A conversation with myself — First, know you have one, and celebrate Hallelujah! Second, realise that others have one, too, and ponder. Hmmm. Third, understand that only compassion, smiles and laughter sustain the heart. Huh? Fourth, create smiles and laughter for others, too. Who, I? Fifth, believe in destiny. As in, ‘que sera, sera.’ Right. I am all set, now. Thank you. ©️ 2022 Suma Narayan. All Rights Reserved.

A prompt-ed poem — (All parts of all Larkspur plants are poisonous) He is a gentleman, they said Good mannered and polite We know his family of old, they said, Of good stock, they are, and true. He smiled a lot, he had good teeth: He always held the door Such a catch, I…

For some strange reason it felt like Christmas today, so I dressed in a top that was red crimson berry currant wine scarlet blush blood cherry…oh you know what I mean? Alright then: and a Converse tracksuit which was green chartreuse olive juniper moss shamrock seaweed basil…oh you get the…

That’s easy. First you stay put someplace. Alone. Not lonely. Alone. Then you look around and make sure no one is watching you. If no one is, the next step becomes easier. Remove ALL your masks. One by one. Every last one of them. The tearing away may leave lacerations on your skin…some…

In response to Dancing Elephants prompt 50 of 52 Once upon a time, long, long ago, my boys lived at home with us. We took them with us when we went to most places. Holidays and vacations meant the four of us traveled together to hill stations and resorts for…

Anxiety: The Voices In My Head — If I were to pick one Voice, Over the others in my head Telling me what to do What to think When to think and when to stop thought Would I be able to? Haven’t they become so enmeshed, Entwined …inescapable With truth and falsehood, Seamlessly married? Were they birthed…

A Poem Sometimes, I shut down Nothing helps No wake-up call No magic key No clarion of ‘value systems’ No books No movies No song or dance This is my winter… Sometimes winter descends Immediately after spring And I am alone Even in a multitude: Especially in a multitude. What do I want, What do I yearn…

Word Origins — The day I discovered that ‘window’ was the combination of ‘wind+eye’ from old Norse ‘vindauga’, I was helplessly hooked to etymology. It helped that I was pursuing an English Literature course at the time, and I had both license and opportunity to devour books like a rampaging forest fire. It…

Teachers touch lives — To be a teacher, is to touch a life. 5th September is the birth anniversary of Dr. S Radhakrishna, the second President of India. He was a statesman, a scholar and a philosopher. Throughout his life, he has been lauded for his erudition, sagacity and scholarliness, and these have earned…