Haiga

NaPoWriMo – Day 15

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This is the first of my two catch up posts today and then hopefully I’ll be back on track!

I wrote this Haiku a few days ago, because I love this picture and because I love my coffee 🙂 So you can often find me, cup in hand, staring off into the distant future, oblivious to the present, happy in my daydreams 😉 But after the shocking incident at the Boston Marathon yesterday, the words took on a whole new meaning.

Those who lost their lives, those innocent people just out to fulfill an aspiration perhaps or just to have a good run…who could foretell this would be their last day on the planet? 😦 Their lives cruelly shortened by cowardice and evil (they seem to flourish in our modern day world don’t they?). My hearts goes out to them and their families 😦 Sometimes the present seems so senseless one wonders what horrors the future might hold. And sometimes I give Thanks for the not knowing coz how does one live with such knowledge and in the face of one’s own helplessness?

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NaPoWriMo – Day 14

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Am playing catch up!

On recent travels, I passed this grove of what I assume are young Teak saplings. Teak is a highly prized wood here in the East – it is hardy, resistant to termites and water, and furniture made from it usually outlasts its owners 😉 And so of course, we’ve run through most of the old plantations and now have to plant new ones so future generations are not bereft of this beautiful wood! Isn’t that just so typically human! Our greed truly is the stuff of legend 😦

The grove was rather dense and although it was just off the road, the illusion was one of seclusion and reserve. Shards of sunlight danced around the leaves and bounced of the white bark in green-yellow-white flashes of unexpected color. There was just something about that scene that was magical – that reminded me of an ancient forest, of Fangorn from LOTR – a place of wisdom, strength and endurance; and a keeper of Secrets 🙂  

For isn’t that what our Forests are – keepers of Secrets and vessels of wisdom? Who knows what magic awaits discovery on a day spent wandering in Mother Mature’s treasure trove?

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NaPoWriMo – Day 13

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Still channeling my Gran to some extent! I was thinking about her wedding day – bittersweet like most memories are. She was just 16 years and marrying a man chosen by her parents (in the tradition of the times), and doing so only to humor her Father, who was dying of Leukemia. His last wish was to see his first and beloved daughter settled and I’m glad that he didn’t last long enough to watch her life unravel.

This lotus seemed perfect because my Granny had beautifully delicate skin and the famed peaches and cream complexion, and I can only imagine how stunning she must have been as a blushing bride! She was a beauty and now even through all the ravages of time – she still is 🙂 

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NaPoWriMo – Day 12

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Today’s Haiku is dedicated to my Gran. She will turn 87 on the 28th of this month 🙂 My Gran is a warrior and a survivor. She has lived a tough, hard and ultimately long life and seen tragedy and joy in equal measure, although she sure could have done with less tragedy! We all could have. Still, all in all, a Life well lived; and watching her frail condition now – her tired body and drained soul – perhaps one coming to its logical conclusion. It pains me to write these words but it pains me more to see her reduced to a shadow of her former self – losing her memories and sense of self. She’s fought the hard fight and she’s triumphed and I want her to leave, when she will, in a blaze of Glory! This is my wish. She’s earned it with blood, sweat and tears.

This one is for you Aai…

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NaPoWriMo – Day 11

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I know, I know…I thought I wouldn’t have time to write but guess what…I do and so you have to suffer me again 😉

Today is an auspicious Day for us Hindus – it’s our New Year – Gudi Padva 🙂 A Day of new beginnings and fresh starts and all that jazz 😉 But it’s also a rather special for us as a family, since Hubby is celebrating a milestone Birthday today! I won’t say which (although there are those who know :P), coz well, don’t want to upset him on his special day…he’s not quite as thick-skinned as I am 😉

Lets just say – it’s a big deal and I’m really happy and proud to be by his side! Hubby is a self-made man like my Dad, which is perhaps what attracted me to him in the first place all of those years ago 🙂 He’s a workaholic; a dynamic, passionate man who is devoted to his family and fiercely protective of it. I have yet to see him come across a problem he can’t solve or a situation he cannot handle. He can be abrasive and rash and he is a man of few words in most company, but he’s a good, solid man of integrity, a fun, loving husband and an excellent father and really, what more is there to say?!

So on this special day, I dedicate this Haiku to my Better Half – the man who stole my heart two decades ago and can still make it melt with the warmth of his smile 🙂 Cheers to our Magical Journey – may it never end!

Love You G!! Always have and always will ❤

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NaPoWriMo – Day 10

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Where there are flowers can spiders be far behind?! C’est la vie! Beauty and the Beast go hand in hand it seems in the real world as in our imaginations 😉 Often, the Beast uses Beauty to lure its hapless victim into the trap. And ever so often, Beauty succumbs – oblivious to lurking danger, lost in the joy of a magical moment, susceptible to the Beast’s powerful hunger. Nature and indeed humankind are full of examples 😛

But this Haiku is not the result of such lofty thoughts 😉 It’s really just about the spider and its web – this one I photographed after an exhausting battle with my focusing skills, at Panhala, a hill station in the state of Maharashtra, India which is home to one of several Forts built by Shivaji, King of the Marathas and warrior extraordinaire! 

So here I am celebrating the eternal tussle between Beauty and the Beast 😛

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Also wanted to let my readers know that I’m traveling until Sunday, so I might not be able to post until then, in which case, will catch up when I get back. 

Have a good week ahead People 😀

NaPoWriMo – Day 9

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After the somber tone of yesterday’s Haiku, I wanted to change tack entirely and return to the Happiness that’s always waiting beneath the surface! It is really, just that some days, t’s a hard to get a hold of, put a finger on, Remember – you know what I mean?

So this is my way – of Remembering 🙂 When I first developed a serious interest in photography – Flowers were my thing! Not only because they are beautiful but because they so obligingly stayed put and allowed me to experiment with light and settings and angles at leisure 🙂 Yes Flowers were my friends and although it’s been a while since I took some great flower pics, they still remain so today! I love water lilies – there’s something so zen-like in their symmetry and their colors, pristine whites, pretty pinks and royal purples that it’s hard to escape their soothing effect 🙂 I have a feeling having stumbled upon this picture – that it will be one of many 😉 You have been warned 😛

Day 9

NaPoWriMo – Day 7

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We don’t really have a Spring here in India. The cold in December and January melts directly into the humid heat of a March summer! And Summers are a time for Bubbles!! I remember being fascinated by them as a child and I’m reliving my memories now with my son who loves them just as much 🙂

Chasing Bubbles is a favorite summertime activity for us both! Whether it’s their transient nature or their rainbow colors as they dance in the sunlight or the reflections on their plasticky surfaces – there’s just something childishly alluring about them. They symbolize simplicity yet hint at promised luxury (think lavender bubble baths…sigh :))!

A toast then – To the humble Bubble with a glass of your favorite Bubbly 😉 (Oh I know it’s corny 😛 It’s Sunday – corny’s allowed ;))

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Have a Bubbly Sunday People 😀 (No I couldn’t resist :P)

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NaPoWriMo – Day 6

~ crazygoangirl ~ 8 Comments

After a wonderfully Happy Day yesterday, it’s back to routine today! How quickly the wheels turn eh?! Not that I’m complaining – a little routine never hurt anybody and is an excellent way to de-stress after a busy week. Have spent a quiet Saturday at home – lazing around, unwinding, watching TV (haven’t done that in a while!), and playing with the brand new 5-yr-old 😛

I’m so glad we decided to keep it simple for his Birthday 🙂 He’s rather a chilled out boy even though I don’t often say it out loud (you know what they say – Say it, Jinx it!), and was perfectly happy to have dinner with close family, cut a Batman cake (the one thing he really wanted), and eat as much fish as he could possibly stuff into his mouth at one time 😛 No magicians, no tattoo artists, no theme, no fancy decorations, none of the hype that seems to have taken over the Birthday Business (and that is what it’s become!), these days, certainly here in Mumbai. I did wonder about having the big celebration – we can afford it and it was his 5th Birthday after all, but every conversation I had with him convinced me that if I did go ahead, it would be more because I wanted it than he did. He didn’t care either way except for the Batman cake! In school, they have rules – nothing sweet, just fruits and if one would like to bring gifts for the children, they must be books worth not more than a hundred rupees (a minuscule amount by any standards!). I’ve heard a lot of parents complain but never the children!! They don’t seem to mind at all 🙂

I know, I know…this is supposed to a poetry post 😛 It’s just hard for me to skip the process which led to the thought which led to the poem, you know what I mean? I guess it just got me thinking about what they say, “Be the change you want to see!” I’m happy to be taking baby steps along that path 🙂 And when I remembered this picture I’d taken a couple of years ago – things just felt ordained – you know?!

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And 3 CHEERS for our Children!! They at least have their priorities right! Now if only they could hold on to them when they become adults 😛

Have a Happy Sunday People 😀

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