Brave

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Her heart swelled with pride as she watched her daughter picking vegetables from their small but well-kept garden. She thought of the little one as the greatest blessing in her life, her sole companion. They lived in a very small house amidst the lush greenery of a small village in the Western Ghats, but even with the limited resources, they lived a life of happiness and endless love.

She ran a small tailoring unit where she sat for hours together, cutting up cloth and making garments along with two other women she had employed. She grew vegetables, kept a few hens and taught neighbouring children in the evenings. Her daughter too pitched in to help though she was all but twelve.

It had been brave of her to stick to her decision of keeping her baby knowing that the journey of an unwed mother was going to be an arduous one. Her parents had cajoled, threatened and finally disowned her to save themselves from embarrassment and public disgrace. Her boyfriend had asked her to be practical. But she knew she was a fighter who would never give up. Not even if it meant the end of her education, luxurious life and the comfort of loving relationships.

She never regretted her choice. In fact she was even more determined to build a new life from scratch with her daughter. Her mind never once wavered even upon being tortured by wagging tongues. She fought her way through life like a brave warrior, without doubts, never turning back.

As her girl came in with a basket full of freshly picked greens, they shared a hug and headed to the kitchen. There was work to be done.

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Alive

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It had been just a few days since she got the news of her incurable illness from her physician. It had taken a while for the seriousness of the matter to sink in and finally she had managed to croak “How much time do I have?” to which the doctor, after a few moments of deep thought had replied “A few months if you are lucky.”

In those few days her world had turned upside down and every moment was punctuated by “Why me?” a question with no clear answer. It made her look back at the life she had lived. Had she really lived for herself? She found herself struggling to recollect times when she had followed her heart, doing things for her own happiness outside the expectations from her family. Who was she now? A wife? Mother? What did she love to do? What did she dream of? She was surprised that she couldn't remember.

She rummaged through her cupboard and found her guitar. It seemed like an object from another life. She dusted it and tested the strings. It felt a little awkward, holding it after ages but as she began strumming, her confusions melted away. She soon lost herself in the rhythm. She played like never before, reminiscing the days she when she used to perform for an applauding crowd. The musical notes swept through her, filling her with life and happiness. It was the most perfect moment of her life. She knew she was dying, yet she felt alive like never before.





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Emoting A to Z

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“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart”
               - Hellen Keller

Emotions and feelings are better experienced than explained. I have always found it intriguing, the myriad of emotions we humans are capable of going through. They add a lot of colour and layers to an individual. Though most of us are capable of experiencing various emotions like happiness, love, sadness, anger fear and so on, the triggering factors, their depth, our understanding of them etc greatly vary. Their expression too differs from person to person.

I am an emotional person and I can almost feel myself plunging into them at all times. At the same time, I like to believe that I am very much in touch with my emotions or in other words I can name the feeling I'm going through at a particular instance most of the time (of course there are times when I have mixed feelings or unidentifiable feelings). I think that being true to one's emotions makes me authentic and real. It also helps me express them better.in a manner that benefits the situation.

What remains now is the Theme Reveal for the A to Z blogging Challenge in April. Let me put it simply, it is Emoting A to Z. Since I am a novice blogger and this is my first A to Z challenge, I wanted to select a genre of writing outside my comfort zone. I have penned a lot of poetry and reflections about social issues but have very few stories to my credit. I want to change that by the end of this challenge. In April, you will find short fiction (within 300 words) dealing with emotions, one for each letter of the English Alphabet.

I hope you join me in this emotional wagon from A to Z. You can be assured, these words are straight from my heart and head. I would love to pull in at your station. Do drop in your comments and links to your blogs. We are together in this!!

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The Vigilante

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Here they come, the vigilante
to steal glances at our shared kiss
as they spray together in public
gallons of consecrated piss.

Here they are at a gathering
airing an endless roll
of senseless codes and conduct
which in life, is their only goal.

Even in a game of tennis
unsure of where to look
they ultimately settle for a skirt-
upon it a cover story they cook.

The vigilante never spares
a couple that holds hands
or ventures out on Valentine's;
love exists only in alien lands.

With not an ounce of shame left
they are here, there, everywhere
spend their miserable lives policing
preaching what to feel, think and wear.

Delusional custodians of culture;
much beyond their comprehension
is to tolerate, to include to accept
a peaceful amalgamation.




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Reasons to Smile

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I've heard it’s a bad world out there

filled with people who don’t care,

with not a trace of goodness left,

hopes murdered by treachery and theft.

But a fleeting smile on a stranger’s face,

a hand to clasp on gloomy days,

tears of joy, someone to befriend

a heart that awaits sorrow’s end,

blossoming love in differences stark,

a burning candle in the darkest of dark,

fiercely kept promises, never forgotten,

the tender touch of a child begotten,

patterned doodles on new painted walls,

space on the bed for the bears and dolls,

a love-struck couple on a romantic date

and words of apology, sincere even if late

tell my heart to bring forth the smiles

that will surely see me through miles;

I believe there’s goodness everywhere

if only to see them we show some care.

Image courtesy: Google

P.S : My list of reasons to smile is endless, just shared a few. Keep Smiling :)

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