Sangeetha Kamath

  THE NORTH STAR Present Day                                                 The ocean blushed a rosy hue as it swallowed the last slice of the boiling sun. The craggy edges of the mountainside shimmered, far across my window. The waves of the Polzeath were a soft splash of lace against the feet of the boulders.  Nikki has got me a hospital room with a view! She always does things in style. That silly child! I know that my end is nearing. The various tubes and needles sticking into my aged and wrinkled skin don't bother me anymore.  Nikki is a well known name today in the research for cancer treatment. All my life I had worried for nothing. About how she would cope or survive without me… after me. I can now ...

                   ONCE UPON A TEAPOT  The quaint streets of Olde Mageia were fringed by an assortment of shops. The Teaware Store, which was shaped like a huge teapot, stood in the center of a rose garden at the crossroads of this street. The curator, a wizened old man, had a mop of hair so white that he looked as ancient as the Earth itself. He had a twinkle in his friendly blue eyes and fine lines around it— signs of him smiling and serving everyone with joy.  I stood at my usual spot looking out at the bleak weather, raindrops splattering in the rose garden, beating down hard on the window panes and blurring the scenery outside. The warmth of the fireplace did nothing to banish the gloom in my heart. My best friend who always stood beside me with her cheerful face was leaving today to her new home. One of her hands was outstretched in a perpetual friendly wave — a spout of a teapot and the other formed a curve like the hand...

  ALL'S WELL IN A CAT'S WORLD  Hello there! Jeepers! What a scare you gave me the other day, when you caught me off-guard, you cat crazy…ahem*cough cough*...cat cuckoo, nutty as a fruitcake, sweet lady! (Wheww! That was quick thinking on my part…all my nine lives are intact haha…though I know you won't harm a hair on a cat, oh no) Besides, now I know what's it's like to be hounded by the paparazzi. I ran helter-skelter from mama Yani who was after me with a cam just so that you and I could have a meow of a time talking nineteen to the dozen. But you did catch a glimpse of me as I whisked myself away under a couch, didn't you?  Nah! Nah! It's not you, my most ardent fan. It's the star in me. I have to behave like one and give you only rare fleeting frames of me waving my pricey paw or swishing my starry tail. Meowaahaha! Not so easy, huh? …No no no… But I can write you neverending letters, anyday so let me regale you with some snippets and updates. When w...

                             TANNENBAUM  Snug under a patchwork quilt, watching filigreed snowflakes Wafting aroma of casseroles and cinnamon-vanilla in all the bakes Tannenbaum adorned with glitz and all the razzmatazz Softly glowing as I enjoy holiday movies of schmaltz Drifting strains of carolling float in every street and corner As I sing to myself and strum my guitar My windows frost against the rolling fog The fireplace crackles as I shove in more logs Friends and family are oceans apart Yuletide and every festivity was a celebration in solitude, oh my heart! Next Christmas I want to waltz, jive and jig With my loved ones and rollick big! Pic Courtesy Pixabay  ©️ Sangeetha Kamath 

             DAZZLING DECEMBER DREAMS Scintillating icy stars and snowbow prisms on winter sky edge Mistletoe kisses! Oh! Jolly surprises To pirouette in my ivory gown of tiffany lace and silver-toed ballerina slipper December dream wishes of shine and shimmer Larch and Alder trees whispering charming fairy tales Munching on gingerbread cookies, rum-raisin cakes soaking in citrusy glaze Fragrant pines adorned with baubles, trinkets and glitter December dream wishes of shine and shimmer  Festoons of bonny lambs with downy fleece Stollens loaded with nuts and candied peels Macadamia panettone and marzipans dusted with royal icing sugar December dream wishes of shine and shimmer Ivy vines and eucalyptus wreaths perfuming every corner Cranberry garlands and bouquets of lavender Sipping mulled plum wine while caroling around a toasty bonfire  December dream wishes of shine and shimmer  Decadent Brownie fudge sundae drizzled with brandy Snowme...

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.