Garland of clouds
woven with a thread and a needle
Periwinkles showered from the sky
spread all over the earth
A scene nothing else can beat
for it is only God’s treat!
No. 11 – My Friend Janey
No. 11 – My Friend Janey
By Nandhini G. Natarajan
Of fourteen children,
my friend Janey is the twelfth.
Seven older brothers tell her
where to go, what to do.
Janey says yes,
and does what she wants.
She tells me that in college,
I have to party.
Inexperienced,
I completely agree.
I live in a strict dorm.
She tells me to lie
so I can be late.
Her brother Jerry,
the oldest and strictest says,
Do not stay long.
Returning, do not use the deserted fields
as a shortcut.
Janey does both.
I plead and beg,
I have a healthy fear of Jerry.
He is elsewhere, she assures me,
At another party.
We cross the field,
I am sure we will be murdered.
if not by someone in the fields,
definitely by her brother.
Suddenly Janey notices Jerry’s car
On the road, around the fields.
Run, she urges.
We hike our sarees
and run.
Jerry stops where he can
intercept us,
and turns on the high beams.
We can be clearly seen,
but panic-stricken
we continue running
and laughing
hysterically.
The next day, Jerry shows
their family
the pictures he took.
Fortunately, all that is visible
are the four legs
and two sets of teeth
in the dark.
Hour 9: Perspective
My mind is full
I hear whispers
Negative ones
I want to give up
The path is hard
I can’t sleep
I only have to switch my perspective
I need to love myself more
I have been through a lot
I have been through worse
The world has prepared me for this
I have to raise up again
I have to see the world better
But, I want to feel this feeling
I need to validate the anger
The sadness, the aches, the hurt,
Burning inside my heart
I feel it, I’ll get better
This too shall pass.
Hour 11/ Gumboots
Gumboots
She stands in borrowed gumboots,
Sunk deep in mud
rushing river swelling to her knees
Shaking her head
wishing to be somewhere, anywhere else
Fly fishing, not her choice but she’d lost the toss
Next time she’d win
and choose, something, anything else
But for now
mind drifting, under periwinkle sky
she peers up at the skyscraper shaped cloud,
craves the sourdough bread from the city bakery
wonders if she will beat traffic to get to there
before the storefront sign is turned.
Outlet -Haiku (Hour 11)
Outlet -Haiku
By: LuvMiFreely
(Hour 11)
Darkness, solitude
Four walls that contains my vibes
Here’s where I RELEASE
Rise like a Phoenix from the Ashes Hour 9
They call me ash.
Actually, I gave myself that name.
Who knew the significance?
I gave up more than I knew.
In the name of “love”.
I…wish.
It was in the name of “change”.
I choose not to blame.
What was taken from me?
I took back for myself.
My freedom.
My mind,
My heart.
My body.
All mine.
I am not ash, I am anew.
A better version of myself.
I’m getting through.
Giving & trusting so.
Wiser, I would say.
A little bit more each day.
Easy
If they told you it would be easy, they never walked that road,
never sang in that octave you’ve been practicing.
If they said you need to try harder, note that sheen of fear
on the forehead that says you’re better than they imagined.
No one knows your diligence, your dedication, your feverish
quest better than you do. Don’t say a word, don’t tell
what you already know about the path from here to there.
11th Hour – Picture This
EATEN OFTEN AT
BREAKFAST BUT
ALWAYS A
HEALTHY SNACK FOOD
SO GOOD
TO EAT
No. 11
between the introduction and the epilogue
there’s a story that catches me up in its grasp
taken in by the cleverly crafted characters
the twisting plot and subplots
i am transported into the scenes
i shudder, shiver, and scream in my head as if i were in a theater
i can pause the action by placing a book mark between the pages
most often i read well into the beginning hour if the next, eager to reach the climax
finished, i give the tome a fond pat, place it in the empty slot on the shelf
we will meet again, old friend
11. God’s canvas
On the canvas of the sky
is splashed with different shades of darkness,
giving way to hues of pink, red and burnt orange as the sun begins to peep from behind the backdrop of the majestic mountains.
The rays of the sun steal from the darkness, the canvas of the earth is tinged with subtle shades of browns and greens,
the living painting of the trees and plants become apparent and focused.
The paint brush of the sun, traverses with gentle but deliberate strokes upon the sky, the deep dangerous sea begins to shimmer and sparkle invitingly.
No doubt, nature’s crescendo of colors and subtle shades have been painted by The Master Painter, God Almighty!