Season of Joy

Picture Courtesy: Smart Canucks

Tis the season to cheer

Oh look winter is here

The blanket of white just outside

Lures me and fills me with yuletide

Tis the season to be jolly

Bring out the mistletoe and the holly

Light up the christmas tree

And watch the little faces fill with glee

The jolly old man riding his sleigh

Arrives on the eve of the big day!

The night spent sleepless in anticipation

Unwrapping the bright boxes as dawn seeps in

And soon it will be a brand new year

Forget the falls, the triumphs may you hold dear

Bidding farewell to the year past,

fresh beginnings may you usher

Newer boundaries may you conquer

Just around the bend ahead is Pongal

The traditional Indian Harvest Festival

In the dance of pure joy, clapping hands, tapping feet

Women whirl around in circles to the village beat!

Oh my there is so much color

It is indeed the season to cheer.

Remember the real celebration is to show you care

To hug, kiss and cherish all that you hold dear!

So heres wishing you every brightness and glitter

And hoping that happiness may fill the air!

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Pongal is a festival celebrated in South India. This festival is aimed at thanking the gods for a plentiful harvest.

A sweet concoction called chakara pongal is made from rice and brown sugar in a traditional earthern pot. As the pot boils over, the entire family gathers around to join in the refrain "Pongal O Pongal". Traditionally girls dance around the bon fire, singing songs in praise of the gods, the spring and the harvest. A traditional south Indian dance form called kummi (where women clap their hands and tap their feet in rhythm with the folk song with or without music) is performed. Wearing new clothes people visit temples and worship god. Another tradition is to offer Sugar Cane to God and then distribute it and eat it!

I celebrate pongal by just making the sweet - chakara pongal in a pressure cooker (european cooker). It usually occurs mid Jan.

The harvest festival in rest of India is called Shankranthi, Baisakhi (in the North - Thanks for letting us know Rayshma)

Picture Courtesy : Google Images

Read others at Writers Island

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Dance of Life

The merry kicks in the tummy we beat.

Out we come with flaying arms and feet!

Every tune lures us to the dance floor,

And we dance to the melody as we grow...

But now that we are older and wiser

Life has become one big rush...

The path we take has become a blur

In the rush to be there first!

Oh do take it gentle, take it slow
And smell the roses as you go..
Take it merry and fill with joy
The little things may you enjoy

Dance to the tune of life...

Sway to the merry beats

Dance it steady, Dance it slow...

Listen to the melody as you go

Watch the way you dance your dance,

Make it last, make it count

For the music wont last forever

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Prompt from Sunday Scribblings - Dance

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Countless Blessings

A baby's first laugh

An infant's toothless grin

A toddlers giggles filled with mirth

Can you tell me how much they are worth?

A little boy running home with daily tales

Spinning big fantasies in his active mind

A little girl dreams of castles and princes

Of fairies and enchanted places.

The first time he takes his dads car for a spin

Or the first night out with friends at the mall

The first pay check which fills the face with a grin

Or the first sky dive, first free fall

A lovers gentle caress and tender words

The promise to buy the whole wide world

The endless phone calls and little notes

The days and nights of dreams galore

The much awaited wedding day

Filled with so much splendour and Joy

Mixed emotions at starting a new walk.

The first house oh so dear

The first things bought together...

Finding out that you are to add to the house...

The pride that swells as the tummy grows!

The loving hunt for the perfect name,

The perfect nursery put together in haste.

The wee one lets out the first cry

And friends and family fill with joy!

That is the miracle of life,

A full full circle.

A countless blessings,

Thank God for it.

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Again for Writer's Island - The Moment. Life is a tapestry of precious moments. We live and relive the memories as we grow. It is in us to choose to relive the sad or the joyful memories. And although I can never erase the sadness from my heart - (read my previous post - Final Adieu), I thank God for the countless blessings he has awarded me.

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The Final Adieu!

The phone ring jars the peaceful night
A shiver runs down the spine in fright..
Who could be calling at this wee hour!
To pick up the phone She dreads, she fears.

The man picks up the phone to hear...
His face contorts in sheer despair.
She doesnt want to listen to the confirmation..
of the dread that has been growing in her abdomen!

She rushes across the seas to reach...
The devastation left behind the cortege.
Amidst muted tears she can only behold
A mass of people, an unwanted crowd.

No more smiling lips or open arms
No more endless questions, patient ears
No more warmth or welcome at the threshold!
No more life, just an eerie silence!

She is in a hurry to reach,
the two pairs of tearful eyes..
To hold them in their grief,
and join them to say goodbye!
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Prompt from Writers Island - The Moment
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A Promise

As you held me in your hands for the first time,
Did you promise to treasure me all my life?
As you rocked me to sleep the first months,
Did you promise to protect me from all evils?
As you dropped me off at school on the very first day,
Did you promise to think of me every minute we were apart?
As you drove away the monsters every night,
Did you promise to do the same in real life?
As you helped me with my lessons,
Did you promise to make me very successful?
As you dealt with my terrible teen years,
Did you promise to walk beside me and be my friend?
As I confronted those endless exams,
Did you promise to sit by me and cheer me through?
As I landed my first job,
Did you promise to rejoice my every success?
As I embarked on the journey of wedded life,
Did you promise to be there for me at every bend.
As I journeyed through life,
Did you promise to share your experience?
As you turn grey and begin to bend with age.
I promise to hold your hand and be there forever!

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Answering a prompt from Writers Island - The Promise

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Baby Steps

Come hold my hand...walk with me.

Let me take you places.. you will see!

You spent the last year lolling about...

Dont you think its time to walk?

And then the day dawns, he pulls himself up

and tentatively takes one step.

Oh the joy in my eyes to see

the wee one coming to me!

The pitter patter of little feet around the house.

Getting into trouble when no one's about.

Oh couldnt you have waited to walk.

For a little longer couldnt you have sat in a spot?

Next you know he is ready to run.. up and down! up and down!

I am so breathless and so worn!!

But daddy's eyes shine with pride

As he watches the li'l one take the world in a stride!

Now you tumble about.. and run in circles all day long.

Makes me dizzy just to watch.. your pace has my nerves wrought.

Oh I long for the good old days...

when you would loll about in a tiny space.