retreat.

Yeees!  I have scored a goal. The pebble dislodges from the shoe and I march like a soldier.

                


                                                For : WRITE TRIBE


Readers , have you ever been in the striking range of a volley of personal questions posed awkwardly? How have you repelled them? Do share your experiences with me........................