A cloudless night

A cloudless night like this,

can set the spirit soaring

Because it shows me

the beauty of the stars

Because it shows me

the light, even in the dark

It urges me

to be patient.

For, under that darkness

in my mind,

are hidden gems

waiting

to be sprinkled as glitter

in tales

yet to be born

Wait, it seems to say,

for the wind of change

Wait, it seems to say,

for the words to flow

for the magic to show

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A spontaneous effort for the prompt "A cloudless night like this can set the spirit soaring' at Keith from Keith's Ramblings has come up an interesting prompt site, "Carry On Tuesday"

(This week our prompt is the opening line of A Walk After Dark by W. H. Auden

A cloudless night like this can set the spirit soaring

Use it at the start or somewhere within your verse or prose. .)

Indus ladies Mother's day Blog contest

I got a mail from indi blogger informing me about this contest for mother's day! I didn't have time so got out an old post of mine...

My entry for the contest...

A mother's perspective...

It's been one of those days where I have locked myself into the room after having performed a series of exemplary acts...I have rescued my towels from the dustbin (courtesy an absentminded son) saved my lights from being broken by a ball and myself from seeing stars, screamed my lungs out, managed to finish my editing work dead on the line, got dinner on the table and still been alive at the end of it all...

Bringing up two boys makes my life a medley of sorts...and I’m still finding my way. I am a woman literally in a man’s world. I think I have learnt to look at my roles from different perspectives. I wear many mantles and every day is a roller coaster of emotions. Want to see how?

They go the kitchen and holler out for me as if the sky is falling down…I rush there only to be asked where the chocolates/cookies are? So am i the organization expert? This is where perspective comes into the picture.

It is no easy task to decide nutritious meals for the day, trying to suit three hungry stomachs for there will always be one unhappy soul not liking the preparation. I’m nowhere in the picture of course! I’ll be delighted if the food does vanish without threats, bribes or tantrums. So does that make me a food management expert? A nutritionist or A cook? sigh..don't tell me, it's perspective...•

I trip over Lego pieces and superhero figures and the ghastly faces they call masks, only to be greeted with war cries of murder. So I have to pacify two angry boys with concocted stories of why I was rushing to the toilet, as if my life depended on it. That explanation strikes too close to home and I’ve convinced them that the excuse was worth trampling upon their toys. Lo! Behold! I’m a crisis management expert. •

Cricket and football are the bane of my life and one day I may just sue the creator of the games. On second thoughts, I may be lynched by the cricket crazy fans before i even think of doing that, so it is time for subtle tactics. So I could just get that junior to agree to a page of handwriting, in return for viewing rights! So trust me to recognize an opportunity and turn it to my advantage! •

It needs great skills to involve every member of the house into tasks they don’t enjoy, without them realizing that they are doing it. It requires the right blend of firmness, nonchalance and voice power. Of course when nothing goes, an incentive works fine, just fine. That makes me a human resource management expert or a plain nag. see, again a matter of perception! •

Saying the right things at the right time, without hurting anybody’s feelings gets my diplomacy skills to the fore. How else will you answer the plaintive complaint “You love him more than me. You always listen to him”? He gets to hear how much more I would have loved him if I hated him, so that he would not feel hated. Got it, no? Neither did I! But surprisingly it made sense to him. Confuse the issues so that he does not realize whether he had a good thing or he missed one! That’s a diplomat at work.

Add to the above, the tactics employed to maintain bonding between a rebellious preteen and a hyperactive 5 yr-old! I never knew what I had signed up for when I decided to upgrade myself into a mother.

But the icing on the cake is, after all that screaming, ranting and raving done, I still get the ‘You’re cool, Amma" badge at the end of the day. So every day is my second chance to get it right and get that badge. It is the best incentive I get to carry on for yet another day of an imperfect mother !!!

Besides, my boys may just be the smart ones, having figured out how to manipulate me emotionally! But I sure am loving it, every hour, everyday!

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http://www.indusladies.com/forums/blogs/phoenixritu/mothers-day-competition-1717/

so near yet so far...

Caferati contest - 55-word stories - more than 200 entries, selected among the final 11 but missed the spot in the final 3 ...by a point :(


My entry...


Blaring sirens, camera flashes and curious neighbors! The Reddy house had never got so much of attention. A grieving mother and a distraught father missing their little boy.



Suddenly the radio cackled.



The helicopter had seen something. Was he dead?

A silence.

Then he screamed ‘You cheated! That’s not how you play hide and seek’.



Suma

What they say

What do you do
when you feel
a dread deep within?
and you wonder why?

What can you do
when you see
the black clouds which
threaten your sunlight
and you cannot blow them away?

What do you do
when you smile
but the eyes,
they tell a different story?

This too shall pass
so they say
but the agony
It is in the waiting
and not knowing

The agony is in
the searching
for an imagined strength
to mask your weakness

This too shall pass
so they say
But it's the passing
which is killing

Colours - tag

Prats tagged me on colors...I thought of it during my morning walk...and while it may not be the best of efforts, it helped me let you know that i'm dragging myself to a beautiful lake nearby for a 5 min jog followed by a 40 minutes walk... and i also got lost...(the things i do in the name of fitness!!!)

Onto the story then...

Why was it so dark in here? He couldn't see a thing. He hated black but sadly that was all he happened to see these days. He dreamt of better times and wished things would change...where was that silver lining,which everyone talks about?

and then as if in answer to his prayers, a little sliver of light made its way through, which was enough to dispel the darkness. And it grew and grew till the yellow light blinded him.

He blinked and looked around wondrously. He had come a long way from the darkness he had been cocooned in. He was thankful for that black phase because it helped him to see things differently.

"Look" a voice wondered. It belonged to a little child..."Look, what a colorful butterfly"

He flapped a thank you while he flitted towards another flower.

Do i have to...?

"Do i have to" he asked, tentatively, unsure, eyes pleading...

yes, you have to, you know you have to

"but i don't want to..."

come on, its not that difficult, stop making it so hard for everyone...

okay, okay, don't get angry, i'm trying, its difficult, you try doing it.....

.
.
.
.


WILL YOU JUST STOP WHINING AND TAKE THAT TABLET!!!!!

splutter...did you have to do that, i was trying to swallow?!!!!!

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Sunday scribbling - prompt "DO I HAVE TO?"

mother's day out!!!

"Do i have to?" Shireen squeaked aloud, looking blankly at him.

’Please mamma, please” he repeated’ “you have to agree…I’ve already promised.. You have to…”

She looked at her son and considered all the excuses she could give him…she had a meeting…that wouldn’t work, he knew that she worked from home…she had guests…that wouldn’t either …PMS…Now that certainly wouldn’t work!!! She couldn’t expect a 6 yr-old to understand PMS when his father still couldn’t!!

So Shireen heaved a sigh and said “All right, I’ll be there”..

“Thank you mamma” he said delighted and bounced off

“Oh, sure!” she sat down, her heart thumping, thinking over what she had just promised.

What little Samay had done was volunteer her name for class duty…What he did not know that his very vocal mamma, the ever screaming lady had stage fright! How could she possibly teach a class of 30 odd children without stuttering in fear…aided by the added tension of not letting her son down?

So Shireen set to work, took out a few books on conquering stage fright and read through them, just in case. She practised her moves in front of the mirror. She rested her throat and answered in monosyllables throughout the evening to get ready for the verbal onslaught. With great difficulty she fell asleep and dreamt of school and little devils.

Morning arrived much too soon. Samay was up surprisingly early, beaming. Today was the day his mother would be teaching! Shireen was sure he was enjoying this role reversal of sorts! Reluctantly she got ready and reached the school where Samay deserted her and ran off to his class..

Shireen entered the classroom to find 30 bright faces glancing innocently back at her! She squeaked a good morning to them and 30 voices chorused back “good morning m’am…”

So far so good!! She took a long gulp of water and continued. She sneaked a glance at Samay. He was grinning, having the time of his life.

She gave them a sweet smile, a welcoming one she hoped…and went to the blackboard. The assignment on the board, she sat down enjoying the peace and quiet for a while. The class seemed to be bright and Shireen began to think that this was not so bad after all. Her vision of a peaceful morning was shattered very soon. She was soon on her toes searching for lost sharpeners and mediating arguments.

They didn’t want to study and there was no way she was going to antagonize a class of 30, so she took them to the play ground. She showed them the anthills and the lady birds on the grass. She divided them into teams and started playing blind man’s buff, where one team had to blind fold themselves and catch the other.

The day droned on…the kids were very boisterous and naughty and back in class. They had tremendous teamwork, especially when it came to defying her. She was forced to send the naughty ones out but soon realized that she had 10 remaining in class and the rest creating a ruckus outside!! So, in they entered. She had to keep them occupied somehow, if she was to survive the day…

Shireen had always been good with her fingers and her creative instincts were fuelled by the enthusiasm of the class. By now, she knew that Shlok loved tigers, Gokul was called Simba at home, Rathi wanted her to come back home with her, and jealous Samay wanted her to make his favorite giraffe! They were terrific at mimicry too.

Just when her voice had reached its croaking level, the bell sounded the end of the day. The morning had gone off quite well indeed; no broken bones and the stage fright seemed to have vanished! She had forgotten how it felt, to be free! to do what your heart tells you to. It brought back memories from long ago, of a time before she had allowed herself to be bound by others' perceptions. Had she really been dancing with the kids today?

Her duties over, she went to the staff room to pick up her bag, a little sad to see the day end. In just one day, the little cherubs had sneaked their way into her heart. They had taught her so much, had freed her from her inhibitions.

A little wistful, she made her way back when Mrs. Ghose, the headmistress met her…

“You were quite good today. Would you be interested in taking up a position as our crafts teacher?” She asked, smiling.

Ahhh! Sweet triumph!!

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a pick from the archives

matinee muse prompt "to be free"
sunday scribbling "Do i have to"