trying to find a meaning

anger taking me over
I stomp my feet in the mud
where my sandals come off
getting stuck in the muck
barely conscious, I walk barefoot
with an ashen face and
trip on the faulty road
which saves me from getting hit
by a unknown vehicle travelling
at a high speed from the wrong side

unlinear yet in a line,
unmarked dreams ascend
then stop for no apparent reason
suddenly waking up, I sit down
scared to my wits, yet unharmed
for a while I stare at the wall
comprehending nothing

in someway, somewhere in that dream
you can designate a semblance of order

Picture credits: Rick Mobbs

This came out of a dream I had today while taking an afternoon siesta. . Maybe it was a nightmare, I don’t know. It was all disjointed. I wrote what I remembered giving it some sort of order. I don’t know what to make of it. I mean the interpretation part, not the poetry one. Can anyone? This is another rough draft. I will work on it later.

making inroads into I know not what

orbs of your eyes suck me into it
I follow that unknown path
in a zombie like state
making inroads into I know not what
if I could write words on the sky
I would at least try that once
but this untread road is one way street.

“believe me, I don’t wish to get out of it”

Practising writing

Do you have a writing practice? What’s it like? How has it helped you become a better writer? If you’re thinking about starting a writing practice, how do you envision it? What would work for you?

Most writers do have some sort of order for their writing. I am no exception. I set a time for writing even on those days when I don’t feel like writing. I simply close my eyes, envisage a particular issue or situation and sit down to write. It has helped me in more ways than one. It has taught me to be disciplined towards my writing goals. If I can’t write poetry, I resort to writing books reviews. That helps me put words in order. Many a times, poetry has flowed from there. I also set myself small exercises to motivate myself. I take part in online prompts as they keep me abreast with fellow blogger poets/writers. This way one learns from them, striving to improve at every point. I do feel that practice time is essential for writing. I won’t say I don’t get desperate at times. I don’t let any kind of lapse deter me from my writings. I have observed that when I have travelled emotionally, my writing takes a beating. That is the only time I find my muse blocked out. Otherwise, I write almost daily even if it a short piece. I prefer to write with a ballpoint pen into any of my numerous journals. I truly love buying those. However, loose sheets with a lead pencil too work equally well for me.

There is no hard and fast rule what works for me. It could be anything. I only need to open my mind to all kinds of possibilities.

paring it all down to the basics

I have taken Dave’s skeletal work and worked around it. The italicized words are my own. I added a couple of sentences to make sense. For me, this makes a lot of sense. Does it work for you too?

I was dealt a hard blow ,
and startled to do away
with the inevitability of it,
clinging at a day’s approach.
I sawed a lot of the branches
which had blocked out my vision.
just below this tree I have pulled
the eye tooth of a tiger,
round and round,
and I find it somewhat
like glue stuck in my mind,
that does a trick of coins
and that too in ceramic bowls
that never quite broke.

Senryu: Ruing it?

I tried a senryu after very long. Hope it works!

ideal resolves
very impressive show
bitter to swallow

powdered charcoal–half a poem

coldness seeps into him almost burning his skin after that intense heat
he turns towards it welcoming it
he puts out his hand, snatching it back again
why can’t he feel anything in his fingers
he tries to open his eyes, finds only holes there
why is he smelling burnt wood powderded to charcoal
concentrating hard enough, he faces the inevitable truth

death can only have only colour, which is amalgamation of all others
his cremation could only come after he had died from drowning

Writing style meme

1. Do you write fiction or non-fiction? Or both?

I write almost anything. My fictional posts are based on real life situations. Although my poetry is generic, they too border on personal feelings. To put it briefly, I can write almost anything.

2. Do you keep a journal or a writing notebook?

I do have a journal where I jot down my observations. I also write poetry if something suddenly strikes my mind. However, nowadays my PC is more my journal!

3. If you write fiction, do you know your characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing? Do you find books on plotting useful or harmful?

As I write short pieces of fiction, I don’t really need to develop my characters. However, sometimes what I have in my mind might turn out complete in my writing. It depends how the piece forms.

4. Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work?

Both are true for me. Sometimes, I get the itch to write down as I can’t settle if I don’t do so. At others, I do keep putting it off! I am trying to inculcate the habit of sitting down and write everyday, no matter what.

5. Do you write in short bursts of creative energy, or can you sit down and write for hours at a time? .

This too depends. I can write for long periods or not at all. Or maybe in short bursts. But when the feeling strikes, one has to sit down and write. Nonetheless, I have felt bored writing for longer periods. I do need breaks in between.

6. Are you a morning or afternoon writer?

I can write at anytime. I am an evening person but for the reason, I work in the day!

7. Do you write with music/the noise of children/in a cafe or other public setting, or do you need complete silence to concentrate?

It does not matter if there is noise, music or any other distractions. I can close myself in and write away to glory at any place.

8. Computer or longhand? (or typewriter?)

Long hand, and on computer.

9. Do you know the ending before you type Chapter One? Or do you let the story evolve as you write?

No, I definitely do not know the ending when I start writing. It simply goes with the flow. Many a times, it has ended in a complete different way from what I had intended.

10. Does what’s selling in the market influence how and what you write?

Not much. If I did, I would be writing porn, which sells!

11. Editing/Revision - love it or hate it?

I truly hate editing/revision. Once I write/finish anything, I want to move on to the next. I might came back later, much later to revise it!

plunging in the tunneled abyss

thinking of neither past nor future
I give in, disregarding my sane voice
only a feeling, nothing else to hold on to
I can’t measure the highs, I don’t wish
to think of the lows. each one of us has
tried to define it, a few being successful,
most have failed. nevertheless, that has
not acted as a deterrent. we go right in,
plunging in the tunneled abyss, unmindful
of everything, least of all, the consequences;
giving in to the ecstatic moment of it.

“should we not ponder over, why is it called
falling in love, when it takes us beyond the sky?”

strange it may seem to some

me, only with myself
nothing else.
not quite, a tiny glimpse of you
in my minds eye, I cease being
what I truly am. I become a part of you;
strange it may seem, without you being
here by my side. my palms open to
span your chest, finding nothing,
yet my nostrils pick up your scent.

“for me, your very thought is homecoming”

Has anything changed?

Currently I am in Bangalore, doing nothing much. I escaped from Delhi for 10 days break, to be with my eldest brother. I kind of needed to do this. Here I am spending time with my 12 years old niece. Both of us are having a whale of a time. It feels good to be with someone who is as young as her! I am behaving like a teenager and she tries to behave like an adult!

She shares my love for reading. I have discovered a lot of YA books via her! I find that she is on fantasies and mysteries in a big way. When I was her age, I used to read Enid Blytons, Nancy Drews, Hardy boys along with Agatha Christies (She has inherited my entire collection!). We were still on kiddie books. I started reading Perry Masons much later. However, I never read any fantasy books at that age. Maybe, there were not many books available in that genre for us. C S Lewis and Tolkein have got popular here, only recently after the Harry Potter books. I am now reading Christopher Paolini and C S Lewis from her collection. I think I will make up for missing out on those books. Both of us are going to read a lot of graphic novels.

Next I plan to introduce her to poetry. That way, I can slowly force her to read my poetry. At least one person in my family should read and admire my poetry!

We will do all this in the midst of gorging, shopping and just having some plain wholesome fun! It sure feels good to be away from work, from Delhi, and from all kinds of daily drudgery. I had forgotten that wool gathering can be so good for the soul!