Colors Bloom Nigh

 #DailyFlowers

Spring & early summer do meld

In their grip, this world is held

Somewhere the heat’s turning up high

While elsewhere, colors bloom nigh

Life irrevocably continues its march

Emotions, feelings leave us parched

Fleeting time’s in a constant turn

Around us moments do churn

The whirl, tilt, tumble, and sway

Marks each night and every new day

Pix contributed by

Rachna, Shashi & Shalini

Majesty on Show

#DailyFlowers

Birth & death, the cycle is set 

Within each journey are expectations to be met

Time moves fast, & then it moves slow

We must each match its flow

Seasons come & seasons go

Nature puts its majesty on show

Revival, rebirth, the cycle continues

Flora, fauna, humans form its retinue

Words, lines, rhymes meander around

Sometimes they go to ground 

Sometimes alive & kicking are found

Pix contributed by

Rina (Via Shalini), Vivek, Rachna & Dr. Manish

Tiny Songs

 #DailyFlowers

The veil lifts up briefly as if to say
There you are, it’s another day
Time to get alive & moving
Maybe today is when you’ll be grooving
Marching in tandem with life’s drums
Making new music as it strums
Through your veins loud and clear
Do not permit grief to shear
More of your life & days
Maybe, today, the brain constant will stay
And the overwhelming fog will run away
Birds chirping indicates a new morn
As blooms on a tree are worn
Nature moves tried, tested, and true
Flowers bloom through and through
What compels this cycle anew
Spring’s burst forth with flowers in every hue
Lines are reviving again
That’s not to say there’s no pain
But, life cannot be held down for long
It will sneak out in tiny songs

Pix Contributed by:

Shantha, Shalini & Shashi

Lost Words

Lost Words!

Mom's loved Bougainvillea

It's now been about 15 months since I lost mom (Dec30, 2022) and life somehow seems to have hit a massive roadblock. I move, that is true, I live, striving to fulfill her last commandments to me, but there's a deep emptiness inside. Last year was bad, filled with what ifs and guilt that maybe I could have done more. Had it not been for family (immediate, & extended) I would have probably crumbled. Last year was all about loss, about understanding that she was no more, about seeking her consciously & unconsciously everywhere! Heartrending emptiness would be followed by slow acceptance and then something or someone would offer a trigger and the cycle would repeat again. There were exhortations from some in the extended family/friends circle to go on with life and not cling to loss and I could feel myself shrinking & withdrawing. There were also many expressions of support. 

As my aunt said to me when I met her in Feb last year: 

You are because she was. You are hers, she's in you. Every step of the way, you carry her, her love, care, teaching with you. Therefore, even as it hurts to have lost her physically, she's still there. Keep her in your heart, be full, be happy. Mothers are happy when their children are happy & flourishing. Her blessings, her love are always with you. As much as you couldn't see her suffer, her soul cannot bear you suffering. So  smile, if is tinged with pain, so be it, live not just for yourself but for her, too!

These words help me everyday! A cousin also helped when she said: 

I remember Mom (she lost her mom about 16 years ago) everyday; some memories bring moisture to my eyes, others make me smile & laugh aloud. You will also get there, it takes time!

As most of you would likely know, I used to post on the flowers blog, but somehow, somewhere

Words have lost their spark

Rhymes to darker times do hark

Flowers are pleasing to the eye

The heart sees them and emits huge sighs

Time tumbles and turns

Memories do churn

The gaze falls on an empty chair

Her presence is sought here and there

Utter silence meets the ears

And then there are so many tears

Who would have thought loss would hit so hard

Piercing like a pointed glass shard

Time lends a healing touch

But sometimes it’s too little, sometimes too much

A fog seems to have overtaken the brain

Words, emotions, feelings tumbling in an unknown refrain

One foot in front of another do I go

Sometimes rapid, at times slow

Destinations, goals are somewhere lost

Bumbling, fumbling at what cost

I have over the last 10-months or so attempted to write, to restart the blog, but praise & lighter rhymes do not come forth. Above my own loss is the absolute depravity & bestiality on show, as it were in Gaza, that renders me further speechless & powerless

Consciously, unconsciously, frowning she stood
Looking out of the window, seemingly lost
Over a chirping, coming alive hood

Life, it seemed at once at standstill and rushing by

Grief, a silent steady thrumming drum

Humanity ripped of its veneer

Greed, hunger, a base animalistic cohort exposed

I will strive to write, but words may not be airy-fairy, with the lightness & cheer that nature's bounty via her flowers deserves

Flowers Time Tested & True

 #DailyFlowers

 The blogger is reluctant to write, words do not flow; it is as if there's something stopping the flow. The shares are gorgeous, they do provoke a smile, but life is handing out hard lessons which make for tougher miles. Many a flower is yet to be framed, but the blogger's head is not in the game. An anniversary did recently pass by, it brought smiles, tears and sighs!

New beginnings are slow to start
That causes me to be a worry wart
Flowers bloom, seasons change
Life runs its usual range
The yen to put finger to keyboard doesn't arise
With things in so much flux, that's no surprise
Yet the contributors gamely continue to show
With flowers colorful putting on their show
The world once again is in turmoil
Old enmities flare up and do the region roil
So much bloodshed, so much lost
Peace, if it comes, at what cost
Mother nature at once her fury does flash
Roads, dams, bridges, infra it does slash
Festivals are on us once again
Joyous sounds make the refrain
Flowers hold time tested and true
Pinks, reds, yellows, lighter, bolder hues
From neighborhoods, walks, friends' gardens
Backyards, vases, hotels, the ambit widens
Seasons change, they come and go
Colorful blooms move with the flow
Climate changes means blooms last longer
Like Shashi's Roses they are stronger

 With demands on land, come the wars
And othering starts anew
Mother nature shows her scars
Amid demands that we renew
Our pledges to her and humanity
Bring back peace, brotherhood & clarity
That nations shall not bring forth conflict
It's time to introspect & not inflict
Damage, hurt, tears and more
Civilization does keep the score
Even though there is massive gloom
Smoke spreads its ghostly plume
But, flowers still bloom
Spread their colors & their perfume
Calm minds, hearts and souls
Try to bring closer those distant poles

This year is almost to its end
Another few months their stories will lend
Life will go on as it does
Incidents, happenings will swirl around us
The festive season is all but nigh
Among highs there are some weary sighs
The globe will spin, night & day will turn
Endless time will forever churn
Build new memories, write new tales
Sing some songs across valleys & dales
Flowers will spread their cheer & song
Encourage us to sing along
Newer melodies we will pen
Dance around yearnings, yen & ken
The world will move & it will hold still
Dancing eternally to that great will

My Co-Contributors

June, Shashi, Shantha & Shalini; June, Shantha & Shalini; Shashi, Shantha & Shalini; Shashi, Shantha, Shalini, & Vivek;  Shalini-Selina, Vivek, Shantha, & Shashi; Shalini & Shashi; Shantha, Shalini, June & Vivek; Shashi, Shantha, Vivek & Shalini

Blooms to the Rescue!

 #DailyFlowers

 DF is a kind of a misnomer, for the blog is anything but daily. Today, even weeks pass before a post is written. Discipline does its job, but at times the words just do not come. There is an overwhelming sense of ennui, not helped by the news around. Nevertheless, the flowers hold strong, come what may for short & long.

 Apologies for the delay
The viral did me belay
Lines went helter-skelter
The blogger in meds did take shelter
Little nuggets of discomfort come my way
Hopefully keeping bigger issues at bay
The rains had their fun
To doctors they caused many to run
But blessed we are to have homes intact still
Unlike the tumble crash and splash seen across the hills
Nevertheless, the flowers in bunches do come
Spreading their glory, color, beauty and then some

Gorgeous flowers that did no harm
Their fragrance, colors, glories did us charm
Adorn they do majestically plants and trees
As rangolis, their wonders do not cease
For most their presence a smile does bring
But some in protest sometimes sting
Reminds me of the elegy by Thomas Gray
Of blooms designed to die unseen on the way
Should we then not glory in beautiful scenes
On trees, plants, bouquets, shows for them to preen
For that which is born has to die
Saying anything else would be a cosmic lie
But the color, zest and variety do sing
A song deep for every living thing

Thoughts are scattered
Jaws have been out-nattered
Days are restless, time's slow
One struggles to merge with the flow
She is missed, dearly so
Fingers to keyboard don't so easily go
Rhymes have turned dark
Songs have kind of lost the spark
The news all round doesn't really help
It makes one want to scream & yelp
Sometimes the glimmer doth burst forth
And beauteous hues spread their worth

Maybe it's time for the blogger to take a longer break
The desire to write doesn't easily an appearance make
Some sense of discipline is still ingrained
Its reminders do however feel quite stressed & strained
Words, phrases, lines do not themselves knit
Whenever they do, they form imperfect skits
And then flowers jump in to the rescue
With all the charm and guile of fescue

And then there were the whites
Bunched together a perfect sight
For our senses to delight
And in a way showing the light
It's one day up and one day down
Twirl, whirl, spin around
Life's executing its play
Despite what you or I may say

My Co-Contributors

Beacon, Bhaskar, Shantha & Shashi; Moushumi, Beacon, Bhaskar, Shalini-Rina, Shashi, June & Shantha; Shashi, Shantha & Shalini; Shashi, & Vivek (Swati); Vivek, Shantha, Devlina, Bhaskar & Ranjona; Gautam, Dr.Manish, Shantha, Shashi, & Vivek; Ria, Shalini, Shashi & Bhaskar-Beacon; Shashi, Shantha & Ria; Shashi, Shalini & June; Shashi, Shantha & Ranjona; Shashi & Shantha; Silverlightgal; Shantha, Shashi, Vivek & Ranjona; Shalini, Shantha & Ranjona; Vivek, LalitSeth, Shantha, Selina, Silverlightgal; Shashi, Vivek, Shalina, Selina & Shantha.

Winds of Change are Blowin'

 #DailyFlowers

 Time to write a new post, and time for change to come floating by. Time to move on with life, while keeping the past firmly entrenched, but time to make anew memories, experiences and more.

 The winds of change are blowing
They advise with them to keep flowing
For a project there might come a hail
Old skills refreshed, new ones to scale
A change in home city it may bring
Oncoming challenges make the blogger sing
It wouldn't do to say nay
Lady luck has sent some this way
Mayhaps, a break will be good
Her absence is not totally withstood
The eyes still for her search
Not finding her the heart does lurch
She did command to live to the full my life
Move forth to progress, away from strife
This sign I will accept and take
Shifts and moves if required make
The blog posting may be a tad slow
But request contributors to keep up the flow
For their blooms our days do cheer
Keep gloom away, bring smiles near

 The rains are here to stay
Sometimes all day, sometimes every other day
The parched earth drinks in every drop
And nature begins to glow and pop
Blooms from everywhere do come
Pinks, reds, oranges, yellows and then some

A plethora of blooms outstripping the praise
How many words in appreciation do we raise
The blogger is having a time tough
Rhymes and lines come out rough
The heart many-a-time doesn't wish to pen
Discipline compels the blogger then
Days meld into night and nights meld into day
Life, hectic, running, dark, colorful holds its sway
Society all round has gone to the dogs
While politicians, law & order are sawing logs
Sometimes, I wonder what comes next
What stories will form the new context
Also seen are vivid color blazes
Sometimes harsh, sometimes soothing to our gazes
From these blooms, resilience we'll learn
Through them everlasting beauty discern

My Co-Contributors

Monica (from her US travels, 1st 2 frames); Monica, Shashi & Shalini; Beacon, Shalini, Shashi & Monica; Vivek, Ranjona, Dr.Manish & Shashi; Shalini, Shantha, Shashi & Vivek; Beacon, Bhaskar, Shantha & Monica; Shashi, Shantha, Shalini; June & Shalini; Shashi & Monica; June, Shashi, Shantha, Rachna & Vivek; Bhaskar, Dr.Manish, Shashi & Shalini.