Sangeetha Kamath

SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE The snide remarks… The cackles… The name-calling… The singling out… Because he was different. He looked different. He walked different. He talked different. He was of the wrong colour. His hair was different and so was his skin… Barbeque night was here and he looked out of his window which faced the neighbor's backyard. There were all there. Now is the time. It's now or never! He went to the garage and flipped open the lid of the canister. The odor was pungent and acrid. He hauled it all the way to the neighbors'. The aroma of slow-smoked briskets, charcoal grilled over lychee wood was tantalizing. He smacked his lips in anticipation. They were too busy to notice him entering stealthily.  After taking care to spill the ethanol in a natural spill pattern, he lit a piece of fabric and dropped it. Dark was the night. Molten and ferocious liquid flames danced and sent red sparks in the October breeze… Volatile…  Consuming… Engulfing.. The ear-...

                                 TRIPADI  They carry dreams on wispy wings Dragonfly queens, buzzing bee kings Golden pools of sunshine their basking space Silhouetted in chrome moonlight Shimmer and dazzle silver bright, Kaleidoscopic fairies in disguise! Amphora shaped by a potter Glaze!--Liquid blue sky can't muster… The magic of earthy terracotta The fragrance of blooms in clusters Tender sprigs sprouts dainty flowers Medley of mint, turquoise on my ewer! ©️ Sangeetha Kamath  A Tripadi is a Bengali poetry format consisting of Tercets (or three-line stanzas). Lines one and two end rhyme with each other. Lines one and two have eight syllables. Line three has ten syllables. Poem may consist of one tercet or several.

                   IT'S MY LA-LA-LAND "Snakes alive! *Cough cough* Where did you appear from, stranger? Creeping up on me like that ! I say, you'll send me to my grave, you will!" "Cor! A talking caterpillar! How wonderful to meet you, Sir! I'm Alice…how do you do? A very balmy morning, eh?" "*Puff puff cough*...What's so good about it, anyway? The Queen will roll your head by sundown!" "Why is that, Sir?" "Good Lord, you've trespassed her kingdom! You don't know the mad Queen…Ahem! Ahem! I mean Her Royal Highness…you must seek pardon!" "Not if she doesn't know I'm here. Now if you'll let me uproot some of these plants…" " Blasphemy! Uproot plants of Wonderland? Over my dead body! I'm the Great Garden of the Queen's Guardian…*hick hick…cough*...the Great Guardian of the Queen's Garden…!" "Oh come now, caterpillar, you can't be serious! A few plants and I'm ...

SICILIAN OCTAVE Blessed by the constellations celestine, You had chosen me when you floated down In a chariot of shimmer and shine A gem in our eyes, jewel in our crown; Starbursts sparkled like fireworks crystalline The moon shone like a pearl over our town All around 'twas a carnival divine Bonny angel in a gossamer gown! Art work: Nandita Dhar Pic Courtesy: Soul Craft ©️ Sangeetha Kamath A Sicilian Octave is a 8 line stanza with iambic meter (10 or 11 syllables) and a rhyme scheme of abababab.

                          THE DIARIST  Seremban, Tanah Rata " Strawberry Fields Forever…" When at the land of umpteen Strawberry farms, it would be a folly not to taste their indigenous Strawberries 'N' Cream topped with juicy, chunky bites of the ruby red fruit, a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream and an even bigger dollop of whipped cream! It takes 2 to finish the generous portion. Don't bother to count the calories!  Negeri Pahang  Hiking up a Mossy Forest at 6900 ft...and...I did it ! It's an adventure and a thrill of a lifetime which truly lives up to its name. Trees covered with fuzzy, thick moss,bulky roots jutting out of the earth strong enough to use as a foothold and thick vines to grab on to.  'Twas an accomplishment to reach the top after veering through the steep, narrow, slippery path going upwards and downwards alternatively. Mist covered valleys and greenery peeking through it. The view ...

                            CHANSO Rippling, gushing, a bubbling calm A soothing salve, comforting balm Camping beside the brooks and lakes Water heals, your sorrow it takes… Roaring, rising, crashing, tempest Sometimes, wrath at its mightiest In its ravaging wake sweeping Tsunamis with vengeance flooding Sunken ships , forgotten treasures Coral reefs and marine creatures In the depths of briny blue bliss Wonderland of oceans and seas I'm a mermaid in depths twirling Gliding, swimming, pirouetting… Shimmering cyan light filtered Azure, turquoise, so grand---dappled! Embracing and enveloping, The ocean is all welcoming. ©️ Sangeetha Kamath  Art work: Deepa Gopal Pic Courtesy: Soul Craft  A CHANSO is a French poetry format of 4 or more stanzas  The number of lines for a stanza is up to the poet. But each stanza will be that number of lines. SYLLABLES  should be the same for each line throughout. The ...

                      GOLDEN SHOVEL  Mighty monarchs of the skies they're NOT Warblers and songbirds of the woods, ALL Hopping over wands of grass with a bonny bright spirit are THOSE  Feathered elven pixies lending a dash of colour in my garden and WHO  Roost on my ledge after a hard day's labour of nectar-hunting and a jolly WANDER Waking up to their chirps and jocund dances ARE  Something that I look forward to—rhythm, rainbow and sunshine of the soul– something along the way that I've LOST. Artwork: Ankisha Pic Courtesy: Soul Craft  ©️ Sangeetha Kamath  A Golden Shovel is a poetry format wherein a quote or a line from another poem is borrowed to craft an entirely different poem. Each word of that line becomes the ending word of one's poetry. In this piece I've borrowed my favourite quote "NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST" from J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Rings, Lord of the Rings.

                         THE FIRE-OAK The fire-seed that you had swallowed, festers in your belly and grows into a fire-oak in the terrarium of your mind. It branches out, conjures things up, replays, rewinds scenes which sets your heart racing and blood boiling. There is no vent to let the steam out and let it dissipate. It takes deep roots. Anchors itself and refuses to let go of you. The sparks which fly out of your eyes threatens to reduce anyone who crosses you into cinder and ash. No dragon has ever spurted flames and inferno as you, who nurtures a fire-seed. You explode verbally and sometimes make a spectacle of yourself and regret in leisure after the damage has been done.  What cyclones and hurricanes tear through your mind? Why does it reach a momentum and tempo of no-return? You're asked to go for counseling and therapy, but no! You pride yourself with this intimidating demeanor and stick to it. Store-clerk...