AMARANTH BROCADE (DAY 1)

In all her bridal finery of reds and golds in a soft serenade

When autumn limbers in, in an amaranth brocade

Regaled with a bounty of towering flamed foliage,

I walk in the fall rain, soaking in the crimson herbage

Before they become one with the sable carpeted quilt mingled with hues of umber

There are joys of sitting in front of a fireplace, sipping a mulled apple cider

Fresh batches of cinnamon, vanilla and pecan cookies on a blustery day;

Fragrance wafts from my kitchen like a dreamy tale

Wooly socks! Thrown around to snuggle into, are plaid blankets

I watch the soft-spun clouds and fading sepia sunlight

How hushed the world is with the pause in birdsongs and scampering of critters

Nature hibernates to preserve the acorns and holly-berries

The October wind whispers her secrets and hums her bronzed melodies

Until spring bursts forth again with a bountiful floral cornucopia

Seasons come and go, changing from russet, gray to fuchsia

I venture into the jewel-toned wilderness,

Waltzing into enchanting russet horizons in a quest for stillness

To rise even as I fall to pieces when I pine for you,

Embrace the dim sunlight and thick fog rolls, it's where my love for you is deep and true.

©️ Sangeetha Kamath

Pic Courtesy:Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

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CHẠ̀WKHRĀW (Chxw̒kh rxw̒)

As usual, at the dot of 8 pm, the Guzheng plays its stirring chords, the haunting notes beginning a slow sweep, rising to a powerful crescendo and alternating with a tranquil ebbing of melody surfing me along the waves of soul-stirring, yet a serene stretch of an hour every day. I make it a point to sit right beside my dining room window to bask in this lulling sound therapy as my neighbor downstairs diligently plays on this zither, oblivious to my admiration. What a luxury it is to have a live orchestra while I savour the last meal of the day. It's a welcome distraction to the otherwise jarring squabbling of the playful neighbourhood children. The Chạ̀wkhrāw of this– that the musical household might move one day is a foreboding thought. Foreshadowing this, deeply ingrained in me is the shattering news I had received upon returning to Singapore after an 8 month absence here. The Ramadan festive season was fast approaching at the end of March but the apar...

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Sangeetha Kamath

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