SWG: Those Words

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from the last stanza of the book-length poem "The Prodigal" by Derek Walcott: dolphins, wait, embers, wedge, elation, benediction, fury, line, prophecy, soar, certainly, shines

Meera's life was a tragedy. She started to believe in every magic, prediction, zodiacs every astrologers. But most of them were fakes and took undue advantage of Meera's desperation.

PC

One day, while Meera was waiting in line for the bus, an old man,with a very serene face and white beard wearing an amber robe, walked up to Meera, looked straight into her eyes and said 

"Fury will create a wedge in your life. 

Your long wait  will be over. 

Your popularity shall  soar,  stars are going to shine, You shall be elated soon

In the shores of a beach, where certain kind of dolphins live, your love waits near the warmth of the embers"

Having said these words of benediction the man walked away, Meera stood there dumbfounded. The man vanished at a distance. 

It seemed like a prophecy. It seemed like God!

This post is written for Sunday Whirligig

SWG: Sadist Alice

PC

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "Burning the Old Year" by Naomi Shihab Nye: doorknob, something, smallest, sizzle, shouts, dance, paper, flame, crackle, flammable, stone, dies 

There was something weird about Alice. I have seen her throw stones at neighbors windows and getting a sadistic pleasure out of it.

That evening, I can never forget, when Alice jammed the doorknob of the barn with their pet dog inside. She poured flammable liquid all around the barn and lighted a small paper a threw it on the liquid.

The dry grass crackled in the flame. Alice stood there doing a happy dance, while the people around screamed and shouted for help to douse the roaring fire.

People outside could here the smallest yelp of the little dog, as it inhaled enough smoke and eventually succumbed to it.

Slowly, the fire sizzled and died, but the body of the dog gave Alice a lot of satisfaction.

The post is written for Sunday Whirligig

SWG: Garden Queen

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "Carrying Water to the Field" by Joyce Sutphen: afternoons, cultivating, water, wrapped, cut, across, surprise, turning, blade, melted, gulp, accomplished 

PC

Marrisa was a lonely woman. She spent most of her afternoons in her garden, cultivating beautiful flowers, vegetables, well trimmed blade grass. She would water them regularly, cut  the unwanted leaves. Her garden as the best in the village. She was called the Garden Queen.

One evening, while Marissa was  wrapped in her own thoughts, a voice came across and cut through her thoughts, "You are as pretty as this garden, dear garden queen"

She turned she was surprised to see the only man she ever loved, the man who vanished suddenly from her life.

Marissa stood slowly not beliving her eyes, she gulped the air as she walked towards him. Th whole world melted at the sight of him.

She walked towards him and gave him a tight slap.

"I made this garden to be distracted from you, and you waltz in here like you own this place, now I am called the Garden Queen and you deserved a tighter slap on that snob face.Mission accomplished"

This post is written Sunday Whilrgig

SWG: Run Away

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "The Pleasures of Hating" by Laure-Anne Bosselaar: hate, bliss, rapture, wig, lips, sandals, loathe, dents, draw, relapse, broccoli, delight 

PC

He hated wearing that blonde wig, bold red lips and those high heeled sandals. He loathed the blissful look on his master.

He cringed at the vulgar drawings on the dented walls of the room. The relapse of the abuse memory came rushing back every time he saw these walls.

The only delight amidst all these was Broccoli, the vegetable everyone hated but he loved. The florets brought the rapture of his mother's garden.

If only, he didn't run away that night; away from that broccoli soup.

This post is written for Sunday Whirlgig

SWG: Make-Up

This week's Sunday's Whirligig's words are  clerking, willing, smock, walk, hairspray, boxes, hips, wonders, lipsticks, chores, wisp, seldom 


I always wondered about this girl who does clerking at Smit's boxes. I have seen her moving boxes, seldom talking to any staff, goes about her daily chores and leaving for the day.
Today, while walking down the "Famous street" I was surprised to see, this silent looking girl, in a very sedutive smock swaying her hips, wearing a bold red lipstick, a wisp of hair falling on her heavily made up face, and the rest of the hair,set with a strong hairspray.
I wondered to myself, would it be the same girl. So, I went and tapped her shoulder, "Can I come in?"
There was a willingness in her voice. 

I asked "Are you Neha from Smit's boxes?"
The answer came "No honey, I am Tania, her mother" she laughed

Woosh! Make up can do wonders to people

SWG: Con

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "Making Peace" by Denise Levertov: forming, feeling, making, balance, ahead, crystal, profit, power, poem, grammar, metaphors, syntax 

She came into this tiny town of innocent villagers.

She sat under the banyan tree and started to say poems regularly

The poems lacked grammar, syntax's, metaphor's or any meaning

She said that the Lord walked ahead and led her here

To balance the negativity in this village.

She said she had the power to turn everyone's ill-fate into fortune

With a shiny crystal, she was making some general predictions.

Some of them did come true. 

Now, she got a feeling that she can con the innocent villagers.

A long queue of innocent, desperate villagers started forming for her predictions

Soon, she started to make profit from her business

Will the innocent villagers ever realize that she is a con??

There are many such con-men around the world. BEWARE

This post is written for Sunday Whirligig- 101

SWG: Forever

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "Mind Core" by Juan Felipe Herrera:ambled, alabaster, noon, bathed, bloated, bellies, moon, poems, lockets, leaned, kicked, stuffed 

After a fight with her husband, Mathias that noon, Mary was sad, she contemplated divorce, then she looked down at her bloated belly. 

"Anytime now" she thought. This unplanned pregnancy has not been easy for her.

She ambled around the park near the lake that was bathed in the beautiful soft light of the moon.

Picture Courtesy

Mary, lazily kicked a tiny rock and the rock hit something shiny, stuffed in the soft mud.

Mary leaned awkwardly holding her tummy, and picked up two lockets made of  alabaster, it was the prettiest locket Mary had ever seen.

She cleaned the locket with the hem of her dress and looked closely, it had some love poems cared on it. She peered even more close to see the date, it said To Mary From Mathias, 21st January 1549.

It was like a divine connection. Her name & her husband's name, in a heart shaped locket at the time when her heart was in turmoil.

Mary looked up at the moon and smiled with tears in her eyes. She knew now, what is has with Mathias is called FOREVER.

This post is written for Sunday Swirligig - 100

SWG: Scandal

I haven't posted for ages and feel so guilty about it. I can't get back the lost time but here I am starting again.

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "Logic" by Alice Notely: cords, could corridor, anymore, are, anarchy, tie, twisted, there, experiences, explanations, else 

They stood in the corridor arguing in hushed tones, about a very high level meeting.

Picture Courtesy

"Those cords are in the special conference room now, in this secret meeting, the conversations might get out" she said in an agitated voice

"There could be explanations to why it was so, if at all it was, which I have not seen else I wouldn't have let the lines there" he said

"I cannot take this anymore Richard, you and your twisted lies" her voice was quivering now

"Look, from my experience, at this anarchy, its better to act as if we aren't involved. I don't want to get our names to be tied to such a scandal" he said touching her cheek

She looked at him with a smile and said "Now, that we know everything, why don't we just take the stock papers, the money and vanish. Poof!"

This post is written for Sunday Whirligig-99

SWG: Heartbreak

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "The New Year" by Jason Shinder: bottom, breath, blue, dressed, drowning, discovered, match, mirror, mine, losing, love, lap 

They discovered a few things from a ship that sunk into the deep bottom of the Arabian sae 38 years ago.

She is 88 now and they showed her that old ornate mirror, with a 

She said with a lump in her throat "yes, that's mine"

That mirror had so many memories etched in it.

It has the memory of that fateful night.

On the wrenched ship, That little match and there was fire all over.

She was dressed for her ball, the day she fell in love.

The ship slowly sunk in the deep blue sea

Amoungst the drowing people, admidst the fire, he said he had loved her.

That day, he breath the last, on her lap

The pain of losing the only man she ever loved stayed with her for life.

This post is written for Sunday Swirligig

SWG: Flying Away

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "Christmas Away from Home" by Jane Kenyon: sleeves, swish, streams, candles, city, cars, painted, passing, pines, wildest, white, water 

The cars are passing on the wet street

And splashed the water on the sides

The city is painted with colors of red and white

And the snow has settled on the pines, like glowing light

Streams of people walk to the church for the prayer tonight

In their homes, Stockings hanging and the candles lit bright

Not in their wildest dreams, would they have thought that an old man in red and white sleeve would come with a red nosed reindeer swishing on the sky

With a bell in his hand, a smile on his face, HoHoHo on his lips, says Mr. Santa Claus Bye bye

This post is written for Sunday Swirligig

SWG: Just before the end

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "A Christmas Poem" by Conrad Hilberry:mouth, mother, mutter, sticky, slip, straw, faces, father, figs, wasting, ways, warp 

PC: agoramedia

I felt something sticky,  in my mouth. It felt like rotten figs.

The look on my parents faces were a mix of pity and love

My mother muttered to my father something that should not have been audible to me.

"My baby, is wasting his life in the worst ways possible. I hate to see him slip by. I could not see the way the car was warped around my child. Why did he have to drink so much, that too when he had promised me that he will give up"

That was the final straw, before I embraced Mr. Reaper

This post is written for Sunday Swirligig: 90

SWG: That Clown's Life

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "A Village Cat" by Anne Porter: living, under, decorated, daubs, smudges, streaks, clown, carnival, gaze, wonder, back, eyes 

PC: Flickr

Streaks of light streamed from the windows and slowly filled the room. She gazed at the light with her tear stained eyes. The bruises on her back, the lashes from last night, sadly reflected from the broken mirror in the room. 

The daubs of make-up were now smudged on her swollen face. 

She slowly stood under the shower, washing off the dried blood stains and the pain. 

She, the clown, of the famous carnival, decorated herself in happy colors, made everyone smile.

Would anyone have wondered,  what pain the clown was living behind that happy smile?

This post is written fort Sunday Swirilgig 85

SWG: Stevey

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "The Mermaids" by Marianne Boruch: spell, concept, offering, badass, whale, dolphin, murderous, whimsy, core, singing, expanse, steely 

Stevey, was a nice orphan in a small town. But, he was born with  steely eyes and murderous gaze. Everyone made fun of him. This  hurt him to the core. One day he decided "No more nice guy", from that day on he turned a badass, this town loathed.

PC: hercampus/Songofthesea

One evening, Stevey was sitting alone gazing at the vast expanse of the ocean. He sat there spell bound at the blues of the ocean and the orange of the sky.

The dancing waves, gave him an abstract concept. He wanted to do something whimsy for the sea, like an offering from him. He wanted to thank the sea for accepting him the way he is and not making fun of him.

He bent down and started singing the song that his mother taught him. The music, the tone, the voice was mesmerizing. The whales, dolphins and sea creatures came to listen to him. His singing, became famous in the town, people from far far away came to hear him sing.

One day, a miracle happened, the most beautiful, the most rumored mermaid came out if the ocean to offer her love to this man who had made her and her sea creatures happy.

From that day on, bad guy Stevey became the best singer Steve and the husband of the prettiest woman the land or water has ever seen

This post is written for Sunday Whirligig - 77

SWG: Wise Pixie

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "The Ancestors Explain How Envy Grew" by Afaa Michael Weaver: hush, crying, missing, cheese, chocolate, ending, jagged, rubbing, proper, alphabet, wealth, neighbors 

Little Meera was standing on the pavement of her old house staring at the neighbors dining room window.

PC: 99host

Slowly tears started clouding her vision. She doesn’t remember when she started crying standing there in her tattered clothes. Her mother was clearing the last remains of her old house that has been sold a few weeks back to pay off her father’s gambling debts.

Seeing Meera sob, her mother came to her and hushed her with soothing words of a better life, beautiful countryside.

Little Meera, missed her old home. She missed the wine and cheese, she missed the chocolate pudding,. Her mother and her had not had a proper meal since they moved out of old house.

Meera, sat silently on the stone of the man-pond at the end of her garden, wishing and praying all to be back to normal.She started drawing alphabets on the water, she hated her tear-stained reflection on the water. Suddenly something from inside the water jagged her fingers, a tiny pain shot up her arms. Meera got up that rock and started rubbing her hurt fingers and saw a small pixie came out of the water and sat on the same rock that she was sitting a while back. The little pixie in shimmery green dress smiled at her and said “Your wealth is you. This isn’t the ending. Smile and I will always be with you”

This post is written for Sunday Whirligig 76

SWG: Heart-Attack

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "The Graves" by Joanna Klink: flicker, anchor, water, minor, blur, tender, clear, laughter, unwinding, hovering, rushing, leaning

I am a sailor. My name is Bob. This is my experience.

PC:dooryourcinema

We were sailing on our ship "The Mermaid".
One fine morning, when we removed the anchor  from the sea, suddenly the clear water turned red. It looked like the red color was rushing from within the sea and the color of the anchor was red, it looked like blood, but we assumed it might have been the paint.

That night we hit the mid sea, by around 2 am. I was at the deck unwinding the rope from the bwoy, just then a saw a flicker  of light, then I heard a shrill laughter. I tried leaning over the railing to see if any of my mates were playing a prank. But, few of my mates came up and said that they heard the laughter too.

Suddenly, a blur smoke emerged out of the blood colored anchor, it became huge and started hovering over our ship.

That is the day that I got my first minor heart-attack.

This post is written for Sunday Whirligig - 73

SWG: Sunny

THIS WEEK'S WORDS come from "Here in the Psalm" by Sally Fisher: sheep, grass, waters, chilly, enemies, worry, watch, wobbles, chair, safe, side, spill 

There was a mysterious old man. He wobbled while he walked.. He stayed alone in a pretty cottage, surrounded by grass and a clear water lake. He had a sheep named "Sunny". 

Sunny was the cutest doe-eyed sheep in the town. Many came to the old man to buy Sunny. The old man refused them so rudely that more than half the town turned his enemies.

Every day the old man would worry about Sunny being stolen. So, he sat on a rocking chair and would watch Sunny play all day. All he wanted was his sheep to be safe.

One chilly evening, while Sunny was playing by the clear waters, there was a splash and some water spill, the old man ran as fast his wobbly feet would take him. He jumped in the lake to save his beloved sheep.

From that day on, even if anyone came to buy Sunny, the loyal sheep refused to leave the old man's side.

This post is written for Sunday Whirlgig 70