Feeling that left unsaid

This is a free verse poem. The poem is inspired by Maya Angelou's quote "There is no great agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

Time was fairy and roses

Flowering the heart

Basking in the exuberance

Of Love and ally

Days flew with gusto

Akin to a swarming river

Nights went at an alarming speed

To the analogous heartbeats of presence

Stars glowed radiantly

Came closer to the reality

A 360 degree somersault

Vacating the heart forever

Soul mourned for a soul

Too close to be far

With cherished memories

As heart’s rations

The heart aches

A forcefully ran machine

Depleted

Of oil and love

Days linger

Heart bleeds

Only time

A catalyst for better

Those three eternal words

Felt from deep within

With agony ballooning

A story left untold

Different would it be

Had I said

The eternal words

I Love You?

How I wish so...

But the reality refuses

To be back to fairy and roses

Now only reminiscences

Nothing would change

The present being

But still my heart fancy writing

An ‘I Love You’ verse 

Linking the poem to Write Tribe Wednesday Prompt 2014 #18

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Book Review: Transactions of Belonging

Author: Jaya Padmanabhan

Published by: Platinum Press (An imprint of Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd.)

Genre: Fiction/ Short Stories

ISBN: 978-93-83562-27-5

No. of Pages: 197

Price: ₹ 145/ $6

On the jacket: The short stories in the collection blend emotion and introspection. Moments of urgency and sweetness are fully canvassed and explored. The stories draw out and examine the texture of emotional belonging. Each story in the collection is a journey of insights. Transactions of Belonging is a unique, intense and gripping work of short fiction.

"In this debut collection, Jaya Padmanabhan has brought together a diverse and memorable group of characters from many kinds of background. With meticulous details and keen observation, she brings them in life and makes us care about them - their poverty, their loneliness, their tragedies and their triumph." - Chitra Divakaruni, author of The Mistress of Spices and Oleander Girl.

Review: There comes a time when you select a book to read just by looking at the cover of the book and desperately wait to find out whether you have made a right choice. This is how I chose this book - A pair of eyes peering over a crumpled/ worn out piece of paper will make an intriguing read and trust me it did make an intriguing read. An anthology of twelve short stories, Transactions of Belonging is a spray of human emotions dipped with a touch of melancholy. 

A debut book with such diverse and unique stories shows the confidence the author has in her work which is evident with each and every story. 

Since this is a collection of stories, it would be apt to review each and every story rather than in entirety as a book. So here it goes:

The Fly Swatter - Rafat, who is the fly swatter to Manu Prasad, Minister of Social Justice, stands before Manu as his obedient bodyguard and comes a time when he falls to his inner desire which changes his course of being. A gripping story told eloquently. Overall - 4/5*

The Blue Arc - This is a story of a young girl who turns into a sex worker despite a strong family and educational background. The way the character of Shona is portrayed, confused on taking a first step towards her future which still stretched ahead is something which I liked. A story well told. Overall: 5/5*

Mustard Seeds - A story of a son labelled as Tamil Rebel who is having his last time before being freed forever to death. Overall: 4/5*

Strapped for Time - This story is about the sexual tension created between an old Mr. Raman and his housemaid, Rekha, for whom he waits expectantly every morning. But fate has something else to narrate. A story told with great subtlety about the sexual desires. Overall - 5/5*

Curtains Drawn - This is a every day story of a man abusing his wife and family in a drunken state. What kept me hooked is the narration. Overall:4/5*

His Curls - This is a story of a mom who feels that his son is a terrorist and her constant fear that he might eventually kill innocent people. A very gripping narration again. Overall: 5/5*

Neyyappams - This story is about a teenager who lands between religious rituals and his ignorance about it thus developing a sense of hatred against his father. A first story in the book which I felt could have been dealt with in a better way. But overall: 3.5/5

The Length of  A Breath - This is a story of a teenage girl having lost both her parents at a very tender age and now surviving with his younger brother under her uncle's supervision. The way in which the issue of puberty in girls is handled makes the story more interesting to read. Overall: 5/5

The Little Matter of Fresh Meadows Feces - This story talks about people living abroad and how their parents back home lead their lives and their children turning foreigners in their own homes. A lovely tale. Overall: 4/5*

The Smell of Jasmine - This is a story of a rich woman who is sex starved. The ending of the story probably is left for the reader to take their cue as per their understandings. A very maturely handled story. 

Overall: 4/5*

Jumble - This is a story of a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl who falls in love. What comes is the struggle that religion attaches with it. A story told in a simple and a mature manner. Overall: 4/5*

Indian Summer - A bittersweet tale of a relation between a teenage daughter and her mother told extremely well. This story by far is my personal favourite. Overall: 5/5*

All the stories are very well written, gripping and leaving the readers for more and to do that in almost all the stories is something that fascinates me and shows the prowess of the author.

Overall: An extremely mature work that should not be missed!

Ratings: 5/5* 

Please Note: This is PR requested review, given for a free copy and not a paid review. All the opinions expressed in the review remain unbiased, unsolicited and my own. 

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Marriage of Love

Source: Google Images

‘You remember the dawn, that day, in which our hearts sang in one tune?’

‘Do you remember the dusk, that day, in which our hearts bonded for eternity?'

They sensed their lips widen to their questions as they sat across the dining table of a plush restaurant with a soulful tune from a violin playing for them.

‘The suit looks good on you’, announced Heer; ‘and so does the sari’, expressed Hari with his eyes fixated on hers.

Standing afar and looking at them express their love for each other, a delighted Amarpreet kissed Boman on his cheek and whispered a ‘thank you’ for coming into her life and agreeing to sponsor and give poor a chance to lead a royal life like ours for a day on our every wedding anniversary.

"Marriage isn't between a man and a woman but between love and love." ~ Frank Ocean

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That Epochal Moment

Source: Google

That congenial persona

Exudes a charming warmth

To the relation that is luminous

Brushing past the confusing doors

Wafting through the shores

Of friendship and love

Comes a time to choose

And in an epochal moment

He comes closer

To his heart’s saying

As he lifts, twirls, and admits

His Love

For her

For - dVerse Poets Pub

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Our Dream

‘Savings is the only way that can lead us to our dreams.’ She had once admonished him on his spending habits, now reiterating it.

‘I don’t want our present to be affected while thinking about the future and moreover I believe in living to the fullest’, he reiterated his belief.

You and your beliefs! Sighed Nagma.

Pulling her closer, he whispered, and with a wide grin greeted her, ‘Happy Anniversary Darling!’

‘30 years of hard work, your support and ‘savings advice’ made it possible to own a beach house!’

With an overwhelming sense of achievement they cried, hugged, and celebrated.

Linking it to Write Tribe's 100 words on Saturday #15

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Book Review: Once Upon A Crush

A teaser of the book Once Upon A Crush

Author: Kiran Manral

Published by: Jufic Books

ISBN: 978-93-82473-91-6

Genre: Fiction / Romance

Price: INR 195 / $8

No. of pages: 224

Synopsis: Rayna De, stuck in a dead end job with a boss from hell, zero love life and the big 3-O looming large on the immediate horizon, has started to panic a lot. Enter new object of lust in the office, Deven Ahuja, and Rayna is overpowered by inappropriate visions of Cupid aiming his arrows straight into her heart, with tutrle doves doing their billing and cooing act in the backdrop.

Alas, Deven is completely out of her league despie the contradictory messages he seems to be sending out, and is, as decreed by page three supplements of the city newspapers, the man in the life of the gorgeous, light eyed model-turned-actress Sharbari Raina. As Rayna battles with her crush, shaky employment status and dithers about signing up for domesticity with the approved-by-her-parents Sid Bose, she discovers that life has its own plans.

Review: Once Upon A Crush is a story of Rayna De, born and brought up in the picturesque city of Kolkata, now poisted in Mumbai, fears she will permanently die single with no boyfriends around, forget a husband. Gosh! I managed writing such a long sentence! Yes, this will happen when you complete reading this fresh, witty and long sentence induced, a little sparkle of a story by Kiran Manral. After having read many books, it is for the first time I felt that, yes, long sentences works wonders if used correctly without changing the desired meaning, on the contrary to 'Keep your sentences short' idiom that many preach.

The story is set in today's time where one is not shy to check the chemistry first and then commit on a relationship leading to the couple getting eventually hitched. And Rayna De is one such powerful character in the book who will make you remember things which you have done while in office or when the object of lust is around you. Like mentally aiming poison tipped darts at the retreating back of the boss or the heart suddenly doing things like popping out and dancing.

Each and every character in the story is well laid out with some unique properties that stands out like that of the greasy oiled Mathur, apart from the central characters, Rayna De, Deven Ahuja and Sid Bose.

The plot is tightly weaved and revolves around Rayna's life which includes her office, her  limited friends, and Deven Ahuja  which quintessentially keeps the readers involved.

The writing is exceptional and brilliant with the author possessing a strong command over the language which is quite evident by the choice of words used throughout the story along with some funny lines. 

The editing is up to the mark as I didn't find any proof reading and grammatical errors.

Quotable Quote: "Post this shopping trip, I would be in such deep credit card hock that I would have to sign over my unborn children and hock my womb and eggs in triplicate to the bank."

Overall: You must grab this book for the author's command over story telling which will practically leave you turning pages till the last word and also to feel or to live once again those days of crushes and believe in love. A must read!

Ratings on:

Plot: 4/5*

Characterization: 5/5*

Writing: 5/5*

Entertainment: 4/5*

Overall: 4.5/5*

Please note: This is a PR requested review, given for a review copy. This is not a paid review. All the opinions expressed in  the review remain my own and remain unbiased and uninfluenced. 

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The Dark Reality

It is always a pleasure to write at Write Tribe's prompts and now after a short haitus it feels good to be back to writing for the superb prompts.

This time it is the 100 words on Saturday 2014 #14

“Truth has many faces. Even a simple ‘I Love You’ has many undercurrents which one can never see and feel”. And ‘truth’ when presented to please is often modified to suit the people concerned”, reasoned Arun, his close friend and attorney.

Kabir’s mind wobbled with the twisted facts his father had presented about his mother’s death.

 For almost 30 years he was oblivious to the fact that his mother was murdered for objecting to his father’s unprecedented and ever escalating demand for dowry. Kabir wished he knew then what he knew now.

“Press for death penalty”, hissed Kabir with angst.

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