Braveheart!!

 

She had indeed come a long way from the scared and scarred little teenager who had literally seen her world melt down before her eyes to be the fearless woman who looked the brutal world in the eye. While it was still difficult for her to handle intrusive remarks people made, even hurtful at times, it was not hard to anticipate them. Steely resolve now reflected in the once dream-lit eyes on a surprisingly serene face, a face one could never forget, for it still bore marks of the acid attack by a monster who respected neither humanity nor womanhood.


This post is shared with 3WW and the words for this week are Anticipate,  Fearless & Serene

Nature -fresh!!

Tender blossom smiles,

soft curls kissed by golden sun;

start of a new day.

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Precious pearls drop down,

soft wet grass caresses feet;

earth soaked in fresh rain.

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This post is shared with Haikuheights and the prompt is FRESH

Bonds of lifetime.

The images of rakhis being shared on Facebook presents a very different picture of the traditional festival of Raksha bandhan. The memories of those days when I would excitedly sift through rows and rows of colorful rakhis to find the perfect one for my little brother have been dropping by since the last few visits to the Indian stores here in the US now that the store has been showcasing its stock of Rakhis for over a month now. Although Raksha Bandhan is not celebrated in southern India with the fervor that it is observed in the northern parts of India, it has been a part of our family celebrations for as long as I can remember. Of course, off late thanks to Bollywood and the serials on satellite television, festivities are being borrowed across all borders and regions.

As a kid I remember even I used to get to sport a Rakhi :-) My mom would tie one on my wrist after I tied one to my brother just so that we both could show it off :-P While as a kid, Rakhi was just another festival when we got to wear colored clothes and enjoy sweets and sport colorful threads, as I grew older I realized it celebrates a very special bond, a unique friendship and camaraderie that exists between siblings. Now while Rakhi is traditionally about brother protecting the sister and sister praying for his well-being, I feel it goes far beyond that. It is about the invisible force that binds you to your family and the strong connection that siblings share irrespective of the gender. It is a promise of a lifetime that is made unconditionally.

 For someone who was not quite happy at the entry of a new kid to my home that seemed to grab everyone's attention away from me to someone who is now sad that her little kid brother is now across the oceans and timezones, my brother and me have come a long way. Yes, I admit I was not happy when I first saw a scrawny little baby in my mother's arms with pink ears and tiny, slender hands and feet. But soon he became my partner in fun and mischief, my trusted aide in everything I did. We still have our share of wild secrets, secrets that are so hush hush that even we have forgotten their true versions and only remember bits of  what was fun to us at that age and in those times. All the wild, crazy games that we played during the vacations, some of them our own silly inventions, the now seemingly stupid-sounding names we used to call one another, the fights we have had, some of them quite serious, so much so that we didn't speak to each other for hours before patching up after mother's intervention or in some cases our own attempts at mollification using toffees and toys and funny faces and sounds are all treasured memories that are simply priceless. Each time I eat a chocolate, I remember how if one of us got a chocolate at school or from some friend we would not gobble it but instead bring it back home and share it no matter how small it was or how out of shape it got after melting. We learnt so much from each other, he taught me how to ride a bicycle,  many technical fixes while I taught him the neat way of doing a whole bunch of things. While the elder-sister in me gave advices liberally, I have been stumped at times by the wisdom he has dished out to me. The times that we were apart when we were in hostels at different times made me realize how hard it was for me to be without my closest friend and confidant.

Although we are now both responsible grown-ups, to me he'll always remain just my little kid brother whom I can boss over as the elder sister, whom I care for beyond words can ever express and who I know cares for me just as much. We will remain for ever partners in fun and mischief, in tears and in laughter. And today when my connection to my dear brother is through the invisible waves and webs courtesy the communication systems of the world, I know the priceless links of heart that we share will only grow stronger over time adding to the fond memories that we cherish.

Late again!!

Gaunt gaze haunts the sky,

unploughed earth eyes unsown seeds;

delayed monsoon scathes.

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 Early bird enjoys,

yet delay is good at times;

early worm laments.

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Fading green cover,
 rising ocean, graying air
 too late to save earth.

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This post is shared with Haikuheights and the prompt is LATE.

 

Ocean

Beneath glimmering waves,

lie treasures, secrets of yore;

safe in her bosom.

Gold blends in silver,

sun sinks into ocean's arms;

another day ends.

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This post is shared with Haikuheights and the prompt is OCEAN.

 

Picture is from Google images

Just not her day.

Drabble is an extremely short work of fiction of exactly one hundred words in length, not necessarily including the title

From waking up late barely in time to rush through morning chores only to land at work huffing up ten floors of stairs thanks to lifts under repair, this after bumping into the traffic cops who were looking at reaching their monthly target of fines while having forgotten even the duplicate set of vehicle documents and insurance back home following a quibble with the maid about her disappearing act, it had been one of those days straight out of a nightmare. 

The empty cubicles that reminded her of the team outing that day were enough to make her go berserk.

This post is shared with 3WW and the words for this week are Berserk, Duplicate & Quibble

Picture is from Google images

Urban dreams

Life in a fast lane,

no time to pause for smile, sob;

clockwork urban rush.

City lights burn bright,

radiant future lures hearts;

urban dreams twinkle.

This post is shared with Haikuheights and the prompt is URBAN

Picture is from Google images

Beach

Sprawling golden sand,

sparkling cool water beckon.

Soak mind in leisure.

 

This post is shared with Haikuheights and the prompt is BEACH

Picture is from Google images

Every dog has his/her day!!

Starting yesterday a new television channel is hitting the air waves here in the US. Now what is special about it is its target audience. It is an exclusive channel for man's best friend, yes that's right a TV channel for the dogs and it is called "Dog TV"!! The pilot channel run was on for a couple pf years here in San Diego and from today this will telecast nation wide on Direct TV with paid subscription. As per the findings of the trial screenings, dogs have enjoyed their channel with noticeable quiet esp in dog shelters. Did you know that dogs are color blind? Apparently they can only see blue and yellow,  they cannot see red and green like humans, so if you happen to watch any telecast of Dog TV, the color might seem bit out of place to human eye but then it is specially designed for the doggy viewer.

Ever since I have come to US I could not help but notice the preferential treatment dished out to the pets here. Dog-walking is a fairly common job on the side for students and anybody looking to earn a few extra bucks.They have fancy restaurants with special menus to tickle their taste buds, care centers where you can leave your pets when you take a vacation or want to head out for an evening sans worries about your four-legged friend. You have pet-friendly restaurants where while you enjoy your dinner, your dog also gets his own water-bowl and meal. And guess what, there are places where you get special discounts if your pet accompanies you. There are supermarket chains that cater exclusively to pet needs. There are pet-parlors where they offer grooming services including hair coloring and hair care, nail filing and the like. What's more you ask, well there are boutiques that offer a wide range of apparel choice for your pampered pooches. It is fairly common to see pets sauntering beside their owners dressed in their best outfits looking smarter than their owners at times.

In every community park, there are special areas designated as dog parks, two separate ones for the large and small dogs. Here they can run around and play with their other four-legged friends. Another thing I have noticed is that the dogs here are very well trained, they do not bark at strangers while walking in the park, some of the smaller ones do try to sniff you if you are close enough but generally they are very unlike the dogs back in India. Sometimes I wonder if these dogs have been trained to the point of forgetting their natural  instincts. With the changing times and lifestyles, most people are finding greater comfort in the company of canines and other pets and are over-indulgent in their care.

Every dog has his/her day!!

April ode - part 4

I finally managed to get my lazy brain to complete the last part of the April A2Z heights challenge at Haikuheights. Having missed out participating, I thought I could at least draw inspiration from those wonderful prompts. So this is the final set of Haiku and the prompts of inspiration are Shadow, Tsunami, Uproot, Volcano, Waterfall, Xerox, Youngling and Zebra-crossing

Tales of yore

brought alive with screen and strings

silent play of light

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Water all around

roars, swirls and tugs all away,

leave chaos unbound.

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Watered with love, care

purged of vile, spite, rage and ill will,

blessed life blossoms

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Spell of silence breaks

decades of hurt bubbles up

angry lava spews

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Trickles down like tears,

gushes like unbridled joy ;

elixir of life.

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Loves, chides and guides you

never judges or holds grudges

mother - god's xerox

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Stumbling, tottering,

eager to make its own mark -

newbie finds its feet

 

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 Time to change your way,

step on  stripes of black, white, gray-

at crossroads of life.

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Pictures are from Google images