tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5026010320735819682024-02-07T14:51:31.380-08:00shards...These are shards...
at times they are jagged, and at times, smooth. Sometimes they hurt, sometimes they soothe...Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-79929973485314176012020-09-19T03:22:00.001-07:002020-09-19T03:22:14.063-07:00My garden<p>My garden is overwrought</p><p>nothing have I trimmed</p><p>in forever</p><p>it’s gone wild.</p><p>Creepers of doubt</p><p>have taken over</p><p>the once neat lawn,</p><p>and strangle</p><p>the tall trees of ideologies.</p><p>Weeds of stray prejudices grow</p><p>where good intentions were</p><p>once planted.</p><p>The storm isn’t helping matters,</p><p>it scatters the dry leaves</p><p>of hopes and dreams,</p><p>they blow and drift</p><p>snagging sometimes here</p><p>sometimes there.</p><p>Roots still try to hold on</p><p>to something,</p><p>anything…</p><p>Twisted branches of overthinking</p><p>hang everywhere…</p><p>The weak seedlings</p><p>of new ideas are</p><p>gripping for dear life</p><p>onto the sticks</p><p>of pseudo motivation I</p><p>tied them to.</p><p>The climbers,</p><p>honesty, and truth –</p><p>They never die</p><p>But never flourish either.</p><p>How can they?</p><p>When I care so much</p><p>about things like</p><p>propriety and looking good.</p>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-63407427312622942152020-09-19T03:16:00.000-07:002020-09-19T03:16:01.574-07:00Zihaal e miskeenHave you heard the song, ‘zihaal e miskeen’ from the movie Ghulami? It’s a much loved Hindi film song. But do you know that Gulzaar based it on a really old song? I absolutely love both versions.<br />
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These verses are by Amir Khusro. The language is Persian and Brij Bhasha. Brij Bhasha is a is not a proper language, but rather a dialect of Hindi. What is interesting is that the Khusro uses Persian and Brij Bhasha in alternate lines! In the first verse, the first line is in Persian, the second in Brij Bhasha, the third in Persian again, the fourth is in Brij Bhasha, and so on. Here’s a translation:<br />
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Zehaal-e-miskeen makun taghaful,<br />
Duraye naina banaye batiyan.<br />
<br />
Do not overlook my misery,<br />
by blandishing your eyes and weaving tales,<br />
<br />
Ke taab-e-hijran nadaram ay jaan,<br />
Na leho kahe lagaye chatiyan.<br />
<br />
My patience has over-brimmed, O sweetheart!<br />
why do you not take me to your bosom.<br />
<br />
Shaban-e-hijran daraz chun zulf,<br />
Wa roz-e-waslat cho umer kotah.<br />
<br />
Long like curls in the night of separation<br />
short like life on the day of our union.<br />
<br />
Sakhi piya ko jo main na dekhun,<br />
To kaise kaTun andheri ratiyan.<br />
<br />
Friend, if I don’t see my beloved,<br />
how will I pass this dark night<br />
<br />
Yakayak az dil do chashm-e-jadu,<br />
Basad farebam baburd taskin.<br />
<br />
Suddenly, using a thousand tricks<br />
the enchanting eyes robbed me of my tranquil mind.<br />
<br />
Kisay pari hai jo ja sunave,<br />
Piyare pi ko hamari batiyan,<br />
<br />
Who would care to go and report<br />
this matter to my darling.<br />
<br />
Cho shama sozan cho zaraa hairan,<br />
Hamesha giryan be ishq an meh.<br />
<br />
Tossed and bewildered, like a flickering candle,<br />
I roam about in the fire of love.<br />
<br />
Na nind naina na ang chaina,<br />
Na aap aaven na bhejen patiyan,<br />
<br />
Sleepless eyes, restless body,<br />
neither comes she, nor any message.<br />
<br />
Bahaq-e-roz-e-visaal-e-dilbar,<br />
Ke daad mara gharib Khusro.<br />
<br />
In honour of the day I meet my beloved<br />
who has lured me so long, O Khusro!<br />
<br />
Sapet man ke varaye rakhun,<br />
Jo jaye pauN piya ke khatiyan.<br />
<br />
I shall keep my heart suppressed<br />
if ever I get a chance to get to her trick.<br />
<br />
Got this many years ago from http://sufipoetry.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/zehaal-e-miskeen-amir-khusro/Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-89005821405804098642019-07-31T01:34:00.000-07:002019-07-31T01:52:41.235-07:00Let me be your nothing<br />
Let me be the darkness<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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When you shine in relief<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let me be blank canvass<o:p></o:p></div>
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When you’re poised to paint<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let me be your nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let me be the lull<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before the melody occurs<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let me be your paper<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before the words spill<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let me be your nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let me be the poem<o:p></o:p></div>
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That you only spin in mind<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let me be the silence<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before you make a sound<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let me be your nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-77024575129061487242015-07-27T01:28:00.000-07:002015-08-31T02:49:19.828-07:00When pain comes to you<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When pain comes to you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Embrace it, accept it,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It tells you that you are alive<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That you can think and feel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That you have a beating heart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And a ticking mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When tears brim in your eyes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let them flow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They tell you that you allowed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pain to seep through <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And whet your soul<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That you were not afraid<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be yourself<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And to feel with abandon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That you lived<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And loved<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That you didn’t just<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Skim the surface of life,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But dived deep<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And came up with pearls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When pain comes to you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t block it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let it be an old friend<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With keys to your heart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let it come and go as it pleases<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And sometimes meet it at a landing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And ask, ‘Hey, how you doin’ now?’</span>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-91468494452130165112015-07-07T04:48:00.000-07:002015-07-07T04:48:44.625-07:00Rustom and the Last Storyteller of Almora<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNTvWBaBgrEhtOwn6peFz0wnStktms9wxJBgkXZCXImztgDMGZd8Uiip1Q1ZGGMzCd2B-2NzgrlbSZjgSbqmAbOgc5LfjRZ0tLHtxoBsLlihqgvRm5N9HgAUOIS14cUiOv6pb1zRRtaJm/s1600/rustom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNTvWBaBgrEhtOwn6peFz0wnStktms9wxJBgkXZCXImztgDMGZd8Uiip1Q1ZGGMzCd2B-2NzgrlbSZjgSbqmAbOgc5LfjRZ0tLHtxoBsLlihqgvRm5N9HgAUOIS14cUiOv6pb1zRRtaJm/s1600/rustom.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Books that are set in different eras, different places, and about people whose lives are diverse from mine, always make me feel like I am getting much more than just one story. Without passports or tickets, I get to travel these worlds, peek inside the minds of amazing people. This book offered me much more than that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rustom is a man of a strange kind of integrity – his actions
display a weird mismatch with his thoughts. By outward appearances, he seems
reckless, thoughtless, even. But since we’re privy to his thoughts, we know
that he is conscientious, trying to right the wrongs, ensuring that his family
is safe after him. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is a man who is a sum of many parts. Thinking about tidbits of wisdom that his mother shared with him, thinking about his wife (in her various avatars), thinking about his sister in the hospital (suicide, he believes – because she always knew what she was doing). I was touched by how real he was. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rich Parsi family with a ‘history’ of suicide provided the perfect backdrop </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">–</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> with uncles who kill themselves in a suicide pact – a grandfather who will allow the
family to inherit money only if Rustom kills himself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How much money can you spend in a lifetime? In one scene,
Rustom slaps his forehead wondering how the money ever got over. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is desperate, and desperate people do desperate things.
Even things like plotting to kill themselves. Suicide is a topic I personally
wonder a lot about too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Rustom is not the depressed, suicidal kind – he was
driven to it – thinking himself into a dark corner, whence the only escape is
the narrow window that suicide allows him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enter Kahani Baba, the lovable, rotund psychic who shakes
Rustom’s consciousness with his visions. In each vision is hidden a clue that could end Rustom’s misery. The
clues are random and non-linear – as a reader, I found myself sucked into the
vortex of Rustom’s mind, trying to solve and make sense of the Kahani Baba
experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will Rustom crack the clues? Will he be able to get out of
the corner he’s boxed himself into? For Rustom, the entire story plays out between
the bullet and the skin – which, by the way, was an alternate title for the
book, I heard!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the writing – even while dealing with a subject like
suicide, Gaurav keeps it pacey, and full of mystery. As a reader, you’ll find
yourself turning the pages swiftly. The shorts within the main story were
fantastic – each one a gem. Well done, GP!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few books leave you with a feeling of having walked a mile
in another’s shoes. This one does that really well. Another review called it, ‘an
almost perfect debut.’ I couldn’t agree more, almost perfect! Go grab your copy!
Highly recommended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can order your copy of Rustom and the Last Storyteller of
Almora <span style="color: #00b0f0;"><a href="http://www.amazon.in/Rustom-And-Last-Storyteller-Almora/dp/9350099160" title="Rustom and the Last Storyteller of Almora"><span style="color: #00b0f0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">HERE</span></a></span>.</span></span>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-11172471535758686772015-04-30T07:47:00.003-07:002021-09-21T04:25:04.989-07:00Audacity<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">How audacious to think that I'm beautiful</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">how impolite to say it</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">how rude to open my hair, </span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">let it fall down my back, and sway it</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">how proud to hold my head high,</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">to look you in the eye</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">how unthinkable to have my own thought</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">and unflinchingly relay it</span>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-2956617228199443202013-07-18T21:15:00.003-07:002013-07-18T21:15:45.072-07:00Contrasts<br />
The rain…<br />It fell all around me<br />And on me<br />And it was also sunny<br />And I wondered why such contrast exists<br />I exist<br />You exist<br />Yes, contrasts exist in this world<br />And when we mix<br />Sometimes a rainbow emerges<br />Epic, stretching from forever to forever<br />
Arching over our lives<br />And wondrously beautiful<br />
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Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-11676040964132172832012-09-30T23:38:00.000-07:002012-09-30T23:38:54.527-07:00On friends and friendships<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Got this as a forwarded email:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bonding with your gal pals is the best way to deal with life's ups and downs, here are six types that every woman relies on for advice and emotion support</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /><span style="color: black;"></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">We need different friends to fulfill different needs. Some make good counsellors, others are good listeners and some are miss fix-its. Each one plays an important role in our lives, and we cannot do without them. Here are six types of friends every woman needs in her life.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>The new friend:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">As much as we love our old friends, it's always nice to meet new people and add them to your friends list. New friends add a spark to your life, and help you re-evaluate your world, adding a new perspective to your life. They inspire and excite you, motivating you to get out of the routine and try something new.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>The counsellor:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Can't afford a shrink? She is your best bet. She will listen to all your problems and offer you sound advice without being critical or judgmental of your situation. You can rant about the problems you are having at work, in your relationship or with any situation that requires your attention.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>The strong as a rock friend:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">She has been there with you like a solid rock in the ups and downs of your life. She knows you better than anybody and has seen and handled your various mood swings. You have had your share of fights, arguments and misunderstandings and have worked your way through it. You love each other and are inseparable.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>The fun friend:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">This one knows how to have a great time and she is the one who does not mind adding that crazy energy to your life. She always knows where the happening parties are and does not believe in getting home till the sun rises.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>The honest one:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">She will not say things to please you, and will not shy away from telling you the truth no matter what.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>The mother hen:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">She is the one you go to when in need for some TLC. She is gentle and comforting and will fix you a quick meal when your feeling down in the dumps. She will not lecture you, but will comfort you like a mother.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">---------------------------</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This got me thinking – what kind of friend am I? I am not a mother hen. I am not ‘the fun friend’. The shrink? I can listen and give advice, but with a caveat – it may not be sound; I give, ‘use at your own risk’ kinda advice. I am honest, generally speaking, but I don’t believe in ‘hurt the other person’ kind of honesty. So if you look fat, don’t ask me if you do, because I’ll never say yes.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t know what I inspire as a new friend, ‘creative ways to avoid new people’ maybe. I am a bad new friend. Most of time, I am faking it. I am losing interest in getting to know new people – just takes too much energy and they soon show some side of them that I dislike. Dear god, am I turning into a misanthrope?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looks like I don’t fit anywhere on this list. Does that mean, I am no friend at all? O_o</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I have been wondering, this disinterest in making new friendships - is it me or is it them?</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-87933208524691676322012-09-17T02:35:00.005-07:002021-09-21T21:54:12.724-07:00That day<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgF3ObtWp9H_C_QZJbd4JEjIZIz-33TLNsiVjnHELHfwVX1-2SelgTptozU9cDGmGl3GO_oTaVtOzC2NBtXEbRkfdFZzbOnfo8hqzEjSYMueZ2YQ_0fDO3rCLOtoxLhtkDRuk3B0c0IbE2/s1000/taking_off_the_mask_by_yume_88_dawhkod-fullview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgF3ObtWp9H_C_QZJbd4JEjIZIz-33TLNsiVjnHELHfwVX1-2SelgTptozU9cDGmGl3GO_oTaVtOzC2NBtXEbRkfdFZzbOnfo8hqzEjSYMueZ2YQ_0fDO3rCLOtoxLhtkDRuk3B0c0IbE2/w320-h240/taking_off_the_mask_by_yume_88_dawhkod-fullview.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Image source: </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">https://steemit.com/drawing/@yume/taking-off-the-mask</span></div>
<br />
<br />
That day <br />
<br />
I didn’t have the courage<br />
<br />
To say, ‘Don’t.’<br />
<br />
That day<br />
<br />
I hid my face and <br />
<br />
And today <br />
<br />
As I step into my closet<br />
<br />
To hang another face,<br />
<br />
My eyes wander to that one, <br />
<br />
The one with <br />
<br />
The shame of cowardice<br />
<br />
Writ large, <br />
<br />
Stowed behind cobwebs<br />
<br />
Of escapism. <br />
<br />
I pull it out<br />
<br />
And hang it away with<br />
<br />
Myriad other faces:<br />
<br />
The caricature of bonhomie<br />
<br />
The grimace of being me…<br />
<br />
One day<br />
<br />
I’ll have courage again<br />
<br />
To pick it up<br />
<br />
Stroke it, <br />
<br />
Own it, and say,<br />
<br />
‘Yes, I was a coward<br />
<br />
But I am who I am.’<br />
<br />
And from that day on,<br />
<br />
I will have no more<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Need for facades</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-40865646873058370912012-07-26T04:45:00.000-07:002012-09-21T21:47:04.436-07:00Your name<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to taste your name</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... savor it…</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bite off a corner of it,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Suck in the rest of it,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slowly swirl it around my tongue and </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breathe it into the air, </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrapped in a whisper</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Inspired by something a four-year-old said about love. </span><a href="http://sobadsogood.com/2012/06/29/heart-warming-quotes-about-love-romance-from-kids/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://sobadsogood.com/2012/06/29/heart-warming-quotes-about-love-romance-from-kids/</span></a></span>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-41561867676852735362012-07-08T22:41:00.000-07:002012-07-08T22:42:06.504-07:00You...<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Poetry begins to feel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">poeticker</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
When taken in with</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
A little dose of you</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Wine more intoxicating</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
When swirled in </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Thoughts of you</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
The chocolate <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chocolatier</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Breeze breezier</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
And me? I feel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">meer</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">When I am with you</span>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-85530234739420765642012-07-06T01:13:00.002-07:002021-09-21T22:33:34.984-07:003D, 4D, why this kolavari Di?<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I watched Avengers some time ago. I liked it. But this is not a review of the film. This is really about something else.</span><br />
<br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">All through this film that I had waited and waited to catch, I was totally disturbed by the 3D glasses. They were so uncomfortable. And well, the 3D was quite unnecessary, I thought. I don’t know if everyone felt this way or it’s just me. I want to be completely into the film when I am watching it, and the 3D just didn’t let me!</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It’s like every two minutes something flies at you and reminds you that you’re watching a movie. They might as well shake your seats and laugh loudly in your ear. We go to the cinema for the high of losing ourselves in the story. Something coming flying at me every two seconds is not really my idea of involvement.</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The screen looked dark almost the whole time. Not sure if this is how it was everywhere or the theatre I watched it at had some problem. In any case, a part of me was just dying for this torture to end so I could take off the freaking glasses. Interestingly, the film was good so it kept me in my seat despite the inconvenience and discomfort. But I couldn’t help thinking how much more I’d have enjoyed it if I’d just watched the 2D version of it.</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The most annoying part is that the images look grainy and blurred if you take off the glasses. But at least the screen gets lighter, so I did watch part of the movie without the glasses; blurry, but in perfectly good color. So basically, I paid through my nose at a multiplex to get annoyed, irritated, and totally miserable.</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">And I hear 4D technology is here. Geez. I wonder what it does. As if just the glasses were not uncomfortable enough.</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I am scared to think of what 5D, 6D, and 7D technologies will do to me. Will the actors stand around me and perform while I cower in fear of being struck dead? Will the hero jump and kiss me instead of the heroine? That should be good though! Imagine being kissed by Tony Stark. Haha. I can sure deal with it.</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">But then there are some movies I absolutely enjoyed in 3D! How to train your dragon was brilliant and I really liked the effect. Avatar was great! I only remembered at the end of the movie that I was wearing the glasses.</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Maybe 3D needs a whole new technological shift – lose the glasses, for starters. Most viewers don’t want to be dazzled by a firework display of super effects – we still want the good old storytelling and emotional involvement. Somehow technology seems to come in the way.</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I believe 3D should come with a caveat: <em>Use only if absolutely necessary</em>. And please, only if it enhances the emotional connection in some way, not if it hampers it.</span>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-10994384127205342012012-06-20T03:06:00.001-07:002012-06-20T03:06:52.325-07:00Again...<br />
<br />
Cheated by you again<br />
<br />
Eyes blandished<br />
<br />
Smile lied and led<br />
<br />
Again…<br />
<br />
Again I believed<br />
<br />
Again I sang<br />
<br />
Again heart leapt<br />
<br />
And fluttered some more<br />
<br />
Again I dreamt<br />
<br />
Again I soaked in<br />
<br />
Some of you<br />
<br />
Again tears brimmed<br />
<br />
In my eyes<br />
<br />
And stayed there<br />
<br />
Refusing to fall<br />
<br />
Refusing to be contained<br />
<br />
Again...Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-51329261010115118952012-03-30T07:18:00.001-07:002012-03-30T09:13:33.470-07:00Restlessness and Sleep<div><p>Restlessness comes,<br>
Peeks over my listless body<br>
Smiles and<br>
Curls up next to me<br>
'Why so alone?' he asks.<br>
And then my mind whirls,<br>
Flutters, sways, churns.<br>
Peace forgotten, I rest<br>
My body alone,<br>
My mind, all in a dither<br>
Silent tears brimming<br>
I think of Sleep<br>
My old paramour...<br>
You left me for<br>
A new love...<br>
Does she smile<br>
When you caress<br>
Her hair?<br>
Does she whisper to<br>
You from distant lands,<br>
Her closed eyelids moving?<br>
Does her bosom heave<br>
With the slow rhythm <br>
of your song?<br>
Do her hands smell<br>
Of fading henna?<br>
Restlessness embraces me<br>
'Look at me, darling,<br>
He never did love you,<br>
But I...<br>
I am here for you...<br>
I'll hold you.'<br>
I stifle a sob and<br>
Rest my tired head<br>
On his thorny shoulder<br>
For tonight he'll do<br>
Tomorrow is <br>
another night, though<br>
And I'll hope again...</p>
</div>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-57478139001877586522012-02-06T23:36:00.000-08:002012-02-06T23:36:40.693-08:00A river’s taleA blithe river<br />
Young and nimble<br />
Jumping, sliding, slipping, bouncing<br />
Chattering of snow capped mounts<br />
Of trees tall <br />
Of yaks and yetis<br />
<br />
<br />
Of braided hair<br />
Of joyful tears<br />
Of carefree months<br />
Of winding years<br />
<br />
<br />
Of the silt of sorrow<br />
Of the dump of angst<br />
Oblate-d by men<br />
And women’s hands<br />
<br /><br />
Of heavens opening<br />
With showers galore<br />
Of water evermore<br />
Than she could hold<br />
<br />
<br />
Of pouring forth<br />
And bringing it out<br />
Of stretching out arms<br />
And embracing all<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Villages, temples,<br />
Schools and huts<br />
Boys, men,<br />Cows, and mutts<br />
<br />
<br />
All alike in their<br />
Drowned-ness<br />
All in the silence of the sea<br />
All alike in half-lived lives<br />
Just like you and me<br />
<br />Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-1437416101824364332012-02-02T21:19:00.000-08:002012-02-03T01:03:38.317-08:00TMI (Too Much Information)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am feeling a little overwhelmed. Honestly, who can blame me? Everywhere I turn, I am bombarded with information. TMI everywhere! Online, digital, whatever name you give it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And why, I wonder, do I gravitate towards this information myself? I subscribe to newsletters, I join forums, I say ‘yes’ to notifications. And when these arrive in my mailbox, I frown at them.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But wait! But this is not just me. This is a trend!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I see people on Twitter following a 100 or more accounts. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can’t even keep up with the twenty something accounts that I follow. Luckily, most of my friends don’t tweet every time they burp. Thank god for small mercies.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just sit at my computer and I receive a hundred emails on subjects spanning the length and breadth of our planet – sometimes about outer space too.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously, am I interested?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I generate information myself too – painfully aware that each character I type takes up space on some server somewhere, whether someone reads it or not.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel I am slowly getting obsessed with online information and its irritant quality. I never have this feeling about books. Probably because I have a choice - I can decide to not open a book. But can I ignore an email that says ‘must read!’, ‘amazing facts about blah blah’, ’10 best things about blah’? My internal filter seems to be failing. I can’t decide what to read and what to give a miss anymore.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What am I interested in? Art? Cinema? Books? UX? What do I like? Chaat? Cake? Pasta? Choosing is so difficult when you have so many choices. When someone offers me vanilla and chocolate ice-creams and says, ‘pick any one’, I can quickly decide which one I want. But when I go to Baskin Robins, I stare at the menu for 10 minutes, decide on something, peek at other tables while eating it, and feel that the others are probably eating a better flavor.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel attacked and bombarded with TMI. I am over-stimulated and overwhelmed all the time. Sometimes I try ‘blocking’ or ‘not paying attention’ to save myself from a burnout. I scan, skim, or plain ignore.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if you want to tell me something, please tell it to me. Don’t point me to a website with a 1000-word article. I don’t have the energy.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I am sleep deprived. I need an opiate. And a soft bed. And a soft blanket. And a padded cell, maybe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-73937825385221012272012-01-18T00:23:00.000-08:002012-01-18T00:27:37.116-08:00Poetry is trash<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Burns without ash</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and burns within</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">colorless, odorless</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it burns and stings...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">not real tears</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it’s the eyes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">watering from the </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">stinging smoke of my</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">burning poem... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All trash to be</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">burned,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">turned into ash</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">all trash…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-13632791627016985912011-12-08T02:21:00.001-08:002011-12-08T02:47:58.937-08:00So it came to this...<br />
From vows exchanged<br />To swords trained<br />
From happily ever after<br />
To end of chapter<br />
From the dark mane<br />
To color and rogaine<br />
Seen and done it all; what’s new?<br />
Still lost within, and have no clue…<br />
Locked up! The body a cage<br />
Oh, it sure is lousy to age!<br />
<br />Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-72276546169341452892011-04-11T21:18:00.000-07:002011-04-11T21:30:22.819-07:00I write like...<p></p><br /><p>I visited a site that allows you to paste your writing and then tells you which famous writer your style is most like. And see what I got!</p><br /><p><!-- Begin I Write Like Badge --><div style="overflow:auto;border:2px solid #ddd;font:20px/1.2 Arial,sans-serif;width:380px;padding:5px; background:#F7F7F7; color:#555"><img src="http://s.iwl.me/w.png" style="float:right" width="120"><div style="padding:20px; border-bottom:1px solid #eee; text-shadow:#fff 0 1px"> I write like<br><a href="http://iwl.me/w/ce65a7ad" style="font-size:30px;color:#698B22;text-decoration:none">Margaret Mitchell</a></div><p style="font-size:11px; text-align:center; color:#888"><em>I Write Like</em> by Mémoires, <a href="http://www.codingrobots.com/memoires/" style="color:#888">journal software</a>. <a href="http://iwl.me" style="color:#333; background:#FFFFE0"><b>Analyze your writing!</b></a></p></div><!-- End I Write Like Badge --><br /></p><br />Most pleased :D<br /><br /><p></p>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-3041329689530533432011-02-17T00:51:00.000-08:002011-02-17T00:53:24.088-08:00Decisions<span style="font-family:verdana;">Walking through the forest road<br />I caught a glimpse of a path<br />That not many feet had trodden</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Grass growing where feet once fell<br />Maybe with good reason?<br />‘Who knows what I’ll meet, if<br />I go down that path?’<br />I turned away and walked on<br />And have been walking thus…<br />To things and places pre-ordained<br />No surprises in store<br />Far away from the forest now<br />I think of the old footpath<br />Who knows what I’d have met, if</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I had gone down that path…</span>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-75610367160114485722010-10-22T00:57:00.000-07:002010-10-22T00:59:09.721-07:00the wannabeShe woke with a start<br />Too tired, after the <br />night’s escapades…<br />With herself and her imaginations<br />Running wild both<br />One egging the other on…<br />She wore lipstick too<br />Not like the other nights<br />When it’s just pretend-play<br />This was the real deal<br />And boy, it felt good.<br />Madonna came… <br />And Elvis was there too<br />‘She looks pretty’, he’d said.<br />She sang and won hearts again<br />And again<br />And again<br />And then was too tired<br />To carry on<br />Body revolting against mind<br />She fell on the sofa, asleep,<br />Smudging lipstick and mascara<br />And dreaming on…<br />And on…Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-57392312408627734062010-09-21T22:56:00.000-07:002010-09-21T23:00:24.486-07:00Kite StringsJust finished reading Andy's Kite Strings and have to say it was the best 175 Rupees I have spent in some time.<br /><br />All the characters - Mehnaz’s Abbu and Ammi, Rehana, Aasia, Imtiaz, Zohra, Mrs. Dahlia, and my personal favorite, Fauzia, were etched out so well (from Mehnaz’s perspective) that I felt like they are people I know.<br /><br />Mehnaz, especially, is a very interesting character, because she is not black or white – she is kinda grey, which makes her more life-like than many other characters that we come across in books. It also makes us care for her in ways that we wouldn’t for some others.<br /><br />For me, it was also a window to this fascinating world so different from mine, culturally. The community and their customs, beliefs, etc, were quite alien to me. But that’s where the alienism ends – for everything else I can relate to. I guess any Indian girl can relate to.<br /><br />The feeling that you want ‘to do something’. The uncertainty about life and what it holds. The feeling of being a kite with the string in another’s hands. The feeling of never living up to your mother’s standards :)<br /><br />What I really liked about Andaleeb’s writing was the flow and the simple honesty. You know she is a writer who doesn’t hold back – she brings it all out and arranges it on the page with an easy grace.<br /><br />I thought the ending was beautiful. Open, with so many possibilities. Just like the terrace Mehnaz likes to frequent :)<br /><br />Kudos to you, Andy, for such a commendable debut – here’s to many more yarns in the years to come!Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-8872613758738248392010-08-03T21:11:00.001-07:002010-08-03T21:22:42.942-07:00Who am I?We had this Friday fun event at CDG (my department) where we had to do something on the topic 'Who am I?' Most people drew and sketched and made collages. What a talent! Since I am a total dud at drawing/sketching, I decided to write a poem instead. Posting it here now.<br /><br /><strong>Who am I?</strong><br /><br />I am the one who walks alone<br />Yet stands by you when all are gone<br /><br />I am the one who hears it all<br />Seems quite small, but still stands tall<br /><br />I am the one who values friends<br />And believes means mean more than ends<br /><br />Journey, to me means more than the destination<br />Still I am the one who’s marred by consternation<br /><br /><em>But oh, how I wish I knew who I am!</em><br /><br />I am not the one I see in the mirror<br />I am not the one <em>you </em>see either<br /><br />I am more, much more than this, I know<br />But nothing of me I can bare or show<br /><br />I might just live in this corner of the world<br />And then die one day without having been told<br /><br />Who I was and what this life was for<br />Just always headed to the next open door<br /><br />Like levels in a game of increasing skill<br />Life will ebb away when I don’t get my fill<br /><br />Of life, of love, of warmth and health<br />Of honest passion, without stealth<br /><br />So long! And I will say this before the gong chimes -<br />I like being among you, O, people of my times!Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-91176685136251862812009-11-22T01:02:00.000-08:002009-11-22T02:22:44.176-08:00drawing a blank<p>paper and mind went blank ___</p><p>just like that...</p><p>not even a 'poof'</p><p>funny; just a while ago, my mind was</p><p>a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions</p><p>now... nothingness abounds</p><p>amusing, isn't it?</p><p>how you can go on </p><p>even when you have </p><p>nothing at all to say?</p>Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502601032073581968.post-32638557764713634052008-12-31T22:13:00.000-08:002010-10-22T00:51:55.349-07:00mutual curiosityA tiny spider, all by himself,<br />Spinning a web of the thinnest string<br /><br />‘Whom do you hope to catch?<br />For whom is this trap?’<br /><br />I ask, and watch enthralled for a while<br />Then peeling my eyes off the window<br /><br />At my own reflection I stare; I<br />Powder my face and wear mascara<br /><br />I paint my lips in the bloodiest of reds<br />And line my eyes with the darkest of kohls<br /><br />The spider has crawled to my window sill<br />Peering at me and responding in kind<br /><br />‘Whom do you hope to catch?<br />For whom is this trap?’Manjushahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615676255263712688noreply@blogger.com2