Generated by All in One SEO v4.9.10, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site.

# Vijaya Sundaram

from Dreamtime into Realtime

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://vijayasundaram.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [News](https://vijayasundaram.com/news/)
- [Perfugium - A 100-word micro-fictional short story](https://vijayasundaram.com/perfugium-a-100-word-micro-fictional-short-story/) - Perfugium©July 21st, 2016By Vijaya Sundaram“What is that, Sire?” clicked Secondus.Primus, squinting through the periscope at the watery world around them, clicked out a reply.They’d been stranded in the trenches of the ocean world. Air supplies had diminished, as the plants in their craft died. They’d risen to the surface just in time. Their craft bobbed
- [Almost the Day of Reckoning - An Atheist's Allegory](https://vijayasundaram.com/almost-the-day-of-reckoning-an-atheists-allegory/) - Almost the Day of Reckoning – An Atheist’s Allegory©February 13th, 2013By Vijaya SundaramThere was a hush.It settled over the land, a vagueness that brought a disquieting sense of menace. A message emerged from the hush, cloaked in scarlet, masked in secrecy, outlined in ice.The birds carried the message to creatures across the land. The trees
- [Greeting the Ghosts – A blog post from my first WordPress Blog, Feb. 10th, 2013](https://vijayasundaram.com/greeting-the-ghost-a-blog-post-from-my-first-wordpress-blog-feb-10th-2013/) - Greeting the Ghosts: (First posted on my WordPress blog on Feb. 10, 2013) ©Vijaya Sundaram Every morning, when I wake up, and every night when I go to sleep, I greet my ghosts. They cluster around me, aching with loneliness. "Tell us about it all," they sigh and await the news of a world they
- [Greeting the Ghosts](https://vijayasundaram.com/greeting-the-ghosts/) - Greeting the Ghosts:(First posted on my WordPress blog on Feb. 10, 2013)©Vijaya SundaramEvery morning, when I wake up, and every night when I go to sleep, I greet my ghosts.They cluster around me, aching with loneliness. “Tell us about it all,” they sigh and await the news of a world they crave.They never got used
- [Fritter and Waste ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/fritter-and-waste/) - Fritter and Waste – A Journal Entry of Sorts ©February 2nd 2013 By Vijaya Sundaram So, today was a weird day. I had pulled an all-nighter last night. Entirely my fault, of course. Plus, I'd slept barely three hours the night before. Also my fault. I called it "doing work." I could have done that
- [Titanic Emergence - A 100-word micro-fictional story](https://vijayasundaram.com/titanic-emergence-a-100-word-micro-fictional-story/) - Titanic Emergence ©July 9th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram No one noticed the clouds that day, because people had been forewarned. The alarm had sounded all over the globe -- even the indigenous peoples in forests and hills and distant islands had been informed. Nobody ventured out. When the clouds parted, a beam of light shot
- [Monastic Illuminations](https://vijayasundaram.com/monastic-illuminations-2/) - Monastic Illuminations (An ekphrastic poem about the illuminations in manuscripts produced by monks in the Middle Ages) ©April 24th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Snails and horses, sex and darts And armored men with enlarged parts And women with distended hares Extended branches, full of snares. All jokes aside, are these sad hearts? Devoted to their
- [No One Ghost](https://vijayasundaram.com/no-one-ghost/) - No One Ghost ©December 23rd. 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram So strange it is to live Surrounded by people who Are, When all I see are those Who once were, those who will be, Those who might have been, And those who could become.We breathe in ghosts As we move through air, And they slip, silken,
- [Tatha](https://vijayasundaram.com/tatha-nov-10-2020/) - About my Grandfather, K.G. Madhavan: ©Nov. 10, 2020 By Vijaya Sundaram I love walking. I think I got it from my maternal grandfather. He walked everywhere, and was fit until the day he fell down some stairs. He died a few months after that. He was a lovely man, my Thatha. He loved all his
- [A Vision](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-vision/) - A Vision © January 7th, 2020 By Vijaya Sundaram The Dreamer stirred- And everything slipped side-wise, Then straightened up, while People and animals walked up walls, And birds wheeled perpendicularly. The Dreamer stared- And everything grew eyes That stared back, And followed her As she backed slowly down Sloping, forgotten streets, Stumbling upon gifts and
- [Bird Over the Water - Original song, composed, arranged, and performed by Vijaya Sundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/bird-over-the-water-original-song-composed-arranged-and-performed-by-vijaya-sundaram/)
- [Every Night - Micro-fiction, maybe?](https://vijayasundaram.com/33206-2/) - Every Night ©Vijaya Sundaram Every night, it’s the same. You stay, frozen at your computer, looking at your half-written novel, your fingers poised pertly on the keys, your formerly strained back feeling nothing, your mind blank. Something prompts you, and you get up, and go downstairs. Always, always, you want to go downstairs, and then
- [Cross-posted on FB - It's just about a song that's haunting me right now!](https://vijayasundaram.com/cross-posted-on-fb-its-just-about-a-song-thats-haunting-me-right-now/) - Woke up with this Nirvana cover of a David Bowie song looping endlessly in my head. Apparently, Bowie was inspired by this poem by Hughes Mearns titled "Antigonish [I met a man who wasn't there]: "Yesterday, upon the stair, I met a man who wasn't there He wasn't there again today I wish, I wish
- [Transformation](https://vijayasundaram.com/transformation/) - Metamorphosis – A Short Magical Tale ©By Vijaya Sundaram Feb. 26th, 2013 The mists descended, and the shadows prowled across my back yard. I had been looking out the window. It was, as usual, 3:00 a.m., and my head was buzzing with unceasing chatter. I had worked all day, and had been unable to get
- [Podcast: Words to Live By with Vijaya Sundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/podcast-words-to-live-by-with-vijaya-sundaram/) - We’re pleased to share that Vijaya Sundaram, Poet Laureate of Medford, was recently featured on the Words to Live By podcast. In this episode, Vijaya discusses her journey as a poet, what it means to live and write with intention, and how language allows us to engage more deeply with our communities and selves. The
- [PODCAST: Vijaya Sundaram: Poetry, Place, and the Role of a City’s Voice](https://vijayasundaram.com/podcast-vijaya-sundaram-poetry-place-and-the-role-of-a-citys-voice/) - Vijaya Sundaram, Poet Laureate of Medford, appears in a recent podcast episode exploring poetry, place, and the responsibilities of civic voice. In the conversation, Vijaya reflects on her path to becoming Poet Laureate, how community and lived experience shape her writing, and the role poetry can play in public life. The discussion moves between creative
- [Meet Me in Medford | Vijaya Sundaram, Medford Poet Laureate](https://vijayasundaram.com/meet-me-in-medford-vijaya-sundaram-medford-poet-laureate/) - In the Meet Me in Medford spotlight from 4SquaresRE, poet and former Medford Poet Laureate Vijaya Sundaram talks about her deep connection to the city she calls home, her path from India to Medford, and what it has meant to serve as a local cultural voice. The piece offers personal reflections on community, creativity, and
- [Getting to Know Vijaya Sundaram: Poetry, Voice, and the Art of Attention](https://vijayasundaram.com/getting-to-know-vijaya-sundaram-poetry-voice-and-the-art-of-attention/) - In a featured Getting to Know interview with Mass Poetry, Medford Poet Laureate Vijaya Sundaram shares her journey into poetry—from discovering a love of verse as a child in Chennai to carrying those early inspirations with her to the United States—and reflects on the literary influences and creative impulses that shape her work. The conversation
- [INTERVIEW WITH SOMERVILLE TIMES](https://vijayasundaram.com/discover-the-vibrant-voice-of-vijaya-sundaram-medfords-poet-laureate-and-acclaimed-new-england-poet-whose-work-gracefully-intertwines-sensory-richness-with-resilience-and-celebration-in-her/) - Discover the vibrant voice of Vijaya Sundaram, Medford’s Poet Laureate and acclaimed New England poet whose work gracefully intertwines sensory richness with resilience and celebration. In her recent interview with The Somerville Times, Sundaram discusses her latest poetry collection Reverberations, exploring how her poems embrace food, nature, and the human spirit with a sensibility that
- [A reading of Climate Change Metaphysics](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-reading-of-climate-change-metaphysics/) - In a recent Instagram video shared by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Library of Congress, poet Vijaya Sundaram reads Climate Change Metaphysics from her work, offering a quiet and powerful moment of reflection through language. The reading highlights her lyrical voice and deep attentiveness to emotion, place, and human connection,
- [When Will You Take me?  I Ask Death](https://vijayasundaram.com/when-will-you-take-me-i-ask-death/) - How Will You Take Me? I ask Death ©June 21st, 2021 By Vijaya Sundaram Sometimes, when my brain is idle, I let Death step in. We sit together on the curb, as Trees wave gently overhead, Traffic moving like molasses At rush hour. A man and his son walk by, Wave at me. I wave
- [Covidescence, OR: I'm So Sorry](https://vijayasundaram.com/covidescence-or-im-so-sorry/) - Covidescence, OR: I'm So Sorry ©May 28th, 2020 By Vijaya Sundaram I'm so sorry your: Mother died Father died Aunt died Uncle died Sister died Brother died Cousin died Niece died Nephew died Grandfather died Grandmother died Grandson died Grand-daughter died Husband died Wife died Lover died Employee died Co-worker died Employer died Neighbor
- [When the Master Narrator Speaks](https://vijayasundaram.com/when-the-master-narrator-speaks/) - When the Master Narrator Speaks©May 28th, 2020By Vijaya Sundaram(with additions today - January 20th, 2021) When the Master Narrative speaksIn its loud, important voice,In the valley where I meet it,I’ll reply, undaunted, in a soft one,Make a choice to offer it peace,Turn every statement,Every assertion,Every argument,Every incorrect version ofReality cowed and contorted,Every loud, ignorant rantingOn
- [Food](https://vijayasundaram.com/food/) - Food ©May 27th, 2020 By Vijaya Sundaram Give food, give water. You do not need to be great You do not need to be talented, You do not need God You do not need learning You do not need plaudits. All you need is to be able to feed And give succor to someone.
- [Snail-Time](https://vijayasundaram.com/snail-time/) - Snail-Time (For George Floyd) ©May 27th, 2020 By Vijaya Sundaram I'm almost afraid To say how very Sad Angry Enraged Stunned Heartbroken Despairing Hopeless Grief-stricken I am, Because, then, Someone will come along, And say, "Cheer up." But how can I (cheer up) When a man died with a knee to his neck – A
- [Nostra Culpa](https://vijayasundaram.com/nostra-culpa/) - Nostra Culpa ©January 4th, 2020 By Vijaya Sundaram Out of the shadows, emerges Your face, dark and radiant Full of night, full of light. You look through the window, And your heart lurches. Now, here, beautiful, calm: The air full of mist-rain, And traffic flowing along The veins of a city, singing An urban song,
- [Remember](https://vijayasundaram.com/remember/) - Remember ©December 24th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram This day – made into realness, Brought into being by those Who agree implicitly And, by thus doing, Make the world bend To their dream, their reality – This day is almost upon us now. I don’t mind. I like stories, And this is a good one. Remember
- [All Good](https://vijayasundaram.com/all-good/) - All Good©December 20th, 2019By Vijaya Sundaram Voices ring out like bells, like birdsong, like soap-flakes Coming down from a vaulted ceiling, Warmer than snow, goofier than the elements, Make-believe that delights. And, for a moment, in a crowded hall, All are one, and in oneness, we are released. In exultation, in lifted voices, in lines,
- [Assemble, Reassemble](https://vijayasundaram.com/assemble-reassemble/) - Assemble, Reassemble ©December 3rd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram I sense Death hovering close by. This I cannot shake off. I turn and look, but he isn't there. I feel him seeking to claim me, Standing right next to the cells Within my slowly aging body, Millions of little Deaths, all waiting With a finger on
- [Silence](https://vijayasundaram.com/silence/) - Silence©November 28th, 2019By Vijaya Sundaram I stay up most nightsFor silence is scarceBut even past midnightA harsh sound blares Like a freaked-out childAtop a high wire,This sound swirls around,And causes me ire. The thing that I seekEludes every graspEvery breath, every eye,Every sibilant gasp. Wires and fridgesAnd telephone poles,And clocks and trafficCut deep in my
- [A Simple Beast Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-simple-beast-poem/) - A Simple Beast Poem©Nov. 29th, 2019By Vijaya Sundaram MY dog is a beastWho knows what is whatAnd knows which is whichAnd thinks beyond thought. My dog can be bribedWith bananas and cheese.And for yogurt and riceShe'll do what you please. She is a mapper;Her nose can confirmWhat pitfalls existIn plateaus and berms. Her tail is
- [Middle](https://vijayasundaram.com/middle/) - Middle©Nov. 28th, 2019By Vijaya Sundaram Endings attract me.Beginnings, too.It's just the fat middle I have to get through. Things would be funIf we could just stitchThe start to the endOr make them switch. Leave middles behindSuch muddle! Such mess! –Full of tangles and snarls,And a whole lot of stress. Take me back to the startOf
- [Sequence](https://vijayasundaram.com/sequence/) - Sequence©November 28th, 2019By Vijaya Sundaram The upswell is lovely, but I reject it.For it hints forever at its opposite.What does anyone want?What do I need? Stasis beckons alluringly.I shrug. Too boring toFloat forever on, movingFrom one buoy to another, andNo end in sight. This might be it, then, the answer:A friendly stasis, then an upswell,Then
- [Hermes, Psychopompos](https://vijayasundaram.com/hermes-psychopompos/) - Hermes, Psychopompos ©October 28th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram I walk to one side, Always slightly behind, Ready to catch you, And take you swiftly, Painlessly, to where you need to be. You never see me, But I'm there, your faithful shadow, Attached to you while you live, Your transport, your guide, Your truest friend, one
- [Dog, Dash!](https://vijayasundaram.com/dog-dash/) - Dog, Dash ©October 24th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Mute as a stone. Cute as a button. Beauteous bunny. Pursuit? Resist? Dog in Acute distress. Amused mistress Opens backyard door. Scraped kitchen floor (but No blood and no gore), Out like a flash, dog Makes wild dash – A whiplash Striking air –but rabbit Vanishes, as
- [See These Things?](https://vijayasundaram.com/see-these-things/) - See These Things? © October 11th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram See these things? These are walls. They are transparent. See those things? Those are shadows of the outside world on those walls. See this? These are your hands pressed up against the walls holding you in. Press harder. Do it. You shift your molecules and
- [Community](https://vijayasundaram.com/community/) - When snow falls gently down on silent trees Which bend their heads and huddle in the cold That's when I contemplate humanity And wish we could go back to days of old. When seasons gave their wealth, and land its gifts And people worked together with no thought But that it might prove helpful to
- [What I Mourn](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-i-mourn/) - What I Mourn©October 9th, 2019By Vijaya Sundaram I sense throngs of angelsPoised at the edge of my nostrilsQuivering with scentFainting after feasting on perfume.I taste their songs as they hum:Cucumber and lemongrass,Melon and berries,Pineapple and jack-fruit.My fingers still rememberThe brushing of silken wingsAs brief as time, and tightly woven as gossamer,As I picked them up,One
- [Agape for Love](https://vijayasundaram.com/agape-for-love/) - Agape for Love ©October 7th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram So much happens between what you say, And what they hear, It's a wonder we don't all fall into an Abyss of non-understanding. You look, you observe you speak, you verbalize, You gesticulate, you explain, you emphasize, You expatiate, you expound, you clarify. You do everything
- [Prism-me](https://vijayasundaram.com/prism-me/) - Prism-me ©October 6th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Light trapped in crystalline form Hanging from my window Scatters my attention. I climb inside teardrop-shaped Pendalogues, and bind myself To their empty spaces.I could do this forever, while Ignoring the piled-up dishes awaiting My mindless ministrations; The piled-up papers awaiting my Critical and loving pen; The coiled-up
- [Shell-Life](https://vijayasundaram.com/shell-life/)
- [Finding](https://vijayasundaram.com/finding/) - Finding ©August 25th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram It's a balance But the tilt of it, And the back and forth of it Is tedious. It's easy to wish to be done. But a little thought presses A finger on the middle of the scale: Why wish to be done when There's so much left to
- [Rabbit Dreams](https://vijayasundaram.com/rabbit-dreams/) - Rabbit Dreams ©August 23rd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram A rabbit, cool as a - Stands in our yard, bold as - And looks at me blank as - I look back, mad as a - (For it's eating my yard) Then laugh like a - Because, I'm a figment of its - Or maybe, it's
- [Here's the Thing](https://vijayasundaram.com/heres-the-thing/) - Here's the Thing ©August 22nd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Here's the thing about children In detention centers, abandoned, Sick, dying, separated From all that is good: One cannot make poetry from it. One cannot make art from it. One cannot make anything from it. For, it is unimaginable. It is an offense against humanity. It
- [A Response to a Play I Disliked](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-response-to-a-play-i-disliked/) - A Response to a Play I Disliked ©August 22nd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram If fiction within fiction within fiction Stretches its arms towards Truth, And finds that *that* is a fiction, What's left? Chains, maybe? Paper chains, waiting to be ripped. A trudge through weary tropes, Paper flames and cartoon parents, An emotion too tired
- [My Body](https://vijayasundaram.com/my-body/) - My Body ©August 20th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram A body is a curious thing to possess. I am conscious of mine as a friend With her own blind needs, Her own mute sorrows, her loud joys, Her love of some fragrances, and loathing of certain smells, Her ears that welcome all music, Her eyes that
- [Today, With An Old Friend](https://vijayasundaram.com/today-with-an-old-friend/) - Today, With An Old Friend ©August 9th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Met an old friend, and true; Saw art that spoke of light and shadow, Of line and white space and tone and colour, Art that flooded the mind With reflections of reflections, Like glass reflecting glass In mirrors and rivers. A walk in a
- [Seed-Dream](https://vijayasundaram.com/seed-dream/)
- [Spiral](https://vijayasundaram.com/spiral/) - Spiral ©August 7th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram When you spin in a spiral Who's to say where it begins And where it ends? You could go around almost forever – A space ship caught at the edge Of a black hole, forever spinning, Your molecules getting stretched Altered, rearranged, redistributed, So that the you that
- [Chasmic](https://vijayasundaram.com/chasmic/) - Chasmic ©July 29th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Alone is a word That opens like a chasm In space between stars.
- [After Hamlet](https://vijayasundaram.com/after-hamlet/) - After Hamlet ©July 27th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram People leave in twos and threes. The park-lights catch a few stragglers in a huddle. The green-room tent collapses Like a souffle with floppy egg whites, While we remove poles and pegs. We can unpeg a play, Unscrew our emotions, Uncap our realer selves. But words seep
- [A Lecture](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-lecture/)
- [Umbilicus](https://vijayasundaram.com/umbilicus/) - Umbilicus ©July 25th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram I felt alone today, Not lonely. Just singular. Some days call for chatter, And others for introspection. Some days, I am mute – Not from sadness, Nor from despair, Just from a need to keep my mouth closed, And taste my own tongue. It's delicate, my tongue, reminding
- [On Watching Teenagers Perform 'The Tempest'](https://vijayasundaram.com/on-watching-teenagers-perform-the-tempest/) - On Watching Teenagers Perform 'The Tempest' ©July 24th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Magic comes clad in many robes And sometimes, it slips through invisibly. The trick is to turn suddenly And glimpse a light flickering down that unused corridor – You see dust motes dance, alive, intentional. Sometimes, it happens at sunset when you stand
- [Double Vision](https://vijayasundaram.com/double-vision/) - Double Vision ©July 23rd 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram To see with double-vision You need to fall headlong onto a pavement, Or break through prejudice, Or scroll through Facebook, Or drive home in slashing rain. I talk to a man sitting outside a CVS, a man Who smiles, though you see his heartbreak, When he tells
- [Intersecting Planes](https://vijayasundaram.com/intersecting-planes/) - Intersecting Planes ©July 23rd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram All the planes lie open And to move from one to another Is to move from one fractured cubist realm To another. A series of still-shots in staccato movements, And all this stop-motion scenery splinters Before sitting upright. Thus it was, and thus it is now, But
- [Hum (We)](https://vijayasundaram.com/hum-we/) - Hum (We) ©July 18th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Clouds of hatred gather:A congregation of locusts in a blind lust For plunder and destruction. What matters it if they themselves starve After they eat all the crops? Nobody hinted at intelligence in them. And what can we do? Wring our hands? Wrong our hands? We could
- [Fish in Air](https://vijayasundaram.com/fish-in-air/) - Fish in Air ©July 16th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Flying fish over bicycle bars What single thought flew like a spark Through turgid brain and frozen blood? What word, now vanished, formed itself And sliced through evening traffic air, Like an uh-oh of finality As you struck that sidewalk Like a cannon? And why is
- [Sunny Day Gloom-Time with Slight Hamletine Overtones](https://vijayasundaram.com/sunny-day-gloom-time-with-slight-hamletine-overtones/) - Sunny Day Gloom-Time with Slight Hamletine Overtones ©July 8th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Mostly, I think I'm immortal. Sometimes, I'm reminded I'm not. That skull under the flesh and skin, for example. A reminder of shared human-ness with all the other skulls on the planet ... That spine that is slowly rebelling, but which
- [Fever-Dreamer](https://vijayasundaram.com/fever-dreamer/) - Fever-Dreamer ©June 26th 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Moving shadows behind a screen Passing through the fever In the brain of a dreamer In the throes of delirium. She says to herself: This fever will pass. So too will these visions. So too will I, the dreamer. But the fever is real, And
- [The Story of a Drowned Man and his Child](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-story-of-a-drowned-man-and-his-child/) - The Story of a Drowned Man and his Child ©June 25th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Land, dry as a bone. Food, like a fading photo, Vanishes, all gone. Leaves in rushing wind: People abandon their homes Following a hope. Death stands at borders, Blond and tall, and forbidding Hooded and unseen.
- [Ferns and Birds, Present Tense](https://vijayasundaram.com/ferns-and-birds-present-tense/) - Ferns and Birds, Present Tense ©June 26th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Inexpressibly tender, Ferns in the back yard fan out A forest of mushrooms springs up Beneath, grateful for the shade. After rain, the soil breathes gratitude, And birds, less frantic now, Sing of this and that, not food and water, All urgency gone,
- [Kalki Avatar](https://vijayasundaram.com/kalki-avatar/) - Kalki Avatar ©June 25th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Child on a lotus Races in the wind Races on hefty waves Towards us. Lost child bearing a gift Of loss, bearing the Weight of the world The end of the world On her shoulders. The flood is upon us. We are lost, Grasping
- [A Dream of Forgetting](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-dream-of-forgetting/) - A Dream of Forgetting ©June 24th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Somewhere, trees stand tall Like my Papa, who stands Both legs apart, arms akimbo, Staring into the distance, Hearing the sound of hogs Before the peace of the afternoon Shatters into a thousand Shards, and slices into our family. Somewhere, water flows like My Mama's
- [Coal and Ash and Tears and Clouds](https://vijayasundaram.com/coal-and-ash-and-tears-and-clouds/) - Coal and Ash and Tears and Clouds ©June 23rd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Thoughts in the brain Become coal Words in the throat Become fire Blood in arteries Becomes ash While everything burns. Everything burns within, Everything burns without. Coolness is a dream. The trees sing a cool song, Desperate, calm, stoic –
- [Stop Time – A Portrait In Five Haiku](https://vijayasundaram.com/stop-time-a-portrait-in-five-haiku/) - Stop Time – A Portrait In Five Haiku ©June 14th 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Russet leaves shift air Moon sailing behind dark trees Alone, she wanders. Time gallops above. Bright star-scalloped sky leans down. Eyes hollow, she stops. Time is a rider Kicking up the dust of stars. She closes her eyes.
- [A Revelation about Holly](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-revelation-about-holly/) - A Revelation about Holly June 13th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram I had a revelation about my dog today (one of many revelations in the course of the past few years). Holly sometimes likes to walk into any dog-populated area with either a ball or a stick in her mouth. I used to think this
- [Emulsion](https://vijayasundaram.com/emulsion/) - Emulsion ©June 13th, 2019 Bt Vijaya Sundaram Some days, things don't mix. You are oil, I am water – Let's prime the canvas!
- [Suspension](https://vijayasundaram.com/suspension/) - Suspension ©June 13th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram A softball suspended from a rope, Awaits a whack from a bat. Right now, it is still, while the tree above Sways imperceptibly. Rain, landing like a butterfly, makes Flowers smile, dewy and pink and purple. Atavistic and graceful, the backyard ferns Drink deeply of the moisture,
- [A Simple Love Poem For My Standard Poodle After Her Long Sojourn at the Dog Salon](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-simple-love-poem-for-my-standard-poodle-after-her-long-sojourn-at-the-dog-salon/) - A Simple Love Poem For My Standard Poodle After Her Long Sojourn at the Dog Salon ©June 11th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Your eyes meet mine, Dark and round, full of surmise. Muscles around eyes contract, Or expand, and eyebrows raise Or move this way and that. I look into yours, and try
- [A Single Heron](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-single-heron/) - A Single Heron ©June 10th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram A single heron, with singular purpose Cuts through blue, cloud-darkened sky. The sky falls in pieces around me. I stand, gazing up, my dog panting beside me In the coming cool of evening, The grass beneath our feet fragrant with clover. I find nothingness soothing
- [Hamletine Musings](https://vijayasundaram.com/hamletine-musings/) - Hamletine Musings ©May 26th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Shall I, or shall I not? Should I, or should I not? Will I, or won't I? Would I, or would I not? Can I, or can I not? Could I, or could I not? May I, or may I not? Might I, or might I
- [Fault-Lines](https://vijayasundaram.com/fault-lines/) - Fault-Lines (For The Border-Children) ©May 25th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram You wait. Hollow as a reed, Empty as the sky, You wait, liminal. Child that you were Child that you are in a Childhood that you can Never again have, You sit mutely, Eyes avoiding the big men With their predator eyes And cruel teeth,
- [Aphrodite Unmade](https://vijayasundaram.com/aphrodite-unmade/) - Aphrodite Unmade ©May 24th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Out of the roiling, boiling Churning, coiling, burning Deeps, arises a simple Creature, fully formed. The ocean that caused her To be, pulses in her ears, And sea-flowers foam at her feet. But there is no such thing As a simple entity. She is a
- [Unmoored](https://vijayasundaram.com/unmoored/) - Unmoored ©May 23rd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram The tiny boat floats, unmoored, The oars have fallen away. There might be eddies, There might be typhoons, or The doldrums might suddenly Take over. The boat floats, and the sky Floats above it, like a kite. You lie back, and feel Nothing. Your eyes reflect
- [Big Emotions Are Exhausting](https://vijayasundaram.com/big-emotions-are-exhausting/) - May 19 at 2:09 PM · Big emotions are exhausting. I'm going to choose small ones today - like a small bit of happiness that the rain stopped, and the earth smells divine. I'm not going to spend time grieving that the good earth is in her death throes. I'm going to smile at the
- [Sharpened Knife](https://vijayasundaram.com/sharpened-knife/) - Sharpened Knife ˙May 18th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Leader: Woman with her womb so red Could come to birthing To be dead. Chorus: To be dead. To be dead. Could come to birthing To be dead. Leader: Man, holding penis small Comes to birthing Not at all. Chorus: Not at all.
- [Post One a.m.](https://vijayasundaram.com/post-one-a-m/) - Post One a.m. ©May 18th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram I am aslant, Athwart, Diagonal. I am sidewise, Crabwise, Orthogonal. I am stranded, Wind-beaten, Eroding. I am sinking Wave-sucked, Corroding. I am rounded Pebble-smooth Rolling. I am sanded Smooth-grained, Unscrolling. I could curl up Shell-shocked In the deeps.
- [Cri de Coeur](https://vijayasundaram.com/cri-de-coeur/) - Cri de Coeur ©May 17th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Fish fly, birds swim, People walk on stilts. Pigs come and live in houses That the humans built. Topsy, turvy, World spinning down. Orbitally diagonal, Sky on the ground. Blood flows, bones break, Coyotes laugh. Trees bend in howling winds, Then they break
- [My Mother](https://vijayasundaram.com/my-mother/) - My Mother ©May 12, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram My mother grew like a flower In the midst of plenty and lack. She formed like music welling From a young throat, And played like water over pebbles, A happy child, laughing, Flying down the street, Skipping, and playing kitti pille and pandi. And responsibility weighed on
- [Thankfulness, Fullness](https://vijayasundaram.com/thankfulness-fullness/) - Thankfulness, Fullness ©May 12th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram The hiss of the pressure cooker Dispels silence. Steam rises up, dead kidney beans Giving up the ghost, Imbued with peppers, onions, Earthy potatoes, ginger. Rice cooks in another pot, and Steam fogs the kitchen window over the sink, And the grey air clinging to the
- [Undoing](https://vijayasundaram.com/undoing-2/) - Undoing ©May 11th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram The thread unspools, Rolls along the corridors, Searches for a horned beast Deep in the heart of a cave. There is danger here And deep thrill. All the threads in all the spools All the arteries and all the veins All the nerves and all the sinews
- [Questions, and a Perhaps-Answer](https://vijayasundaram.com/questions-and-a-perhaps-answer/) - Questions, and a Perhaps-Answer ©April 29th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram I cannot bear violence, or ambition, Nor hatefulness, or jealousy, Nor rage, or the need for revenge. Long ago, I understood these things, Knew they were part of humanness. Now, all I long for is stillness, Even as I might feel a surge of
- [Sea-Spun](https://vijayasundaram.com/sea-spun/) - Sea-Spun ©April 28th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Sea-glass, driftwood, seaweed, spume, Sea-shells, mussels, jellies bloom. Sunlight, moonlight, glints out-bid By algae, jellyfish, sea-worms, squid – Fill her human eyes with longing. Make her dream of sea-belonging Though her sea-arms aren't quick, Though her feet can't seem to kick, Though the deeps fill her with
- [Stillness](https://vijayasundaram.com/stillness/) - Stillness ©April 27th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Lying on snow, or on a stone floor Looking up through glass, or through air, I see everything shining like a voice In a cathedral, or atop a mountain. I hear the heartbeat of Earth, And I am stilled into awe. The sky bends and cups my
- [April 26th, 2019 post-midnight post](https://vijayasundaram.com/april-26th-2019-post-midnight-post/) - Post-midnight non-sequitors: I like walnuts. Also, peanuts. And almonds. Sometimes cashews. Oh, and pistachios! I like em-dashes. I like the word "dash." Also, the word "panache." "Flair" and "Elan" are nice, too. "Brio" has a dashing feel to it, though not an em-dashing feel. I like "water" and "water-lilies" and "clangour," and "clamour." I like
- [The Seduction of the Eternal Now](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-seduction-of-the-eternal-now/) - The Seduction of the Eternal Now ©April 25th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Every minute passes, and with it The memory of a moment of joy And of sorrow for its passing. To live in constant yearning, And looking backward at all That has been, helps me – When I look at a flower
- [Learning to Evolve](https://vijayasundaram.com/learning-to-evolve/) - Learning to Evolve ©April 16th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram You drown again, then emerge, Delphinine, into the air, Twisting and turning, And sleep eludes you, you think, But you dream, and dream, and dream, Until the waking is a dream of waking, And the dreaming a dream of waking. And you walk on water,
- [Spring Walk](https://vijayasundaram.com/spring-walk/) - Spring Walk ©April 15th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Forsythia brightens into yellow And the grey air dances around it, Like a sylph enraptured by matter. The dog's ears blow back As we walk into the windy day. It's this simple: You, and you, and I, and Our sweet cloud-grey dog Hold back the
- [A Visit](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-visit/) - Virginia L. Senders, my m-in-l, now in the dementia unit of a nursing home in Amherst, still remembers the last two lines of "Invictus." She also remembered several lines from "The Cremation of Sam McGee." We visited her yesterday, and I read both poems aloud to her. At one point, I unthinkingly read the word
- [Into](https://vijayasundaram.com/into/) - Into ©April 14th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram To see into the heart of things Is to be burned by the sun. And yet, and yet, What if you cannot help it? What if the sun pulls you Ever onward, ever upward, Until your wings, scorched, Crackling with flame, blackened Beyond repair, fall downwards, As
- [Painted Ladies](https://vijayasundaram.com/painted-ladies/) - Just wrote this. This story came to me entirely. There's been no editing. Painted Ladies ©March 13th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram The butterflies arose in a cloud of gold and black from fields of cheeseweed and hollyhock, and startled the air into flickering light. The rain, which had fallen the night before,
- [How to Grow a Child](https://vijayasundaram.com/how-to-grow-a-child/) - How to Grow a Child (A Poem For My Mother) ©March 12th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram In a deep, rich, red space Of velvet blood, and floating womb, The planet of the me-Child formed, Heart, by lungs, by brain, Arms, legs, fingers, toes. I grew, while Her Voice sang Marrow into my bones,
- [Dreamer in Ice](https://vijayasundaram.com/dreamer-in-ice/) - Dreamer in Ice ©March 10th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Under ice, deep under water Gazed a face so still, so still that Not a ripple on the surface Creased the Dreamer's face below. No air bubbles, no struggling breath No gurgling cries, no troubled eyes No searching for aeons gone by No yearning
- [All the Birds, One Bird](https://vijayasundaram.com/all-the-birds-one-bird/) - All the Birds, One Bird ©March 10th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram All the birds rose up together Out of the snow, Frantic and fervent, they rushed upwards In a white panic, snow flying all around. Disturbed from dreams of Who knew what? Warmth, brooding warmth on beaches, Perhaps, or becoming pelicans, Or, better still,
- [A Dream of Watches and Clocks](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-dream-of-watches-and-clocks/) - A Dream of Watches and Clocks ©March 10th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram All the watches were glowing All the clocks struck one together No mice ran up them A cat ran down one. Blood on clock-face. Mouse-tail hanging down, Swinging back and forth, Back and forth, While Foucault's Pendulum Swung the earth Round and
- [Falling](https://vijayasundaram.com/falling/) - Falling ©March 9th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Gold-light glances off a window Falls in slivers onto snow, Breaks icicles off the roof Into silver spears that fall, Straight as a descending cry, Fall onto the ground, And stay there, a reminder. Of what? I don't really know. Things link up with things,
- [Siren (In a Shell-Wall)](https://vijayasundaram.com/siren-2/) - Siren (In a Shell-Wall) ©March 7th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Once, there was a girl who lived in a shell made of silence. Once, there was a girl who lived in a shell made of silence, but her head was full of sound, and her heart beat a loud drum in her ear. Her
- [Passing](https://vijayasundaram.com/passing/) - Passing ©March 3rd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Everything passes, even this feeling, Everything passes, and I mourn it all, In the impermanence there is immanence, And when they pass – all things, all loves, all lives, I mourn them all, and the Godhead in them. I mourn backwards through time. All the things
- [Scarf, Blue and Gold](https://vijayasundaram.com/scarf-blue-and-gold/) - Scarf, Blue and Gold ©March 1st, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Gold over blue, over gold over blue, The threads cross warp and weft, Like sunlight through night sky, And mango patterns emerge like magic Before my gaze, as I unfold the scarf. I love the feel of it, the heft, The caught threads,
- [Ghost](https://vijayasundaram.com/ghost-3/) - Ghost ©February 27th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram I walk among you, and through you And you don't see, don't hear, don't speak to, Me. I, who lived and died four billion times, Over and over, wafting through space and stars, Through cosmic dust and darkness, Through oxygen and nitrogen, and carbon, (Oh, so
- [Wind-Mind](https://vijayasundaram.com/wind-mind/) - Wind-Mind ©February 25th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Wind buffets the house, Slaps the branches of trees Back and forth, back and forth, Wind blows through cracks – A crazy reed-player, red-faced, Circular-breathing. The doors and windows are shut, Membranes clenched against wind. And still, it slips in swirls of cold Eddying around my
- [Lines Written to A Brave, Ancient, Bonsai White Pine*](https://vijayasundaram.com/lines-written-to-a-brave-ancient-bonsai-white-pine/) - Lines Written to A Brave, Ancient, Bonsai White Pine* ©February 22nd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram What atmospheres do you keep close Hovering like a sigh, a collective gasp Clasping your roots, even as your needles Cling to branches, and your nimbus Exhales secret memory that rains down Again and again, keeping you alive?
- [Things That Break](https://vijayasundaram.com/things-that-break/) - Things That Break ©February 21st, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Glittering drops of sunlight on Stiff arms reaching up into space. Unseen breeze shakes them off. Bird cuts the sky into two. The pieces fall down and shatter. Waiting, waiting, there's this wait – And no one knows for what. Even sadness is suspended.
- [Haiku with Stag at Sunset](https://vijayasundaram.com/haiku-with-stag-at-sunset/) - Haiku with Stag at Sunset February 19th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram I carry the sun My body stands still in space, Hurtling with the earth.
- [A Passing Thought based on an image](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-passing-thought-based-on-an-image/) - Life is pretty brutal, rushing us along like a swollen river overflowing its banks, causing mudslides everywhere. Then, we see a harvest mouse sleeping inside a flower, and, for a brief moment, we smile.
- [Wind, or Grief](https://vijayasundaram.com/wind-or-grief/) - Wind, or Grief ©February 12th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Snow falls like photographs Trapping moments in space, Crowding the air with light As the earth moves through darkness. In each crystal is a molecule Of a life lived somewhere, somewhen, And a breath that left someone Like a sigh, or a song.
- [To John Senders](https://vijayasundaram.com/to-john-senders/) - To John Senders ©February 12th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram What thoughts, what memories, what dreams Float across the turbid surface of your mind, As you lie hooked up to an IV drip, with a central line, And a tube that feeds you? You, who would have been one hundred Next year, and you
- [Cease – A Somewhat Short Story](https://vijayasundaram.com/cease-a-somewhat-short-story/) - Cease – A Somewhat Short Story ©February 8th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram The rain had not ceased during the night. The trees in the backyard stood, soggy and dripping, while a couple of squirrels semaphored on the back fence, and a single cardinal sat on a branch, impassive as a statuette. The woman
- [Coyote Dreams – A Short-ish Story](https://vijayasundaram.com/coyote-dreams-a-short-ish-story/) - Coyote Dreams – A Short-ish Story ©February 8th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram The young coyote had somehow stumbled from the darkness of the woods into the misty, drizzling light of the streetlights on the overpass. She was hungry, and she was lost. Her two brothers and one sister had died in the last
- [Jackknife](https://vijayasundaram.com/jackknife/) - Jackknife ©February 6th, 2019 A Short, Short Story by Vijaya Sundaram The rain came down like silk knives. The rain came down like silk knives, and sliced the air into thin strips that dripped in the darkness. The car that drove through it contained one occupant, who gazed at the rain, as she
- [The Vagabonds and the City](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-vagabonds-and-the-city-2/) - The Vagabonds and the City ©2013 By Vijaya Sundaram The stranger arrived at the gates of the city. His cloth-bags were threadbare, and his clothes hung on him, drained of color and style, like rags strung on a beggar. His sandalled feet were red with dust, and his eyes glowed like a pair of hot
- [A Geologic Vision](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-geologic-vision/) - A Geologic Vision ©February 3rd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Strata upon strata shift, And layers sink beneath layers, Entire islands submerge in A deadly dance of movement, And we are dust in its wake. But even dust can revel in light, Even dust can fear the chaos Of which it is a part.
- [Questioning](https://vijayasundaram.com/questioning/) - Questioning ©February 2nd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Oceans, skin-contained, We travel on streets, subways, Avoiding contact. Negative spaces Lie, like ever-yawning gulfs Invasive and sly. What would happen if Eyes locked, or skin brushed by skin? A flood? A tsunami? Would we divert it? Cut sluices, grooves, and canals, And sail
- [Dark Hours](https://vijayasundaram.com/dark-hours/) - Dark Hours ©February 2nd, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram The hours past midnight step in softly, To the insistent hum of wires and weariness, But sweetly, sweetly, like honey Coalescing around the dipper. I am reluctant to leave their company. The train arrives. I get on. We reach fingers across, to touch, But they vanish
- [Climate Change Metaphysics](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-metaphysics/) - Climate Change Metaphysics ©January 30th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram When every moment freezes lightly Over melting glaciers of time, With hollowed spaces under and beneath, Will you know when to leap into the air When an entire continent breaks off, A holocaust of ice, an ice-melt of regret? Will you bemoan its breaking
- [From Here to There In Two Stanzas](https://vijayasundaram.com/from-here-to-there-in-two-stanzas/) - From Here to There In Two Stanzas ©January 19th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram A sifting of white like sugar, or salt, Upon brick and wood, and pines and roofs, And the hollow light of early evening Makes the stillness loud with imminent storm. The humming of wires, the singing of lightbulbs, The subdued drone
- [Rant](https://vijayasundaram.com/rant/) - Rant ©January 19th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram I am T(he)Rump, Destroyer of worlds, Laughingstock amongst men, Killer of butterflies and trees, And animals and lands. I am T(he)Rump. I stride through the world Like a Colossus, but with tiny hands, And tiny brain, and squirrel hair, And what I touch shrivels, And dies
- [Magic Fox](https://vijayasundaram.com/magic-fox/) - Magic Fox ©January 16th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Magic Fox with tail of fire And eyes as gold as flame, And ears as sharp as winter air, And silent feet like ballet shoes Will you let me come close? – Magic Fox with fear-filled eyes With hunger etching ribs And shrunken stomach full of
- [Three Visions](https://vijayasundaram.com/three-visions/) - Three Visions ©January 15th, 2019 By Vijaya Sundaram Small things bring pleasure In a world riven by storm. Butterfly-chaos. Against the mushroom Blooming in the desert air A rabbit leaps, flies. The earth tilts a bit Little by little, it rolls Oceans roil, laughing. _____________________________________________
- [When Darkness Comes](https://vijayasundaram.com/when-darkness-comes/) - When Darkness Comes ©December 31st, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram When darkness comes in winter It's always a surprise, Like a guest showing up, unannounced. And you try to welcome it, warily. And you set out lights to serve it. And sing songs and feast, And keep company with loved ones, To let it
- [Black Squirrel By The Roadside](https://vijayasundaram.com/black-squirrel-by-the-roadside/) - Black Squirrel By The Roadside ©December 31st, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Black Squirrel by the roadside Fallen, perhaps, in the middle of the night, Asleep in your nest, dreaming of flying, Were airborne for a brief moment, And ended there, in the deep cold. I grieve for you, Black Squirrel. I grieve for
- [Farewell](https://vijayasundaram.com/farewell/) - Farewell ©December 29th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Things come to an end At the exact time they have to. So it seems, but we know no better. And so, we withdraw a little Into our shells, as we prepare To roll with the waves, Further and further into the sea. Perhaps, we'll land on
- [Limn-Edge](https://vijayasundaram.com/limn-edge/) - Limn-Edge ©December 27th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The glassy lake faces off a waning moon And a sole loon cries out a ghostly warning. Ripples in the ice go all the way down, Where the face of the universe sleeps Smiling, eyes closed, frozen. There are songs in night-time woods, And fear and hunger,
- [Sentinel](https://vijayasundaram.com/sentinel/) - Sentinel ©December 25th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Golden Christmas lights at the window Hold a little spark of the sun, Ward off the widening gulf Of shadows and darkness without. In the other room, my beloved Plays arpeggiated patterns on his guitar, And the soothing hum of the drier Accompanies it, like a
- [Eye](https://vijayasundaram.com/eye/) - Eye ©December 17th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I'm in the eye of the storm Raging all around me. I am calm, quiet, eerie, still. The storm rages like a banshee, The sea vaults high over all. The ship keels dangerously over, The sea birds are gone. The sky looks down through a space,
- [Still](https://vijayasundaram.com/still/) - Still ©December 16th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Family is a shifting thing: From blood to blood-type, From familial to familiar, From siblings to friends, From parents to mentors. Fall into family after family, Spiral through story after story. Find a language and a tribe, Feel the world expand a little, Just under your
- [Dream-Catcher at My Window](https://vijayasundaram.com/dream-catcher-at-my-window/) - Dream-Catcher at My Window ©December 15th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram In the radiating strands of a web, My Dream-Catcher sits, and waits, All her dreams have flown away. The web hangs, empty. When bad dreams come, I will call to them with soft tones, Cradle them in my mind, Remind them of their
- [At Table, With Song](https://vijayasundaram.com/at-table-with-song/) - At Table, With Song ©December 14th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram People sit at table With long spoons, And a steaming pot of stew, And through stories and songs, They remember an entire history, Re-cast, and re-membered, As they build it word by word. I want the memories of my life Shared by many
- [Tilt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tilt-2/) - Tilt ©December 14th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Blue light filters into a crooked room With tilted frames, and tilted books, And tilted vision in a tilted mind. I look sidewise, and spot A passing whim, flirtatious and winsome. I am determined, though, and Look away. I shall not be seduced. I have things
- [Gift-Wrapped](https://vijayasundaram.com/gift-wrapped/) - Gift-Wrapped ©December 13th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram There is a gift-wrapped box Somewhere, ready to be opened. And a man or a woman Seated within it, waiting to be known. That they are in a box Might be entirely their doing, Or it might not be. The question is: When you open
- [Turning](https://vijayasundaram.com/turning/) - Turning ©December 12th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The hum of the refrigerator, The crunching of food by dog, The clicking of fingers on keyboard, And the thrum of my blood – These form the sonic landscape In which my night unfolds. The day was long, and full, And entirely practical, And the evening
- [Shuttle](https://vijayasundaram.com/shuttle/) - Shuttle ©December 11th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The weaving of magic Happens with many hands, Many threads, and a vision That cuts through past and future, And makes and eternal present – A gift to those who arrive, Hoping to be transported. Ephemeral it is, this magic, And full of the poignant joy Of its
- [Coming Home](https://vijayasundaram.com/coming-home/) - Coming Home (At Sanders Theatre Today) ©December 10th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram In the dim recesses of the room, Lights shine like forgotten memories Surfacing among wood and metal. Voices fill spaces and vaulted ceilings, And the wood swallows up All the songs, and hugs them close. People cluster close, and their voices Ring
- [Slipslideways](https://vijayasundaram.com/slipslideways/) - Slipslideways ©©December 9th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Slip slideways between sleep and wakefulness, And slide into the interstitial space Where all understanding meets pure bafflement, And lie there, smiling, under that sun. The waves come curling up to your feet, And little creatures scuttle across your legs, Claws snapping, but you lie there, smiling.
- [Nova](https://vijayasundaram.com/nova/) - Nova ©December 7th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram A star went Nova. The light in the sky Stayed still, shining For thousands of years. The night was loud with music. The spheres hummed in Electric tension on their Stretched orbits, And stars buzzed like sparks From a broken fuse. Mists formed and re-formed Winged and
- [The Dark Days](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-dark-days/) - The Dark Days ©December 6th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The dark days come suddenly Like a shadow beast in a dream Chasing you up and down that staircase In an old abandoned house, Where you alone live. The dark days come suddenly And you run and run away From them, finding solace in
- [Trajectory](https://vijayasundaram.com/trajectory/) - Trajectory ©December 5th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I am at once the projectile And the trajectory it is on, Forever constant, always moving, Aimed from where I know not, Headed to where I know not, All I feel is the air rushing past, Faces appearing, disappearing, with their words, Their deeds, their hurts and fears,
- [Elsewhere](https://vijayasundaram.com/elsewhere/) - Elsewhere ©December 3rd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram It's knowing that the end Looms large on the far side And knowing that this – This long walk from way back to out there – Is one that's been done by all before me, And will be done by all after me That makes every branching
- [Eagle-Eyed](https://vijayasundaram.com/eagle-eyed/) - Eagle-Eyed ©December 3rd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The eagle emerges into the world of flight The eagle emerges, and rises, and soars Across waters rushing through valleys, Where mountains of obsidian Loom watchfully, and skies drink From blue rivers. Will the eagle remember being caged, Will she linger on her time of illness
- [Anti-Gravity On A Rainy Evening](https://vijayasundaram.com/anti-gravity-on-a-rainy-evening/) - Anti-Gravity On A Rainy Evening ©December 2nd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram My glass fish rotates slowly, so slowly. An unseen draft animates it into light Glints of it catch dorsal fin and caudal fin, And it swims futilely through prescribed planes Rotating in suspended futility. My glass fish glows with purple-pink light Its
- [The Entry and the Exit](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-entry-and-the-exit/) - The Entry and the Exit ©November 14th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Every nick, every twinge, every hurt Every scratch, every wound, every grief, Is as large as the world, And as old as time. Too much feeling is too much. And yet, the alternative Is a nod to nothingness, A yes to Death.
- [Imagined Pleasure](https://vijayasundaram.com/imagined-pleasure/) - Imagined Pleasure ©November 10th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram A Syllabub – Three syllables and an article Make their sly way into My subconscious mind, Forcing frothy desire Into my consciousness. Milk-fat and sugar, and lemon, And tart wine and almond thins Insinuate themselves into my Mind's eye, and hint at sin. Why bother to
- [Sun-Blood](https://vijayasundaram.com/sun-blood/) - Sun-Blood ©November 10th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Red as blood squeezed from the sun, The leaves sway thickly on the Japanese maple, And fill me with dread. The birds are silent, and the black squirrel Leaps from post to post, shoring itself up Against the icy tide of winter. The dog waits
- [Dark Violet](https://vijayasundaram.com/dark-violet/) - Dark Violet ©November 9th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I am in need of beauty today. I am in need of beauty and grace To sustain me. My mind stands at the edge of a dark, violet forest, And there are no trails. I have no stick, no torch, no map. I am in need
- [The Monday Before the Mid-Terms, and Rain](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-monday-before-the-mid-terms-and-rain/) - The Monday Before the Mid-Terms, and Rain ©November 5th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The ground swells in anticipation Rain-sodden, pregnant with future life It prepares for imminent death. In the meantime, we clench our muscles, Tighten our jaws, feel our voices constrict, The country heads to the polls tomorrow, And my blood congeals
- [The Dark Comes Quickly](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-dark-comes-quickly/) - The Dark Comes Quickly ©November 2nd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The dark comes quickly, A spy hurrying down an alley Hood drawn, willing himself into invisibility. The dark comes quickly, An assassin with undefined intent, Bringing sadness, an unclear threat. If Autumn comes with uncertain step, Winter treads on her heels, a
- [Potato-Eyed](https://vijayasundaram.com/potato-eyed/) - Potato-Eyed ©November 2nd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I was mundane today. Elbow-deep in dirt, Back aching from stooping, Lifting, carrying, dumping Rich, dark dirt onto beds, I felt around the potato sacks Scrabbling and unearthing Small, stubborn, little potatoes, Unwilling to leave their dark womb. All that work in the late, late spring
- [Dog-Salon](https://vijayasundaram.com/dog-salon/) - Dog-Salon ©November 2nd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Freshly coiffed, and pretty as a poodle-dream, The dog returns home from the Salon, Traumatized and defeated by dog-shampoo, Clippers and razor. All trace of dog is gone. I am unhappy for her, but she is neat now, And winter will not be hellish on her hair.
- [Guy Faux](https://vijayasundaram.com/guy-faux/) - Guy Faux ©November 1st, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The bullies are out in full force It's Halloween in this country Frightened, we sit and watch Behind our chattering curtains, While they clutter up our lawns. The bullies are out in full force With their dog-whistles and phony faith What will they do, when
- [Today, at the Park](https://vijayasundaram.com/today-at-the-park/) - Today, at the Park ©November 1st, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Grey upon grey upon green, And three dogs racing each other Tails aloft, and raucous in their glee. I remind myself: This, here, now. Be. Expect nothing. Be present. Love, and play, and live. Hold your tail aloft. Birdsong in the air, winter Held
- [Ruby-Song](https://vijayasundaram.com/ruby-song/) - Ruby-Song ©October 31st, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I crave rubies in my throat So I can sing like a clarinet. The pomegranate in my fridge is tired I regard it with fondness – My partner in enervation. Its redness is beyond the price of rubies. It calls to me coldly, like a clarion,
- [Tree of Life](https://vijayasundaram.com/tree-of-life/) - Tree of Life (Addressed to Robert Bowers) ©October 27th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Your name means the shade, The sheltering arbor. But you broke into the Tree of Life, and snapped branches, Trampling on prayer and holiness. The dead will haunt you. And you will die, broken, your Voice gone, choking on grief,
- [Longing](https://vijayasundaram.com/longing/) - Longing ©October 27th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram And the rain drips like a reminder: Everything gets washed clean. Everything gets eroded. Everything gets reshaped. Everything begins anew. In the meantime, the cold Shrivels up leaves. My dog lies still, contemplating Nothing, knowing our unease, Providing her own kind of solace, A true bodhisattva.
- [Null and Void](https://vijayasundaram.com/null-and-void/) - Null and Void ©October 27th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Death waits, encased in human flesh Churning with rage and hate Unwilling, but trapped by its host. And when the bullets fly, All the prayers in the world Float upwards, like confetti being Sucked back into its box. Death waits, unwilling, but trapped In
- [Vishnu-Vision](https://vijayasundaram.com/vishnu-vision/) - Vishnu-Vision ©October 22nd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Once more, the earth turns Wheeling in an arc of light In encroaching dark. Birds in silent mode. Leaves fall in red surrender Before ancient gods. I can't remember What came before or after. I sit, Suspended, Idle in dream-time Gazing at the turning
- [Gravitational Lift](https://vijayasundaram.com/gravitational-lift/) - Gravitational Lift ©September 20th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram It's not the clock whose hands move Round and round and round, Making you dizzy, as you watch, Impassive, passive, sitting still. It's not the lines that begin to spread On the back of hands, and tug the sides Of the mouth earthward, loosen your
- [Today, Seventeen Years Ago](https://vijayasundaram.com/today-seventeen-years-ago/) - Today, Seventeen Years Ago* ©September 11th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram When the man fell The world tilted itself, And he fell straight, Upside-down, but upright. He fell like a feather, or a stone, Calmly, a life rushing past, A choice made. Arms folded, one leg folded, One leg outstretched, He fell, as if falling
- [Light-Chorus](https://vijayasundaram.com/light-chorus/) - Light-Chorus ©August 11th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram To be free To be air To be light I dream of this Every day, every night. How can I explain it? This longing? I've yearned for it since I looked deep into the heart of trees, Since I saw the sun in the veins of leaves,
- [Two Poems:  Senses and Essence](https://vijayasundaram.com/two-poems-senses-and-essence/) - Two Poems: Senses and Essence ©August 10th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Being a channel is nice – I'd rather be the water flowing through. Being a body is nice – I'd rather be the air it breathes. The water dries up, the river-bed dies. The air leaves, the body collapses. I'd rather be water.
- [Haiku for Dark Room](https://vijayasundaram.com/haiku-for-dark-room/) - Haiku for Dark Room ©August 4th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The Mother of the Girl Who Kept Losing Her Gloves She looks up, cloud-eyed Looks down, her gaze snow-dazzled Grief's a bird sans wings. The Woman Scientist in the Grave Kindness masked as scorn Moss-covered stone, roots grow down Voice rises, crackling. The Beloved Wife
- [Reflections in a Dark Room](https://vijayasundaram.com/reflections-in-a-dark-room/) - Reflections in a Dark Room ©August 2nd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram A thread of silver wound its way Through the dark and the light, And stopped, and turned, and knelt And straightened, and looked, And returned to its place. Lured on by shadows and song, Transfixed by tragedy and loss, and Tugged at
- [To Gaia](https://vijayasundaram.com/to-gaia/) - To Gaia (A Song) ©July 31st 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram You turn and you turn And you turn and you turn And you burn, and you burn And you burn, and you burn And we'll never learn, Never learn, never learn, How much you gave us. And you spin, and you spin, And
- [Beacon](https://vijayasundaram.com/beacon/) - Beacon ©July 25th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram What constellations, what nascent stars What questions too blurry to form, spin around In a mind that thinks in nasal pictures? Patiently, you watch, and look, and listen, As you smell the ever-thrumming planet Moving subtly under delicate paws. Your body becomes a long-limbed, loose-muscled Shape
- [Weighted Down](https://vijayasundaram.com/weighted-down/) - Weighted Down ©July 24th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The clatter and clash of equipment Punctures the still, sweating afternoon Like large needles. Trees spill green secrets in the path of sunlight, And the dog looks hopeful. I look about me with a vague sense of unease, Waiting for ... what? There is a stillness
- [How To Become Transparent](https://vijayasundaram.com/how-to-become-transparent/) - How To Become Transparent ©July 19th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Let go of your flesh, Let go of your bones, Let your smile remain, Then, let it fade. Go back through memory. Erase pain, erase hurt, Erase rage, erase joy. Slide into a pool of water. Let the water evaporate. Become a
- [Buoy](https://vijayasundaram.com/buoy/) - Buoy ©July 17th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Somewhere, while fires eat trees In faraway Sweden, the land Slides, heavy and unstoppable, Down a mountainside somewhere in Tibet Devouring entire houses, Frightening people and dogs, Making a vision of the End Come perilously close to reality. I sit here, in sunny Medford, Satiated after
- [Impervious](https://vijayasundaram.com/impervious/) - Impervious ©July 17th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram You stare through her as She approaches, her gaze level. Blind to air, you do not see. She is utterly transparent to you. She doesn't exist. Smiling to yourself, your squirrel-mind On the next task, on the next person, On the next conquest inflating you, You try
- [Dread](https://vijayasundaram.com/dread/) - Dread ©July 6th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Thunder rumbled like a hungry stomach, As my dog trembled on the bed, Curled up beside my outstretched leg, A fifty-pound package of existential dread. I pressed my hands against her beating Chest, whispered calmness into her frame. The trembling ceased, then returned. I did it,
- [Afternoon Peace](https://vijayasundaram.com/afternoon-peace/) - Afternoon Peace ©July 4th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Hollyhocks shout defiance at the sun Leaning out like cheerleaders From their shaded spot, reaching up, Purple-red and rich with earth-food, While chocolate-mint leaves cluster Lustful, profligate, at their feet. Water from the hose sprays Down like a benediction in the heat, And a sigh ripples
- [Grace and Redemption](https://vijayasundaram.com/grace-and-redemption/) - Grace and Redemption ©May 9th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The Japanese Maple burns gold, And shadows fall across the rubble Of twigs and leaves, and tilted table: The Fall from Grace of another season. Graceful fiddlehead ferns arise Ballerina-like, tender, waving their arms, Feathery and ethereal from dreams Of yesteryear, bringing ancient newness
- [Empty Gaze](https://vijayasundaram.com/empty-gaze/) - Empty Gaze ©May 8th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The shadow of the Japanese maple On the sunlit wooden fence – Black shapes against yellow-gold – Shivers like a memory of other times, While a squirrel races across. The sun slants athwart the tree, Setting it aflame. I sit and look. I am a living
- [The Birds Never Returned (A Vision and a Waking Dream)](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-birds-never-returned-a-vision-and-a-waking-dream/) - The Birds Never Returned (A Vision and a Waking Dream) ©May 6th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Five birds unfolded like paper, From my fingers, as I lay flat, Palms upraised, staring up. They fluttered in an updraft, and rose Translucent and thin, into the still air, While I lay on the table, and watched.
- [Poetry is A Habit of Mind](https://vijayasundaram.com/poetry-is-a-habit-of-mind/) - Poetry is A Habit of Mind ©May 1st, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Today, we did crosswords together, My daughter and I, focused and intent, While my husband chimed in From the other room, whence guitar music Flowed in, and eddied around our ears. Today, the sun poured down And awoke a rain-drenched day,
- [Out of Here](https://vijayasundaram.com/out-of-here/) - My last Daily Poem of April. Now, I'll take a break for a bit from daily poems. ________________________________________________________ Out of Here ©April 30th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Rain pours down like complaints Upon today's daffodils, And the dog won't hear of it. Nor will I. Yesterday is washed away. Nap-time seems the only
- [Scorch and Dissipate](https://vijayasundaram.com/scorch-and-dissipate/) - Scorch and Dissipate ©April 29th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram This collection of motley atoms, This plasma package of cells, This automotive, self-willed Assertive, ego-shaped, skin-covered Shape of five-foot-three-and-a-half Moves through the day, A human shell holding the sea within, Keeping itself from bursting out In a trillion particles of salt, Drenching everything in its
- [Full Moon and Anger](https://vijayasundaram.com/full-moon-and-anger/) - Full Moon and Anger ©April 28th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The moon slipped out, free When a tree's embrace loosened The sky grew brighter. This night! And that moon! They pulled me into the sky, But anger caught me. I failed to be free. Haunted I am, by anger: My moon in
- [410 ppm](https://vijayasundaram.com/410-ppm/) - 410 ppm ©April 27th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram What does one say when, Standing on the mountain peak Where the air gets thinner, One's eyes go dim from no-snow-light, And there are too many dead Along the broken icy way? What does one say when, From there, one sees the earth Take shuddering
- [I Choose](https://vijayasundaram.com/i-choose/) - I Choose ©April 26th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Trees after rain, and in sun; Daffodils, drenched in dew; Lilacs, budding in blue air; Forsythia, dispelling the darkness, Clouds, quiet and sunlit, now spent; Forests, tender with snakes and ferns; Moss, springing softly underfoot; Birds, singing loudly in rain-light. And You, laughing in
- [Forsythian Spill](https://vijayasundaram.com/forsythian-spill/) - Forsythian Spill fl©April 25th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Sunny over-flow Of forsythia Against pearl-grey rain In rocky Medford Makes me glad of life. A bright-spill of light Borrowed from the sun – A dance in spring rain, Signal cars on slow,, Home-bound roads. Forsythias bloom Like eternal youth, Challenge our dead past,
- [Translation](https://vijayasundaram.com/translation/) - Translation ©April 24th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Words do not translate well – Nothing does, really. Like gazing through a one-way mirror At something you can glimpse From the side where you stand, Or, from the other side, Where you stand, and cannot see. When the oceans which made life Now contain the
- [Turn!](https://vijayasundaram.com/turn/) - Turn! ©April 23rd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Pulling up of roots, Loosening the earth, Tossing off dead plants, Under a Spring sky Can make metaphors. Leave out metaphors – Just stand and drink in Air that heralds Life. Straighten your shoulders, Look up at the sun. Your daughter close by Joins you in this, while
- [A Short Nod to Earth Day By A Sleep-Deprived Human](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-short-nod-to-earth-day-by-a-sleep-deprived-human/) - A Short Nod to Earth Day By A Sleep-Deprived Human (With Apologies to Mama Earth) ©April 22nd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Earth-Day's Birth-Day Barely saw the sky today Didn't make it out today, See things growing green. In a dark room Middle-of-the-afternoon Sound and light, and laugh-room Heard a vixen scream. Good-night, sleep tight Sleep
- [Feathers!](https://vijayasundaram.com/feathers/) - Feathers! ©April 21st, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Floating all around, Like dissolving hopes, Like Death's joke, On birds long gone; Settling without a sound, Attaching themselves To clothes and hair, Ready to choke life Out of the living; Bursting from a cushion From a manic male fox's Wild depredations in the living
- [Beast-Light](https://vijayasundaram.com/beast-light/) - Beast-Light ©April 20th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The ancient beast Large, gravity-bound, impelled By a strange need, Stands on pillar legs, Gazing up. A part of space, iron-bound, Jagged, deadly, full of heat Tears a hole in the sky, Lighting a planet. The beast dies. It saw the light. I'd
- [Respect](https://vijayasundaram.com/respect/) - Respect ©April 19th, 2018 Vijaya Sundaram We learn it sideways We learn it when upside-down We forget its face. Look it in the face Memorize its sharp facets Recite its name thrice. Stand right where it stands Wear it, absorb, become it. Shed no tear, stand up. ________________________________________
- [Time Enough](https://vijayasundaram.com/time-enough/) - Time Enough ©April 18th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Longing comes in many forms: Plants reaching for light; Dogs yearning for the outdoors; Squirrels chasing each other; Lovers dreaming of each other, Artists imagining perfection; But what is this other longing – The need for an ending? The need to turn to the last page,
- [Tightrope](https://vijayasundaram.com/tightrope/) - Tightrope ©April 17th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram What is this vast ache Spreading like wildfire In my arteries? What is this hot need To reach out, and out And spreading upwards? All comes to an end, Every blaze dies down Rain pours down on all. Can one be of use? Can
- [Spending Time With Plants](https://vijayasundaram.com/spending-time-with-plants/) - Spending Time With Plants ©April 16th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Spending time with plants Makes you quiet and still, Like young leaves growing. You push clean, fresh dirt In tender peat pots, Pat down the surfaces, And say a soft word To each sweet seedling – It matters not what. It's the plants
- [When Winter Stays](https://vijayasundaram.com/when-winter-stays/) - When Winter Stays ©April 16th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Gold sparks in the grate. Cold rain on the hopeful trees. Spring, an age ago. Bones get cold and still. Feet don't move until I will. Spring, get in my step! Earth spins round and round Lose your way, and find your home.
- [Sudden Love](https://vijayasundaram.com/sudden-love/) - Sudden Love ©April 14th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Love comes in many forms Brutal and sudden, Sweet and slow, Like a flash of lightning, Or the slow blush of dawn. When it is sudden, It's a boulder rushing downhill, Crushing all in its path. Sometimes, it's just easier To get out of the way,
- [What We Cannot See](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-we-cannot-see/) - What We Cannot See ©April 13th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram What's on your mind now? Mother fox nuzzling her kits In a hostile world. And bombs that rain down Over broken desert lands – Death that blooms in dust. What's on your mind, now? Rivers flowing to the sea – Arteries of
- [Nostalgia in the Night](https://vijayasundaram.com/nostalgia-in-the-night/) - Nostalgia in the Night ©April 12th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram A fox ran across the road. The streetlights blinked in surprise. Then, collectively releasing a sigh, Our cars drove on, relieved That the fox had made its crossing. Night speaks to me in visions And visions are full of shadows and light, Like
- [What People Need](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-people-need/) - What People Need ©April 11th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram It's so simple, really. You, and you, and you hold me up, I hold you, and you, and you up – Like the foundation, The substructure, the superstructure Of bridges, held impossibly Over vast, plummeting chasms. It is trust that the impossible Can be
- [Young Love](https://vijayasundaram.com/young-love/) - Young Love ©April 11th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Young love hits like a tsunami Leaving behind devastation. The waters swirl everywhere, Carrying bits of broken beings, Banging into bits of other broken beings. There are deadly whirlpools. Rising waves obliterate all That we built up of ourselves. Gasping, we reach out, Grab a
- [Empty](https://vijayasundaram.com/empty-2/) - Empty ©April 9th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I am out of Self today Nothing's left, not a drop of it. I have scooped and scooped Out all that I had, cup by cup. My reservoir ran dry today. And it was never that big, To begin with, more a pond. My pond-self had
- [Sound Management](https://vijayasundaram.com/sound-management/) - Sound Management ©April 8th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram We sat in a sound booth Listening to lines from a play that was Steeped in magic and mayhem. With cues, transitions, scene changes, And with no eyes into the room, We were all ears, and we strained To hear, to be attentive, to respond. Now, as
- [Visiting Ginny in Amherst](https://vijayasundaram.com/visiting-ginny-in-amherst/) - Visiting Ginny in Amherst ©April 8th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram A walk in the woods near Amherst Off Route 202, near the Quabbin Watershed Leads my family, and me, and our dog, Down a pebbled, muddy path. A darkly silver spring, clear as skylight, Glimmering down alongside our path, Forms pools and little eddies,
- [Forbidden Fences](https://vijayasundaram.com/forbidden-fences/) - Forbidden Fences* ©April 6th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Faces against fence Peering out, or peering in – Freedom is a jail. Fox versus a dog: Broken bodies litter den – Tameness slays wildness. Knife flashing in air, Slices through a family. Forbidden love kills. Shout out to the moon. Freedom comes
- [Want / Not Want](https://vijayasundaram.com/want-not-want/) - Want / Not Want ©April 5th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I want to have eyes everywhere, Seeing into everything, and beyond, And at, and all around, drinking in light; Ears whose listening extend into the unknown; A heart that bursts with love, without fear of exploding; Skin so sensitive that it vibrates to airflow
- [Late for Rehearsal in Three Haiku](https://vijayasundaram.com/late-for-rehearsal-in-three-haiku/) - Late for Rehearsal in Three Haiku ©April 4th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Rain on the windshield Slip-sliding mirrors of light Blur the outstretched trees. Limbs supplicating Saturated skies of pearl. Our pleas remain mute. Cars stream on, sluggish Stop and start, in slow snail-bursts Time races ahead. —------------------------
- [Rain, Like Regret](https://vijayasundaram.com/rain-like-regret/) - Rain, Like Regret ©April 3rd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Rain came down like regret When the world closed its eyes. The dead lay broken in the dust Supine, decaying in desert heat. A flower bloomed somewhere And died without pause. A seabird, with its insides twisted By something that wasn't fish Lay glassy-eyed on
- [The Haiku of the Red Fox](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-haiku-of-the-red-fox/) - The Haiku of the Red Fox ©April 3rd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Feathers in a cloud. A bird's flight ceases to be. Young fox sits back, full. Mother Fox, so brave Eyes flashing, and heart breaking, Turns away with love. Red Fox inches close. Chickens scrabble fruitlessly. Grass seed on their minds.
- [Spring-Snow in April](https://vijayasundaram.com/spring-snow-in-april/) - Spring-Snow in April ©April 2nd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Snow falling slantwise. Dimensions expand car-ward. Driving softly on. Mindlessness widens The sky, white and wondering, Revolves around us. Centered here and now, The earth spins, a snow-dancer. We sit still, silent. ___________________________________
- [Devolution](https://vijayasundaram.com/devolution/) - Devolution ©March 30th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram An eventide sun. A fox, full of fire and fight Leaps across the sky. Waning gibbous moon. Magical grave in mole-hole. Death waits, alone, cold. Cheese-bait for young fox. When the trap traps the trapper, Bloody feathers fly. What is love, you ask? Blood pours out, and feathers
- [Birthday Presence](https://vijayasundaram.com/birthday-presence/) - Birthday Presence ©March 12th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Dog leaping through snow Chases after flung snow-balls: Arcs of glee in light. ___________________________________________ Massed clouds, snow-pregnant Swoon against the horizon. The sunlight glows, fierce. ___________________________________________ At once young and old, The lilac-trees bloomed purple Last year, when I dreamed. ___________________________________________
- [Moloch in America](https://vijayasundaram.com/moloch-in-america/) - Because I'm heart-broken about the school shooting that just happened in Florida: Moloch in America ©February 16th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Moloch is here, in this Christian land. Moloch is here to stay. Moloch molests and slays the young Moloch is here to stay. Moloch comes like a monster by day Moloch,
- [Transcience](https://vijayasundaram.com/transcience/) - Transcience ©February 12th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Wind-chime turns slowly. Notes on the breeze, muted, sweet, Speak of yesterday. Dog on mulch and earth, Eyes raised to fence, and squirrel Barks up a fir tree. The world narrows down. See this moment unfurling. See it float away. __________________________________________________
- [Of What Does A Person Sing?](https://vijayasundaram.com/of-what-does-a-person-sing/) - Of What Does A Person Sing? ©February 11th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Of what does a person sing? Of love and loss, and life and death – Everything comes down to these. And yet, and yet ... Like a koel singing liquid notes Loud and yearning on a rainlit afternoon, We call and call, and
- [In the Nursing Home](https://vijayasundaram.com/in-the-nursing-home/) - In The Nursing Home ©February 10th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I have no words tonight, None that would suffice, anyway. I want to be pure and simple – Simple in thought, word and deed. The humming of the world increases In this room, this bed, this confined space. A lifetime can be summed up thus:
- [To My Dog, Holly](https://vijayasundaram.com/to-my-dog-holly/) - To My Dog, Holly ©February 9th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Passing strange that I look in your eyes And see such beauty and sweetness And a landscape as strange as That of another planet. Passing strange that we communicate With voice and eyes, tail and food, And always with love as close As the beating
- [Sorry](https://vijayasundaram.com/sorry-2/) - Sorry ©February 8th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram There is smoke rising skywards And somewhere, wood gives its life. Trees whisper among themselves When I step on forest roots. I apologize, again. ___________________________________________
- [Merely Alive](https://vijayasundaram.com/merely-alive/) - Merely Alive ©February 7th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Look below the ice. Lying deep in the glacier, Your face looked at me. I was asleep then. Not awakened to the world. Sleepwalking slowly. Your gaze is open Reflecting back a noon sky When were you alive? You are a spectre You
- [Lyre / Liar](https://vijayasundaram.com/lyre-liar/) - Lyre / Liar ©February 6th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram What does it mean to break your word? I carry mine carefully, mindful of pitfalls, Stepping lightly through deserts and forests. Sometimes though, I break it – okay, often. And it's always the same thing: I promised, I 'd go to sleep early tonight.
- [Heart of Concrete, Heart of Flesh](https://vijayasundaram.com/heart-of-concrete-heart-of-flesh/) - Heart of Concrete, Heart of Flesh ©February 5th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram He came from afar to alight near her The one who had called to him, Silently, with her wings spread wide, Quietly, with her head raised high Softly, with her beak to the wind. He came with his hopes and his
- [Visitations](https://vijayasundaram.com/visitations/) - Visitations ©February 4th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Love songs from a land unvisited Visit me in the darkness, There is sweetness in them, And sorrow, and loss, of course. Bleak moors, hills, high winds, The call of cattle or sheep, And the song of a girl minding them. Love makes her apple cheeks
- [Liminal](https://vijayasundaram.com/liminal/) - Liminal ©February 3rd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock Mouse creeps near the backyard wall Moonlight pours like milk and mist Pulse slows down to nothing at all. Water dries, and deserts spread And children cry before they sleep And parents search for grains to eat And feed their young the
- [Seven-Sent](https://vijayasundaram.com/seven-sent/) - Seven-Sent ©February 2nd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Seven geese flew in a pale blue sky While the moon hung low, And the stars swung by. Seven cars drove down the grey highway And the lights shone bright At the end of day. Seven wolves lurked in the twilit woods And fireflies shone
- [Terrain, and Thirst, and Tilt](https://vijayasundaram.com/terrain-and-thirst-and-tilt/) - Terrain, and Thirst, and Tilt ©February 1st, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram A slow stream struggles Through baked terrain, which awaits Rain, which never comes. Hope flows more slowly The days wing past storm shadows What will ease this thirst? Tilting axis here. What compass can we follow When the poles reverse? ______________________________
- [Indifference](https://vijayasundaram.com/indifference/) - Indifference ©January 31st, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The moon hung large Wandering amidst clouds, Palely luminous in a violet sky Outlined by streetlights. You must have been Twitlering on Loudly and stupidly, your moron mind On full display, like a piece of maggoty cheese. Your minions hung your words, traitors all, Outlining you
- [Being Double](https://vijayasundaram.com/being-double/) - Being Double ©January 30th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Double consciousness dogs her days An anthropology museum with native artifacts? (Ah, but can you detect the suffering behind them?) A winter street in Harvard Square, full of bright shops? (Ah, but do you see the homeless stretched out in front?) A king penguin on YouTube,
- [Beauty Lost and Found](https://vijayasundaram.com/beauty-lost-and-found/) - Beauty Lost and Found ©January 29th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Beauty's on my mind, I think. And with the death of every cell, I see it fading, and I grieve. And I am lost in craving it. I gaze at all things beautiful And when I see them, all I wish Is that, in
- [Bowl](https://vijayasundaram.com/bowl/) - Bowl ©January 28th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I'm an empty bowl In a revolving desert I await cool rain. I am empty still. A bird circles overhead Silent, unchanging. Visions from new worlds Crowd on the periphery Stop, don't jostle me! Let me shimmer here In this deadly, trembling heat I
- [Remember This](https://vijayasundaram.com/remember-this/) - Remember This ©January 27th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I feel tender towards you My younger self, whom I miss. I want to explain how With care, you can navigate age – These strange waters, these Treacherous rocks, these Shifting sands that move beneath Your clinging feet. Don't let disillusionment blind you Let it
- [Apple and Fig](https://vijayasundaram.com/apple-and-fig/) - Apple and Fig ©January 26th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Teeth sink into the white crispness Of a bright, red, impatient fruit. One bite, and gloomy thoughts Of ill-health vanish, and tiredness Dissolves in a delicious rush Of pure apple-joy, as the juice Lingers a moment, like a Benediction upon the tongue. I think
- [Unframing](https://vijayasundaram.com/unframing/) - Unframing (Inspired by the photographic work of Francesca Woodman) ©January 25th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Frames dissolve and merge, Frames emerge and fan out into outer space Within, she finds solace, But without, the vast beating of wings Calls to her. The stairs, the window, all that moves above, All that lives and
- [Artery and Spine](https://vijayasundaram.com/artery-and-spine/) - Artery and Spine ©January 25th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Sun-stream along my arteries Flashes light in my ebbing blood. Burst of sun-strength, burst of delight. Watch where you stand! Look out! Flash-flood! Cold-drips down my crackling spine Freeze into stalactites. Freeze into stalagmites. Wander on through! Caverns of cold! ______________________________________________
- [Not A Tree](https://vijayasundaram.com/not-a-tree/) - Not A Tree ©January 25th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram After you annihilate yourself, What is left? When your fondest notions: Who you are What you were What you will be Fall away like leaves from A dying deciduous tree, And all that's left is Trunk, branches, roots, Still standing on dry, dying earth, Do
- ['Neath the Vine and Fig-Tree](https://vijayasundaram.com/neath-the-vine-and-fig-tree/) - 'Neath the Vine and Fig-Tree ©January 23rd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The fig-tree is dead The vine seeks sunlight in vain. The wind blows moon-drops. Once, there were visions But rain-curtains blind their light. Curl up in your shell. A shell collects life Quietly calcifies in death Capture the ocean. ____________________________________
- [Cage of Flowers, Cage of Vines](https://vijayasundaram.com/cage-of-flowers-cage-of-vines/) - Cage of Flowers, Cage of Vines ©January 22nd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Weave a cage, a pretty one Weave it out of vines Cover it with flower-buds And needles from some pines. Stick your pain inside that cage Stick it with a pin Cry about that mother killed By coppers, and their kin.
- [Windows and Gold-Dust Rooms](https://vijayasundaram.com/windows-and-gold-dust-rooms/) - Windows and Gold-Dust Rooms ©January 21st, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Little windows into bygone minds break Little squares of old light in my own. I slip through, tripping lightly A quicksilver imp, Curious, insatiable, Sideways, slideways, Just to look around. People lived in these spaces, Transparent, luminous, imagined. People spoke of gladness and
- [Under the Sky, Under a Tree, Remembering ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/under-the-sky-under-a-tree-remembering/) - Under the Sky, Under a Tree, Remembering ... ©January 20th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram We walked through puddles, talking, laughing. The sky was broken into salt mirrors on sidewalks, And no birds sang. We followed the dog who followed her nose, And our tiredness fell away a little, Like a dress falling off a
- [Moth-Light](https://vijayasundaram.com/moth-light/) - Moth-Light ©January 19th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram On late spring days, or early summer, Moths stream in like dust-motes. Born of moonlight and darkness, They eat everything in sight. I shudder in horror And slam the door In my haste to get in, To keep them out. For, while I like butterflies (alas,
- [In the Cradle](https://vijayasundaram.com/in-the-cradle/) - In the Cradle ©January 18th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram In a make-believe world You find solace and shelter, Far from inexorable, implacable, Undeniable train-track reality. To live several lives at once, To carry yourself gently, kindly, Like a cup of water, for miles and miles Across an arid wasteland, Across a wild, dense rainforest, Across
- [Snow-Fort](https://vijayasundaram.com/snow-fort/) - Snow-Fort ©January 17th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I am silent now. Still my speech bursts forth from me Steaming into space. Breath escapes, rising Wraith-like into the cold air, Gets pulled into shreds. Snow comes down like breath. Like words encased in woollens, Snow falls, muffled, soft. With snowfall comes cold.
- [The Shadow Who Wouldn't Be King](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-shadow-who-wouldnt-be-king/) - The Shadow Who Wouldn't Be King (Edited with some additions and subtractions, and corrections – because I wasn't satisfied) (A Story Response to Laura Packer's Prompt on Facebook) ©January 17th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram ________________________________________________________ (Laura's prompt: #storyseeds: The king considers her advisor. "But sir—" says the Minister of Pebbles. The king waves him to
- [A Vision in a Fever-Dream](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-vision-in-a-fever-dream/) - A Vision in a Fever-Dream ©January 16th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram A tree grows in a desert, Magical and full-formed. All around it flows sand Like water in the heat. Below the tree, a perfect Shade. Near the Shade, a perfect cactus. Near the cactus, a desert Fox, Quiet and satiated, The colour of
- [The Spirit Who Grew A Heart For A Boy](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-spirit-who-grew-a-heart-for-a-boy/) - Fifteen-minute short story by Yours Truly (With thanks to my story-teller friend Laura Packer for the prompt): The Spirit Who Grew A Heart For A Boy ©January 16th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram ____________________________ Laura's prompt: #storyseeds There was once a boy whose heart was made of glass. In his pocket he found twine,
- [A Little Light Verse](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-little-light-verse/) - A Little Light Verse ©January 15th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Little island in the sea Waves keep rolling up to me Wash away extremities Cover me eventually. Time rolls up, and rolls away Sounds rush in throughout the day Things to do, and things to say Are what make me forget to play.
- [Truth and Ice](https://vijayasundaram.com/truth-and-ice/) - Truth and Ice ©January 14th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Ice in the comet Steals sunlight, mimics fire – We gaze, wonder-struck. In the heart of things There is semblance, or there's truth. Eyes make their own world. Deep in heart-darkness Truth lies, curled in foetus-form Reshaping a world. Comets, eccentric Elliptical visitors
- [Punctuation Temptation](https://vijayasundaram.com/punctuation-temptation/) - Punctuation Temptation ©January 13th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram The round chocolate sits before me, A plump punctuation mark. I could call it a full stop, a period, But, to me, it's more a comma, An invitation to continue. I could resist. Indeed, I do – almost always – for I lack that deadly
- [Mystic Hour](https://vijayasundaram.com/mystic-hour/) - Mystic Hour ©January 12th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Midnight is the mystic hour When the weight of the world Falls away, and only spirits Dance along the edges of my vision. I look away, because to stare Would be rude: I might scare them off. To them, I am human, woman, But to
- [Break](https://vijayasundaram.com/break/) - Break ©January 11th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I am not a fan of broken things. Still, there's beauty even in shards. The light falls so prettily, So brokenly on them, And there are so many reflections Gazing back at me! Things break – that is a given. When small things break, We're thankful it's not
- [In the Dressing Room, Awaiting Form](https://vijayasundaram.com/in-the-dressing-room-awaiting-form/) - In the Dressing Room, Awaiting Form ©January 10th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Electricity hums to itself, An insane loop trapped in wires, And the clock ticks on and on Like a water- buffalo going round and round In its path around the water-wheel Yoked and weary, and toiling mightily. I sit and listen, an empty
- [Child of my Dreams, Child of my Reality](https://vijayasundaram.com/child-of-my-dreams-child-of-my-reality/) - Child of my Dreams, Child of my Reality ©January 9th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Thirteen years and half a day ago, The universe opened me up, And brought you into daylight, Child of my flesh, So close, yet so separate. I sang to you every day, And named you for the Goddess Well before
- [Snow-Milk](https://vijayasundaram.com/snow-milk/) - Snow-Milk ©January 7th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Snow lies thick on trees Moonlight thickens into milk Darkness treads lightly. _____________________________________
- [Love's Where You Stand](https://vijayasundaram.com/loves-where-you-stand/) - Love's Where You Stand* ©January 7th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Out of the darkness Out of the dust Over the river There came a voice: Love whom you love Do what you must Live, be a Giver Go make your choice. Love with your life Love with your deeds Love when it's hard, With eyes
- [Pre-Set](https://vijayasundaram.com/pre-set/) - Pre-Set ©January 6th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram Blue skies meet green trees in artificial heat, And the sunlight borrowers make it day Where night presses against windowpanes: A dark-eyed orphan child viewing sweets, and Forbidden entry by those Who, spurning reality, make Its twin indoors. The curtain rises. The world sits in suspended animation. I
- [Diamond and Silk, and Star-shine and Dark](https://vijayasundaram.com/diamond-and-silk-and-star-shine-and-dark/) - Diamond and Silk, and Star-shine and Dark ©January 5th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Diamond voice in the other room Cuts the air into brilliant shreds Silken voices catch those threads And stitch them back again. Your voice, a diamond cut from light, Is made of star-shine in the dark I treasure it and
- [Genesis – II (During Bombogenisis)](https://vijayasundaram.com/genesis-ii-during-bombogenisis/) - Genesis – II (During Bombogenesis) ©January 4th, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram We are orphans, those of us Who think, and feel. We are orphaned by our gods, Or God, or the Goddess. No longer can we cry out to Them, Or Him, or Her. Our collective imaginations, And our collective child-hearts Grew up,
- [For Eric and Erica](https://vijayasundaram.com/for-eric-and-erica/) - For Eric and Erica ©January 3rd, 2018 By Vijaya Sundaram I can't breathe, he said, eleven times. His breath left in a last, choked exhale Vanishing into the pollution of a Dying afternoon in New York City. The police, satisfied that they'd Done their job, waited for seven minutes For the medics. It was just
- [All Our Yesterdays](https://vijayasundaram.com/all-our-yesterdays/) - All Our Yesterdays ©January 1st, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram All my yesterdays behind me Galloped down the sloping road As I stood at the edge Of the receding year, Shielding my eyes from today. And the rest of my life. The coming days, Fetches all, Move through my cells, And leave behind their
- [Nightfall When the Play is Done](https://vijayasundaram.com/nightfall-when-the-play-is-done/) - Nightfall When the Play is Done ©December 31st, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Night falls suddenly, like a curtain When the play is done. The Players strip their clothes, Sip wine, or water, mill about, Eat chocolate, chat, stare into space, Play chess, rest their legs, stretch. Music from another room Drifts like smoke among
- [Spillage](https://vijayasundaram.com/spillage/) - Spillage ©December 30th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The clock ticks on and on. An endless litany of eternity Talking to Time, it moves Chasms of seconds around Circular paths, craters of minutes, Into which I fall, endlessly. Time casts a spell, but it is brittle In the face of these typing hands. I can
- [At Year's End](https://vijayasundaram.com/at-years-end/) - At Year's End ©December 30th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The days hurtle towards their end, And the year gets ready, unhooking itself To turn on its hinge, to let them through. There are things to look back on. I'd rather not. The dust rises under the hoofs Of fast-approaching year-end days And the riders are
- [Lighthouse](https://vijayasundaram.com/lighthouse/) - Lighthouse ©December 29th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Once, old age shone like a lighthouse Beckoning me onward towards Enlightenment, peace. Not so, now. I do not wish to grow frail I don't wish to totter and fall I don't wish to burden the earth. I wish to die fit, and full of life.
- [No Voice](https://vijayasundaram.com/no-voice/) - No Voice ©December 28th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram In the heart of the deepest night Shines a diamond in the mind of One Who dreamed a universe into awakening. She dreams, and her dreams coil Like many serpents in the churning ocean Tossing up many worlds, and dragging them Deep, deep into a forest
- [A Fragment](https://vijayasundaram.com/fragment/) - Fragment ©December 28th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Eyes that rake the darkness, And pull up weeds by the roots, Stray in your direction. You are transfixed, and beam light. Your toes curl, and your blood tightens. Your roots go deep, deep within. You resist. You are impelled. You resist. You are impaled. _________________________________________
- [An Imperfect Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/an-imperfect-poem/) - An Imperfect Poem ©December 27th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram It's when your feet are in two different dimensions, It's when your mind's a cable car in suspension, You ask yourself, "Where do I belong? once again. The answer comes floating back, "It's not where, but when." _________________________________________________________
- [Turn Away](https://vijayasundaram.com/turn-away/) - Turn Away ©December 12th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Soughing music from the highway rises and falls. Sky-muffled and tree-flanked, the cars flow gently down. Lassitude, and warm bed, and prone dog at your feet, Make a dome of silence ringed by soft murmuring. Comfort is simple – there's no need for silken sheets, No need
- [The Bleaching](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-bleaching/) - The Bleaching ©December 11th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The years bleed your skin dry – Translucency is all that's left. Lips once full of unconscious desire, Are now wistful, remembering all. Eyes that once invited everyone else's, Look inward, students of Time and Loss. Hair, once boisterous, full of spring, Now curl only in memory,
- [The Goddess](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-goddess/) - The Goddess ©December 9th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Brahma dreams of music, and chants An entire world into existence. The words escape from his vast mouth, And swirl into stars, planets, interstellar dust. He dreams himself into being, dreams that his wife, Serene and chaste, and seated on a white lotus, Grows from
- [Citadel](https://vijayasundaram.com/citadel/) - Citadel ©December 8th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Where is Lysistrata Where are the womenfolk Who would stand as a citadel, Resisting their menfolk, And decrying war? The men are at the gates And among them, those Who would be with the women As women, stand perplexed: When to move into the citadel By
- [Morning Commute](https://vijayasundaram.com/morning-commute/) - Morning Commute ©December 7th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Morning comes too swiftly for my taste I awake, like a forgotten creature Rising from a black lagoon, Torpor and languor suffusing bones That protest the pull of gravity. I have the pleasure of working: Earning that which keeps body and soul Knit, and assures
- [A Response (To Chekhov's "Three Sisters" in Rehearsal)](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-response-to-chekhovs-three-sisters-in-rehearsal/) - A Response (To Chekhov's "Three Sisters" in Rehearsal) ©December 6th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Icy blasts from a sub-Siberian mind Blinded my vision with snow-drifts. There were sisters, lovers, friends Would-be lovers, servants, a conniver. There were losses, tears, quarrels, a death. There were those who longed for love, And those who loved,
- [Slip Away, Swim Back](https://vijayasundaram.com/slip-away-swim-back/) - Slip Away, Swim Back ©December 5th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Music from two guitars in the other room Weaves its way into this one, And arrests my mind. Transfixed, I listen. It takes very little music To stop me in my tracks. I am put in mind of a video of Elephants behind
- [Supermoon](https://vijayasundaram.com/supermoon/) - Supermoon ©December 4th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The moon hung low, like a fruit Waiting to be plucked, sucked dry, An overripe yellow peach, Dripping with pulpy pleasure. In my car, on the highway I saw the moon approaching And I was filled with desire For that which I could never have.
- [Siren](https://vijayasundaram.com/siren/) - Siren ©December 3rd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The moon hangs low, close. Close to a careening earth, A gleaming temptress. A lone mermaid sits. Songs of heartbreak rise upwards As waves come closer. Closer come the waves! Would that the planet could mend! Would that sirens called! I will rise song-wards
- [The Only Experiment](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-only-experiment/) - The Only Experiment ©December 2nd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram And the rich got richer, And the poor got poorer, And they all died unhappily Ever after, consigned to ash. And on vast unending plains, The planet burns, a furnace That melts all the icecaps. And as the seas rise, A single boat floats.
- [Jangle](https://vijayasundaram.com/jangle/) - Jangle ©December 1st, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Too many words can cloud A day full of quiet. Too much quiet can condense Into a cloud around words. In the daytime, people are A jangle of voices, a jostle Of wrestling minds, striving furiously. At night, we sleep, restless and lost, Floating among words that
- [Swell](https://vijayasundaram.com/swell/) - Swell ©November 30th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The earth turns herself around In her sleep. She is uneasy, and clamorous, There is pain, pleasure, triumph. She dreams you into being, And me, and all her daughters. Spun from the same stuff. We, her daughters, look into each other's eyes, And we know who stands
- [Fracture](https://vijayasundaram.com/fracture/) - Fracture ©November 29th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram How to write of peace When a tsunami of rage Over-swells the brain? Rage does not flow well. The waves are jagged and frayed. Boulders dash below. It boils over all, This landmass of me, here, now. Reduced to rubble. Inexplicable, The tsunami flows
- [Mirror-World (A Walk Along the Charles River at Twilight)](https://vijayasundaram.com/mirror-world-a-walk-along-the-charles-river-at-twilight/) - Mirror-World (A Walk Along the Charles River at Twilight) ©November 28th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The world beside me hung upside-down Black and grey and gold, wavering. Trees stretched their upside-down branches And droves of ducks sliced cleanly through Streaks of gold and grey, strands of silk. A mansion stood on its head, lit
- [Folding](https://vijayasundaram.com/folding/) - Folding ©November 27th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Daily-ness clings on A shrug cannot shake things off Fall into breathing. Today was a rose. Now turns to fast-fading Then Petals folding shut. The day spirals down. A singularity waits. Beyond that, sweet sleep. ___________________________________
- [Nestling](https://vijayasundaram.com/nestling-2/) - Nestling ©November 26th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The air clung to me like an icy lover As I awoke to today's call, Strangely exhilarated, but cautious. Hope, a baby bird, raises its beak. I nestle beside it, its companion. Nascent and unborn though I am, I feel my companion stir beside me, Hear broken shell
- [Uncanine](https://vijayasundaram.com/uncanine/) - Uncanine ©November 25th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The awareness of the canine In the other room haunts me. Her heart beat strong and steady earlier Today, when, reaching down, I wound My arms around her in a sudden Excess of affection and guilt. Her dark eyes looked blank, And yawning hugely, she wagged her
- [Edge](https://vijayasundaram.com/edge/) - Edge ©November 24th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Standing at the edge of sleep, In a steady, blue rain of light, You peer deeply into things: Stray songs, conversations, People you could have loved, Things you might have said, Shapes too beautiful to draw. You gaze in the face of all regret, Then, wiping rain
- [Thanksgiving 2017](https://vijayasundaram.com/thanksgiving-2017/) - Thanksgiving 2017 ©November 23rd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Many dinosaurs died, and trees, too, So we could be on the road today. We gave thanks for family, food, friends. All around us, the trees leaned in closer, And the Octagon hummed with voices From ancient tribes thronging in the dark. Was it forgiveness? Mourning? Love?
- [Subtext](https://vijayasundaram.com/subtext/) - Subtext ©November 22nd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Every day falls between the lines. Every person and everything glimpsed Sub-textually, subliminally. I am tired of words today. But I turn to them still, for they Bring me warm comfort on a cold evening. I eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, And come up still empty,
- [Listen!](https://vijayasundaram.com/listen/) - Listen! ©November 21st, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Electric lights hum like crazed gnats. All around me, the sense of quiet Seems fractured by hum, hiss, whine, rumble. When we say we long for silence, Do we really mean it? Will I be able to bear it? One day, I will hear the
- [In Rehearsal](https://vijayasundaram.com/in-rehearsal/) - In Rehearsal ©November 20th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Atoms hold this cup in shape, In between deep holes of nothingness, as I sip my steaming tea, Staring into empty space Cluttered with things. The day ended long ago, But I cherish this silence, This darkness pressing close Against the light, where the window Meets
- [Wind-Cage](https://vijayasundaram.com/wind-cage/) - Wind-Cage ©November 19th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The wind howled in my ear Like a lover declaring undying love. I turned my back on it, and drove Into the night, headlights piercing The air, refusing victory to encircling darkness. There are people who live caged, And people who live free, And people who
- [Leaf-Drop](https://vijayasundaram.com/leaf-drop/) - Leaf-Drop ©November 18th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram A leaf flutters down The air quivers and falls still, So, too, a lone thought. Restless, the dog sniffs In quiet anticipation. Things change, stay the same. Seasons come early. How to travel this cold world, Standing still, moving? We come, play our parts.
- [Dissipate, Assemble](https://vijayasundaram.com/dissipate-assemble/) - Dissipate, Assemble ©November 17th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram A husk seeking sleep, I sit motionless before a screen, Awaiting nourishment, unsure Of my place in the universe. And yet, I keep pouring Words onto a thing that Isn't real, my fingers clicking keys – This thing that assembles language, Resembles thought, Hovers in
- [The Delivery-Driver and the Highway](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-delivery-driver-and-the-highway/) - The Delivery-Driver and the Highway ©November 16th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram When you fly down the highway Stationary in your car, carrying Fancy lunches for rich children, Time ceases to have meaning. Still, you check your clock often. The odometer brightly indicates That time has passed, since Velocity occurs in space and time.
- [Too Much to Bear](https://vijayasundaram.com/too-much-to-bear/) - Too Much to Bear ©November 15th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram So many identities criss-cross, So many selves intersecting So many pathways to life And food, and love, and food, And death! Too much awareness leads To a heart bursting at the seams. All of life beckons, all creatures Looking for food, for fun, for
- [At the End of a Long Day](https://vijayasundaram.com/at-the-end-of-a-long-day/) - At the End of a Long Day ©November 14th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram It isn't easy. I want to be gentle rain. Alas! A downpour! At times, rainbows form Alas, too quickly, vanish. Thunderclouds again. ...... Aspire to one's self Sitting there atop a cliff Climb carefully up. Catch yourself falling, Here
- [Dampnation](https://vijayasundaram.com/dampnation/) - Dampnation ©November 13th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Pearl-gray skies drop down. See a world saying goodbye. Layers peel away. It is always thus. Rain-dark afternoons beat wings Yearning for lift-off. Lift-off cannot be With damp thinking in damp skies Fold your wings. Go home. ____________________________________________________________________
- [Flight-Route](https://vijayasundaram.com/flight-route/) - Flight-Route* (Five Haiku) ©November 12th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Birds fly south by rote A route forged and forced by time – Still, we find meaning. And in those meanings We etch those pathways in gold, And the air quivers. It matters not that Life is leaves whirling in dust – There's strange beauty there.
- [Life-Force](https://vijayasundaram.com/life-force/) - Life-Force ©November 11, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram She went shopping with me Just to see people and things, To escape the old and infirm Who pushed their walkers Around the halls and sitting room. She went shopping with me And negated her ninety-four years. The life-force strong within, She bought herself underwear And mittens, and
- [Nestling](https://vijayasundaram.com/nestling/) - Nestling ©November 11th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram When I lift up my eyes, and spread My arms out wide, then hug the air, Wrapping its coldness close, so close I know I'm holding all of life. Billions of people, animals Enclosed here, nestling in my arms. All of the past, coldly resting In
- [Blind Spot](https://vijayasundaram.com/blind-spot/) - Blind Spot ©November 10th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram I am my own blind spot Right in the middle Of mind and matter. And it matters That I cannot see what I see, because of all I think I see. This I mind. I mind very much. Things come up from the side And
- [It Isn't](https://vijayasundaram.com/it-isnt/) - It Isn't ©November 9th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram It isn't that I don't love life – Even if sometimes it feels that way, It is that I don't hate death. It isn't that I don't want things – It is that I want them in the moment, It is that I want them indifferently.
- [Softly, Softly](https://vijayasundaram.com/softly-softly/) - Softly, softly ©November 9th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Come around the corner now, Softly, softly. Stop here, lest your feet stir up Dust into animacy. Take your time, and gently tread Softly, softly. Look around, and smell the air, Settling quietly on your form. Look around, and note it all Softly, softly People,
- [Flesh and Bone](https://vijayasundaram.com/flesh-and-bone/) - Flesh and Bone ©November 8th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram And slowly, we grow older. Our flesh grows heavy with care, And eyes prop themselves open With an effort (invisible Fingers stretching them wide), And our bones whisper at night, keep Rustling dryly while flesh sleeps. Once at home with the spirits, Now, we wave
- [Hope is a Dog](https://vijayasundaram.com/hope-is-a-dog/) - Hope is a Dog ©October 14th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Hope is not “the thing with feathers That perches in your soul.” Nor is Hope a fluttering thing At the bottom of a jar. Hope is the forlorn Dog Awaiting the return Of those who’ve gone away Into the vast Unknown. Hope is
- [Autumnal Fading](https://vijayasundaram.com/autumnal-fading/) - Autumnal Fading ©October 13th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Cold air settles like a sigh Of expectations met. The earth swings around Once more towards winter And leaves begin their downward Journey into death. There are pumpkins, yes, And pies and children's pleasure in Scary masks and horror and gore. And cute princesses, Harry Potters,
- [A Question](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-question-2/) - A Question ©August 16th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram When those who hate others fight those who don't, When those who speak with forked and flicking tongues Wound with their weapons those who speak for love, When right meets might, and it's the righteous who die, Tell me, please tell me, how can I fight the
- [Plant-Pride](https://vijayasundaram.com/plant-pride/) - Plant-Pride ©August 14th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram I understand it's all an accident, This strange anomaly Called Life; that things Came to be from the endless Intersections of unexpected events, Careening towards each other, And away from each other, Leaving behind life or non-life. And yet, when I plant seeds And watch them grow,
- [Chasm](https://vijayasundaram.com/chasm-2/) - Chasm ©August 13th, 2017 ©By Vijaya Sundaram When the voice is too beautiful, Words fail to carry the weight Of meaning in the voice. When the words are too beautiful, The voice falters and fails, Unable to carry the weight Of meaning in the words. When the spirit glows like a flame, All missteps are
- [Undoing](https://vijayasundaram.com/undoing/) - Undoing ©August 12th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Stubborn and resistant, life persists, Insists on poking its head wherever Whenever, however it wants. Without judgment, without pausing, It pokes out of the concrete, Forms inside bellies, bursts out From exquisite eggs, ripples forth, Wriggling and indiscrimate, from spawn. Curious and uncaring, life bursts out, An anomaly
- [Reading a Script in Revere](https://vijayasundaram.com/reading-a-script-in-revere/) - Reading a Script in Revere ©August 10th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Marshlands stretch towards the horizon, Quiet under a darkening sky. Gold-red-green-white lights blink In faraway, receding Boston, While behind me, the sea lies still Beneath an orange moon, which rises lyrical And lush, a pale grapefruit swollen with air, While eight of us, earnest,
- [I Don't Want To ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/i-dont-want-to/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Depressingly realistic fiction I Don't Want To ... ©May 10th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram I try to avoid that stone when I go visit that clearing. I don't want to remember. I don't want to remember I was once that fourteen-year old, running through tall grass.
- [Never Water](https://vijayasundaram.com/never-water/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Geological-astronomical anthropomorphic rock-fiction Never Water ©August 10th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Out of the soil, slowly emerging, out of the dirt, into the air, fault-lines converging, purging itself of all memory, all melodies of another time, another place, another birth, another face, I push aside what was,
- [Ars Longa](https://vijayasundaram.com/ars-longa/) - Ars Longa August 9th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Wanting to be everything at once, Dazzled by life and people, and birds, She lunges into the air, grabs Every passing fancy, every fleeting thrill, Learning, leaving, moving on, Soaking in all that rains down. What she wants is to be everywhen, To be new, and young,
- [Map-Lines](https://vijayasundaram.com/map-lines/) - Map-Lines ©August 8th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Lie on that map Mark that spot right there, See that city? Trace a line to it, Dig canyons into being, Spring trees into greenness, Rouse the grass and the brush, Build roads, along the way. Now, watch a tiny, tiny car Move under your finger Along that
- [Everything that Lives](https://vijayasundaram.com/everything-that-lives/) - Everything that Lives ©August 7th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Drowning in words, I turn to the woods, Where the swell of the sound-tide, Roaring around my ears Ebbs to somewhere below chin-line, And I can breathe, quietly, And gulp a vast gulp Of quiet air. In these woods, Where the crunch of leaves Under rhythmic
- [Rain-Haiku](https://vijayasundaram.com/rain-haiku/) - Rain-Haiku ©July27th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Green rain sliding down Invisible ropes of light. Clouds huddle, sullen. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
- [Near-Death of A Friendship](https://vijayasundaram.com/near-death-of-a-friendship/) - Near-Death of A Friendship ©July 1st, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Words fly between us Anger strewn like autumn leaves Each misunderstands. One wants to be seen. The other longs to be heard. Both shoot darts, don’t miss. We hear what we want We stick sharp pins in ourselves You explain, I hear. The currents flow
- [Thoughts Upon Waking Up](https://vijayasundaram.com/thoughts-upon-waking-up/) - Thoughts Upon Waking UpMay 27th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram What can grow in the land of chill? What can grow on a barren hill? What can grow where it glows too hot What must grow where it surely cannot? Indifference grows in the land of chill Silence grows on that barren hill Hate can grow
- [Color-Mind](https://vijayasundaram.com/color-mind/) - Color-Mind ©May 19th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Green on my mind Green, like tenderness Green, like newness Green. like young Earth. Blue on my mind Blue, like mother-water. Blue, like summer-sky. Blue, like before-birth. Carmine on my mind. Carmine, like pure blood and blush Carmine like a sunset air-brushed Carmine like a womb's onrush. Purple
- [Dramatic Play](https://vijayasundaram.com/dramatic-play/) - Dramatic Play ©May 19th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram When a child falls down, And you cannot catch him, How do you restore trust? Not to fear, says his mother He's a child. He will forget. Look! He's running around. He's not hurt. He'll forget, you'll see. You nod and feel comforted, briefly. Then it hits
- [Dinner on Flamingo Plate](https://vijayasundaram.com/dinner-on-flamingo-plate/) - Dinner on Flamingo Plate ©May 16th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Today, I ate off a ceramic plate. Vibrant with life, the head and beak Of a flamingo dipping into water For food on the plate Caught me by surprise. I dipped my spoon into the bowl On the plate, with the dipping flamingo. I felt
- [A Seeing Thing](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-seeing-thing/) - A Seeing Thing ©May15th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Sunlight falls, green and wet, among the branches, Settles like a sigh on rain-damp earth and brick, Glows, incandescent, for a moment, as clouds Reveal a forgotten sky and breath of air. Rusty blackbird flies in to perch and pick seeds From a sodden bird-feeder close to
- [Out of the Nothing That Was](https://vijayasundaram.com/out-of-the-nothing-that-was/) - Out of the Nothing That Was ©May 14th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram First, the hum of mind. Next, the sound of want. Then, comes the desiring The yearning and the seeking, And the spinning of a Self Into another, holding Yet another spool of self To be spun into newness. And, out of the silent
- [Undoing Penelope](https://vijayasundaram.com/undoing-penelope/) - Undoing Penelope ©May 13th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram So many shimmering threads, So many interwoven lines, You weave them all together, And then undo them all, As you wait for your beloved, Lost to you for twenty years. Why undo yourself, when You've spent a whole life Making up the pattern Of this, your cloth?
- [Five Haiku Spill](https://vijayasundaram.com/five-haiku-spill/) - Five Haiku Spill ©May 10th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Large fir tree shivers Loudly sings the chickadee Blue sky turns leaden. Gray clouds lowering Lilacs bend their purple heads Tulips sound out light. Blue-gray dog sleeping Cushioned in softest music Mouse peers out, bright-eyed. New next-door dogs speak Greetings reach the dog at home Clamor
- [Redux](https://vijayasundaram.com/redux/) - Redux ©May 9th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram You remember how every drop of rain Every song, every tune, and every refrain Felt like a rush of blood, and delight and pain, Now, ensconced in calm, you want it all again. The paradox of peace is the paradox Of happiness; for it's a Pandora's box Looking
- [Train Calling](https://vijayasundaram.com/train-calling/) - Train Calling ©May 8th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Your skin creases, spots appear, and time pulses Like a slowing heart. And Age approaches, a train that rounds the bend Far away, then near. And it all began with a heartbeat in love Or in throbbing fear. Tumbling like a diamond in the velvet dark, A
- [Coils of Dreaming](https://vijayasundaram.com/coils-of-dreaming/) - Coils of Dreaming ©May 7th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Coiled upon itself, a memory Buried in a myth, seen in a dream, The snake slept, tail in mouth. All that's happened will happen again, For the first time, over and over, And each will be the last. Amidst this coiling, is the roiling Of war
- [Benediction](https://vijayasundaram.com/benediction/) - Benediction ©May 6th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The close of the day comes From the hill-tower, Lingers at our kitchen window Hungry for warmth, for sustenance. The day's-end trails purple darkness. The sky is silent now, after A long outburst of light. This is a message. Fragrant basmati, kadi-patta Green-chilli, tofu-pyaaz-palak, Fills our breath, swirls
- [Rain-Illusions](https://vijayasundaram.com/rain-illusions/) - Rain-Illusions ©May 5th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Rain lingers past its welcome. Yet, there's sweetness here. Flowers, rain-bright and purple, Amass like an army of dreamers On the lilac-trees at the foot Of our precipitous garden. Birds sing hopefully, wet-feathered, But fat with worm-feast. The dog goes walking with me – The rain is in
- [Shoulder to Shoulder](https://vijayasundaram.com/shoulder-to-shoulder/) - Shoulder to Shoulder ©May 4th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Blood rises against blood, The pleasure of the few Meets the pain of the many. Love meets Hate Is battered down, Rises up again, trembling, Unbowed, bleeding from the ears. The body is at war with Its wasting self. Can a cell tremble at The destruction
- [A New Aphrodite](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-new-aphrodite/) - A New Aphrodite ©May 3rd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Spinning slowly, the moon rotates, Silver-skirted, courting the dark. Stars stare down, coldly glittering. I call to her, she does not hear. Busy spinning a web of light, She turns like a top in a dream. Waves, crablike, rush towards the shore Lift up her curling
- [Daughter of the Earth, OR: Why the Goddess Has Left Us](https://vijayasundaram.com/daughter-of-the-earth-or-why-the-goddess-has-left-us/) - Daughter of the Earth, OR: Why the Goddess Has Left Us ©May 2nd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram When the earth split open, and she Lay, beautiful and dark-haired, Lotus-soft and star-eyed, Born of the Plough, born of Life, Did they know who had emerged? Adopted by a kindly King, And later, won as a prize
- [Seaweed](https://vijayasundaram.com/seaweed/) - Seaweed ©May 1st, 2017 ByVijaya Sundaram When everything's been said. And yet, I haven't said it all. Should I speak? And why? What need is there? Surely it is silence I crave. All this noise, a railing Against encroaching night, Drives a stake into my eyes. Eyes closed at night, I wonder and wonder. Lines
- [The Return](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-return/) - The Return ©April 30th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram She returns every year, Sometimes disguised, sometimes not, Talons and teeth sharp, Eyes brimming with wickedness. And every year, I laugh Push her aside casually, knowing My strength, and weave spells to Paralyze her advance. Every year, she returns, And I say, "This is a spirit Speaking
- [Chasm](https://vijayasundaram.com/chasm/) - Chasm ©April 29th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Chasm fracturing Amidst unity on earth Time to build a bridge. But if the bridge falls And we plummet to the earth, Let us learn to fly. If we fly upwards Let us splint the fractured earth Mend broken places. If we fly downwards Let us greet the
- [Spring Days](https://vijayasundaram.com/spring-days/) - Spring Days ©April 28th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Sunny and gold The light unfolds Like lotus flowers In morning hours. Damp with dew, The days are new, And sunlight spills While I stand still. ______________________________________________ Today's prompt was strangely difficult for me, because both the poems I came up with before this one above were
- [Remini-Senses](https://vijayasundaram.com/remini-senses/) - Remini-Senses ©April 27th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Jasmines stir up specific yearnings: Mornings after a rain-drenched night, Loud birds, hopping from tree to tree. The smell of sambhar and murungakkai, And kathrikai curry, and kootu, And karpooram and udubatthi, And the ringing of the brass bell, Sandalwood-scented parents, Red-gold-bordered veshti-ed Appa Pattu-podavai-wearing Amma, Performing their
- [A Canine Point of View](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-canine-point-of-view/) - A Canine Point of View ©April 27th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram She tasted like cinnamon On honey cake, Apples and the sea. She tasted like cardamom And curry-leaf, And tangerines three. And sunshine and rain And laughter and pain And thoughts that remain Though banished again. She tasted of kindness And sometimes self-blindness She tasted
- [So, they couldn't see ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/so-they-couldnt-see/) - So, they couldn't see ... ©April 26th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram So, they couldn't see, These creatures who lived On this swirling blue planet, Laden with cloud and wind. We moved among them But they passed through us Unseeing, unheeding, And when we spoke, They couldn't hear. Sometimes, the strange bulbous orbs Above their breathing
- [This Box](https://vijayasundaram.com/this-box/) - This Box ©April 25th, 2017 ByVijaya Sundaram Within the knitted bones of this ageing skull, Lives a little girl who dreamed her life away. What she saw with her clear, wide eyes She transformed into colours, skies Full of music, full of song. There were joys and sorrows, fears and rage, but dull She was
- [Monastic Illuminations](https://vijayasundaram.com/monastic-illuminations/) - Monastic Illuminations ©April 24th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Snails and horses, sex and darts And armored men with enlarged parts And women with distended hares Extended branches, full of snares. All jokes aside, are these sad hearts? Devoted to their prayer-books, Deprived of hugs and loving looks, These monks, lacking another's love Are raised, instead,
- [Two Elevenies](https://vijayasundaram.com/two-elevenies/) - Two Elevenies ©April 23, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Complacency Getting fatter In government halls Growing like a cancer: Metastasis. Resistance Fighting back In city streets Growing like a chorus: Solidarity. _________________________________________________________ Today's Day 23 NaPoWriMo 2017 prompt is to write two elevenies. (I'd never even heard of this poetic form before, and am delighted by
- [Seedlings](https://vijayasundaram.com/seedlings/) - Seedlings ©April 22nd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram See, when you sow seeds, You want good starter soil Gentle water, bright indoor lights In dark climes, winter-bleak, and Sunshine when the cold breaks. Say a prayer as you sow, Sing a little note of love, Pat down the soil, and Hope for the best. Every seedling
- [Housemate, Overheard](https://vijayasundaram.com/housemate-overheard/) - Housemate, Overheard ©April 21st, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram He spoke above the shower – The water running down – A waterfall of vitriol, Gurgling into a drain Full of rage. Loud he was, and angry. I hate you, who-do-you-think-you-are Strutting around, full of yourself, Thinking you own the place? You smug, self-satisfied a--h---. Playing your
- [Games I Prefer](https://vijayasundaram.com/games-i-prefer/) - Games I Prefer ©April 20th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Games? Like run-jumping? Or ball-fling-falling? Or bat-smashing-ball over fences Or whistling-racquet thwacking birdie? Or mud-wrestling and arm-wrestling? Or mashing someone's face to crowd-boo-cheers? No thank you! I prefer no games, save those That I can play in quiet. Where no one wins, And there is no
- [Me-creation](https://vijayasundaram.com/me-creation/) - Me-creation ©April 19th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram At the very start, before all else, There was Song. Fear and phlegm, fatalism and faith Churned within, too. Rich blood and love fed a world. Head and heart, tail and spine, Fingers and toes, nose and eyes, Forming cell by cell. Star-stuff, yes, dark matter, too. A
- [Today, Springing](https://vijayasundaram.com/today-springing/) - Today, Springing ©April 18th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Dogs a-tumbling down the hill Grubbling on the grass Tailashing away in sun-cold Spring. The air, awash in hound-cry, Barkling and squeawhimpers, Blue-ens and trembles Like a live thing, ready to tackle The season hovering like a Butterfly, unsure and zigzaggering Above a single dandelion, Which captures
- [A Nocturne](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-nocturne/) - A Nocturne ©April 17th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Stars collect in violet skies Like salt in an empty plate Shaken by an idle hand, Beautiful and brittle, White and scattered, Far, so far away from me. Walking on this darkened street, Dog near my feet, there's A catch in the throat, A sudden ache, a
- [Dear Friend–You–Whom–I've–Never–Met](https://vijayasundaram.com/dear-friend-you-whom-ive-never-met/) - Dear Friend–You–Whom–I've–Never–Met ©April 16th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Dear Friend–You–Whom–I've–Never–Met It's strange to think that you're out there Out in a world so far away. I wonder how you are a you, Standing so still, with hooded eyes, Beneath a blinding yellow sun. You're waiting for your world to end While countries that you've only
- [मझदार (Mid-Stream)](https://vijayasundaram.com/मझदार-mid-stream/) - मझदार (Mid-Stream) ©April 15, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Mid-stream, the boat stalls And turns round and round, Then, stops. The compass has broken, The oars hurt my arms. The skies wheel around me Night stars burn cold And a loon Makes itself heard; The air bends to listen. On the farther shore, A storm churns
- [Three Clerihews](https://vijayasundaram.com/three-clerihews/) - Three Clerihews ©April 14th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde When asked what he had to declare, smiled "Only my genius, but nothing besides." America became a reluctant bride. ______________________________________________________________ Marie Antoinette Kept a little papillon pet When he was hungry, and wanted bread She allegedly gave him some cake instead. ______________________________________________________________
- [Nearly Cut](https://vijayasundaram.com/nearly-cut/) - Nearly Cut ©April 13th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram You gazed at her across the dancing veil of her life And you found yourself dancing on the blade of a knife It's not the knife-wound that hurts, but your fear of falling. Did you think that when your pale shadow touched her shadow That she would
- [Ageing: An Alliterative Ambivalence](https://vijayasundaram.com/ageing-an-alliterative-ambivalence/) - Ageing: An Alliterative Ambivalence ©April 12th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Glimmering light on golden paper-skin Glazed with age, making way For pale cracks in the frail porcelain – Light settling like a smile on silver hair – Hair, coruscating like a cormorant On the wing, wending its white-breasted way Across a flash of febrile water,
- [Pleasure Can Be Worn](https://vijayasundaram.com/pleasure-can-be-worn/) - Pleasure Can Be Worn ©April 12th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Outside, the sun is proud and strident. The air hammers blacksmith-blows Onto exposed skin. A heavy weight Settles in the cavity in my chest. Birds celebrate, loud and defiant Against a too-early summer; why not I? Daffodil yellow is my scarf; cheerfulness can be worn.
- [Lost Fish – A Portrait](https://vijayasundaram.com/lost-fish-a-portrait/) - Lost Fish – A Portrait ©April 10th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The air parts when she moves Heavy and awkward in her bones, Graceful, too, like a fish or seal, Beautiful in her element. Her eyes hold loss and release it, As a thirsty child might cup Her hands at a stranger's water-pump, Drinking, letting
- [Ride the Wave](https://vijayasundaram.com/ride-the-wave/) - Ride the Wave ©April 9th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The past does not live here The future interferes This place is for the present Free yourself as you fall The sea is for us all Your splash is phosphorescent. Count every glowing wave And ride it to your grave You are not convalescent. __________________________________________________________________________ NOTE:
- [Resurgence](https://vijayasundaram.com/resurgence/) - Resurgence ©April 8th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Look! It's raining all around! See the water rushing down Down the streets, and in the town Down the gutters, sodden grounds! Down into the river, flowing. Water, swelling, rising, growing. Swollen rain, surprising, throwing Caution to the winds a-blowing. Buds appear on lilac trees. Buds appear with
- [Sweet-Folk](https://vijayasundaram.com/sweet-folk/) - Sweet-Folk ©April 7th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram A rickshaw. Daughter and I. Late afternoon in Pune. Bags with boxes of sweets Rich, swooning mango squares Kaju katli triangles, pistachio rolls, Laddus, and carrot-halvas, and pedhas. Perched like tottering towers Of Pisa in the rickshaw's back-space. Diesel-petrol exhaust fumes Mingle with agarbatti swirling from The rickshaw-wallah's
- [Three – A Tableau](https://vijayasundaram.com/three-a-tableau/) - Three – A Tableau ©April5th/6th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Child on his side, heaving, Dust, and chaos, an acrid chemical. Within, all goes silent, but Pain roars through him like An express train. Like a fish on the sand, His body heaves, he tries to speak Struggles to breathe, Bewildered by the attack. His lungs
- [Rift Valley Within the Lute](https://vijayasundaram.com/rift-valley-within-the-lute/) - Rift Valley Within the Lute ©April 5th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Red-headed house finches at bird-feeder, Spring stirring in their breasts. Why do you fight over our land? Hum of electricity buzzes, Ticking clock punctuates regrets. We cannot breathe! Help us! Golden light spills over the table Crowded with comfort, a cup of lemon tea.
- [Growing Old With Lilacs](https://vijayasundaram.com/growing-old-with-lilacs/) - Growing Old With Lilacs ©April 5th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Lilac-trees at the base of our steps – Purple and white ghosts in May. Swooning air, gladdened eyes, a Bunched and tight need to hold on – Bloom with them. As quietly as they bloom, They fade, browning into death. Every year, without fail, The
- [Plateau and Quietude](https://vijayasundaram.com/plateau-and-quietude/) - Plateau and Quietude ©April 4th/5th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram A plateau of bald rock At the very top of Wright's Tower Lies back like a woman Baring her midriff to the sky On a quiet beach. She breathes quietly. The trees encircling her Whisper sweet nothings, Turning light into leaves. A hawk wheels patiently Far
- [The Hod and I](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-hod-and-i/) - The Hod and I (About my Standard Poodle, Holly, and her propensity for sticks and branches) April 4th, 2017 ByVijaya Sundaram So, The Hod and I went for a walk, despite the soggy evening. As is her wont, she sought, and found a long, twiggy branch littering the damp ground, and wouldn't budge, until
- [Himself in the Mirror](https://vijayasundaram.com/himself-in-the-mirror/) - Himself in the Mirror ©April 3rd/4th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Happy to be you today? He says to her, The question surprising Both of them. Oh yes, so happy! It's sunny out, and The days flow like silk, Don't they? Coffee with me sometime? He asks, tentative, Attracted, shy. They stand on the grass Little,
- [Elegy for My Father](https://vijayasundaram.com/elegy-for-my-father/) - Elegy for My Father ©April 2nd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram I try and try to remember Everything, everything about My father, who spent His life unravelling, like A gaily-coloured ball of yarn Tumbling down a steep, Unforgiving slope. When my little brother, Eleven years younger, Would watch the sky with round eyes, Point out planes
- [A Recipe for Creative Endeavor](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-recipe-for-creative-endeavor/) - A Recipe for Creative Endeavor ©April 2nd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram I am hopeless at recipes I don't understand the lingo I hate being confined By tight measurements. So, I shall write this With a recipe in mind Which I shall not follow. Take your dull despair, Pluck it from the thing close by, Squish
- [We Wave You Away](https://vijayasundaram.com/we-wave-you-away/) - We Wave You Away ©April 1st, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Everything waves away The encroaching end. Off with you, begone! Look! Bright lights and warmth! You cannot approach. There is no place here For the likes of you! Hearth-fire leaps and twirls, Dog curled at our feet. Sonny Rollins blows hard While Max Roach Whirls
- [Loneliness is Wooden](https://vijayasundaram.com/loneliness-is-wooden/) - Loneliness is Wooden ©April 1st, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Baby fish suspended Below large mother-fish All wooden, bright-painted, Red-yellow-blue-ended Blue-purple-red, wishing, To get acquainted, As they rotate, Early and late. Yearning, they keep spinning, Gathering, alone In gold-filtered hours Noon-light streaming in Through window-glass, wind-blown They spin, while white flowers Bloom in silken-show, And forever,
- [Canis Major](https://vijayasundaram.com/canis-major/) - Canis Major ©March 31st, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram If you meet my gaze You will see our days Streaming with the stars And you'll see my eyes Brimming with surmise. Near, and yet so far, Far away, you stare, Sitting, unaware, At that lighted box. Scratching at the door, Scuffing up your floor – I
- [Sugar-Frost Fur, Cold Feet](https://vijayasundaram.com/sugar-frost-fur-cold-feet/) - Sugar-Frost Fur, Cold Feet (A Haibun) ©March 31st, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Snow falls, fat and lazy, dreaming of Christmas in March. Dog gazes out, blanketed in puzzlement – what happened to yester-sunny-day? Memory is a shaky thing, fragile as an old woman with paper-thin skin, but she nudges the canine mind, and Dog steps
- [To A Red Tortoise on a Spring at the Kitchen Window](https://vijayasundaram.com/to-a-red-tortoise-on-a-spring-at-the-kitchen-window/) - To A Red Tortoise on a Spring at the Kitchen Window ©March 20th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Bright red tortoise with nose in the air, With four paws waving, and head raised high, Where do you go when I'm not there, Sitting at your window facing the sky? A blue disc shines (an alternate world).
- [Not Here](https://vijayasundaram.com/not-here/) - Not Here ©March 29th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Every ghost leaves behind a sigh A song, a rustling leaf, a cry, Muffled, indistinct. Although we walk but once this way And leave, each day gives way to day, Bearing imprints, linked . Call it our dust, our joys, our pain, We fall into lust, destroy,
- [On the Sands](https://vijayasundaram.com/on-the-sands/) - On the Sands ©March 28th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Go, my friend, to the place Where you grew, tall and young, Air glowing like a pearl, Where you danced, a girl All fire and fun, unsung On the beach, upturned face, Welcoming arms out-flung Waves shushed in, your toes curled Your mind was blank, you
- [Keep Walking](https://vijayasundaram.com/keep-walking/) - Keep Walking ©February 28th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Legs keep moving, in and out, On and on, feet touching pavement, Feet in air, feet touching down. Resist cessation. Birds sing in confused pleasure Trees wear catkins like gloves, Soft-fingered and fuzzy, And bulbs poke out Look around in anticipation, Unsure of life, compelled to grow.
- [Refusal](https://vijayasundaram.com/refusal/) - Refusal ©February 27th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram My dog sings to me with her eyes Large, dark, almond-eyes Full of unexpressed emotion, She sings her deepest soul to me. I look back into those endless depths And think, "What galaxies, What worlds, what unknown dreams Fill that mind, cause her nose To follow its own
- [Orpheus (and I)](https://vijayasundaram.com/orpheus-and-i/) - Orpheus (and I) ©February 26th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Every day, the idea of oblivion Entices, lures, coaxes me ever closer. I resist, then press on towards it. And I resist again. There is a river whose name I forget, remembering pain, and forget. Once, I crossed over, and returned How, I know not. Yet,
- [At the Heart](https://vijayasundaram.com/at-the-heart/) - At the Heart ©February 24th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram It was always a spiral An endless spiral, with an endless Swirling centre plunging down All the way, into the heart of everything, And rising endlessly up, like a mad demon Into the skies, ready to uproot. Wisdom and knowledge, that is. Knowing and forgetting, Chaos
- [Cold Fire, Warm Fire](https://vijayasundaram.com/cold-fire-warm-fire/) - Cold Fire, Warm Fire ©February 23rd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Fires which cast a cold, impersonal light Are fires that do not warm. I want to be one who casts a flickering glow And warms you to your very core. And I shall try not to burn out too soon. But when I do, remember
- [Star](https://vijayasundaram.com/star/) - Star ©February 22nd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram You fling light out of yourself, And you fling out darkness People see what they see. Those with prisms will see Colors and lines from emitted light. Those with spectroscopes will see All those hidden dark lines. Your light-lines and dark-lines Transmitting, absorbing, Singing with harmonics. While you
- [Broken, Mend](https://vijayasundaram.com/broken-mend/) - Broken, Mend ©February 22nd, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram I love you, and you, and you. I love them, and them, and them. But not those who crush love. Pity them, and fear them For what their fear Has visited upon them. Unwilling to look in the mirror, The empty ones redirect their gaze
- [Rage](https://vijayasundaram.com/rage/) - Rage ©February 8th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Rage, rage, rage But do not lose your love Even as the avalanche gains strength. Rage, rage, rage But do not give up hope As it speeds and slopes downwards. Rage, rage, rage But wage Art against death Freeze the minions of hate and hell! ___________________________________________________
- [Here and Gone](https://vijayasundaram.com/here-and-gone/) - Here and Gone ©February 7th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Snow came down like sleep. And I watched flakes fly by me As I drove down the street. Like the vanishing of the world As it dissolves into dream-dust, The snow melted into itself And remained, still. I wondered at it. How can something vanish And
- [Rescue](https://vijayasundaram.com/rescue-or-the-mad/) - Rescue ©January 30th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram What do you say when Democracy spins towards An end that you didn't Vote for? You cry, "Not on my watch!" And you, and you, and you Race towards it As it teeters at the edge Of a wedge of earth, a cliff, Suicidal and mad, a King
- [Still Life with Stegosaurus and Bird](https://vijayasundaram.com/still-life-with-stegosaurus-and-bird/) - Still Life With Stegosaurus and Bird ©January 19th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram An impossibility sits before me A yellow bird perched on the head Of a bemused and patient stegosaurus Carrying a tall green candle. I would like to shed light upon this matter But I'd only scatter confusion The stego's eyes, red and determined,
- [WoodLight](https://vijayasundaram.com/woodlight/) - Woodlight ©January 18th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram We walked through the woods Dog leaping like salmon ahead. The sun was out, and the day stretched Silk-like and shining, strand by strand, As we took the crunchy path into the Fells, Green in the whispering woodlight. Mosses and fan-shaped fungi, Snagged our attention as we walked
- [The Tao of Tiredness](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-tao-of-tiredness/) - The Tao of Tiredness ©January 18th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram I waste time like there's no tomorrow I borrow from my future, wandering In place, as I squander the Now, And scatter my largesse To the fainting hours. I sit, and let my cells multiply And die, as I contemplate What the present holds, As
- [Light-Purpose](https://vijayasundaram.com/light-purpose/) - Light-Purpose ©January 16th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Crystals hang down from the little chandelier Like fat drops of arrested rain Frozen into tear-drops, cut into facets, Full of glinting light. I like this little chandelier. All it can hold is just One little votive, but for now, That little pleasure is denied it. One strand
- [Accusation – A Poem on MLK, Jr. Day](https://vijayasundaram.com/accusation-a-poem-on-mlk-jr-day/) - Accusation A Poem on MLK, Jr. Day ©January 16th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Come, hold my hand, stand beside me Look! Out here, at the edge of the known We have worked, my love, how we have worked! We made a pledge to honor, to preserve, to conserve We made a pledge to raise up
- [Soft](https://vijayasundaram.com/soft/) - Soft ©January 14th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Food makes our eyes soft. We hunger while we wait for it Or we cook, and are sated. And the food, steaming hot, Made with love and care, Full of richness Brings an upwelling of gratitude And makes our eyes soft. And tempers are mollified And stomachs sated,
- [Head of a Pin](https://vijayasundaram.com/head-of-a-pin/) - Head of a Pin ©January 13th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram When the whole world narrows Down to a point, a shining Painful point, piercing and straight, And you're standing on that point Dancing on the head of a pin And all the other versions of you Also dance there, Do you exist in space and
- [Death of a Christmas Tree](https://vijayasundaram.com/death-of-a-christmas-tree/) - Death of a Christmas Tree ©January 12th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram The rain fell today, when I wasn't looking. And the gloom gathered around me. And I, stranger to myself, Dismantled the Christmas Tree. The ornaments, so bright, so delicate, Came down, one by one, And, tenderly wrapped in tissue, Went into their box to
- [Empty Shell](https://vijayasundaram.com/empty-shell/) - Empty Shell ©January 12th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram I am empty inside, Hollowed out, a seashell, Washed up on a foreign shore. A memory of the ocean, Sighs through these hard walls And the tunnels hold fast To the sound of her Even if I have left this shell, Gasping on the sands. Like a
- [Wake, Awake](https://vijayasundaram.com/wake-awake/) - Wake, Awake ©January 10th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram When the day narrows to a point, And blue-white night expands, I bob, laughingly in the wake Of all I intended to do, Holding tightly on to the Silken, translucent thread That keeps me above water, The thread spooling before me, While I, skidding lightly Behind it,
- [To My Daughter, On Her Birthday](https://vijayasundaram.com/to-my-daughter-on-her-birthday/) - To My Daughter, On Her Birthday ©January 9th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Can it be that the entire known universe Arises from a single, careening meeting Of brooding star-egg and speeding star-sperm? What sperm travels millions of miles Full of urgent need, driven through nothingness, While the warm, dreaming egg awaits? And when they meet
- [Impermanence](https://vijayasundaram.com/impermanence/) - Impermanence ©January 8th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram So, it snowed yesterday, and winter came in Furred and booted, and full of fierce winds Within, pizza baked, and root vegetables roasted. We watched from within the warmth Of home, cluttered and messy and bright As the snow drifted endlessly down, dream-like, dusty. Now, Holly leaps in
- [Sharp Diamond Breath](https://vijayasundaram.com/sharp-diamond-breath/) - Sharp Diamond Breath ©January 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Sometimes, I take a breath And hold it in, faint with need As the atmosphere thins, So that all the air within Crystallizes into a diamond So clear, so dispassionate, I gasp, and choke as I try To take in more. See, it's not literal, although
- [My D.C. Adventure With My Daughter (While Prez. Obama is Still Our President)](https://vijayasundaram.com/my-d-c-adventure-with-my-daughter/) - My D.C. Adventure With My Daughter (While Prez. Obama is Still Our President) As posted a few days ago on FB ©January 3rd-4th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram (Note: On our first full day (January 2nd), we'd spent a very long period of time at the National Gallery of Art, West and East Wings, plus the
- [Now, What?](https://vijayasundaram.com/now-what/) - Now, What? (What I wrote today, on FB) ©December 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It really IS surreal, what's going on. I read the news in the NYT, The Guardian, and follow various sites. I think: All this ... living that's going on – how is it possible that we take it all for granted
- [Jester in Repose](https://vijayasundaram.com/jester-in-repose/) - Jester in Repose (Hanging at My Kitchen Window) ©December 13th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram A boy in a jester's suit lies sleeping, Chin in his frilled collar, His three-belled court-jester hat Curving over his dreaming face. Curved upon a yellow-sickle-moon, He folds one arm onto his chest – The other arm slides away from
- [Lines From a Dream Meet Lines Upon Awaking](https://vijayasundaram.com/lines-from-a-dream-meet-lines-upon-awaking/) - Lines From a Dream Meet Lines Upon Awaking: ©December 13th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Let's climb, my friend Up the Blue Mountain Because inky stairs Drip slowly up And rain weeps down Like a trembling veil, And my legs yearn. I can't, not yet Because marble clouds And unicorn trails Send sighing winds And I
- [Nightmare-Dream-Nightmare](https://vijayasundaram.com/nightmare-dream-nightmare/) - Nightmare-Dream-Nightmare (What I Wrote Before Going to Sleep Last Night) ©December 8th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I'm dreaming about an alternate world, a parallel reality. In this world, The Drmpfster flickers like an image in a hazy, half-remembered nightmare, the kind from which you awake, your mouth open in a soundless scream. You look around
- [Post-Diluvian – A Fragment](https://vijayasundaram.com/post-diluvian-a-fragment/) - Post-Diluvian ©December 2nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram She was paralyzed. Every movement was a struggle. Why was this? She did not know, nor cared to find out. She was hypnotized, bound, helpless, tossed this way and that. Then the endless rain stopped. The boat heaved itself onto dry land. A white bird arrowed into view.
- [Give to Life](https://vijayasundaram.com/give-to-life/) - Give to Life ©December 2nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It's winter, and still My stunted carrots struggle on Clinging to life and rich earth. A rose, white and wan Wafts her gentle, cool perfume While December frowns. A single chilli Holds on to a still-green plant Promising a fight. Burying her snout In cold, wet
- [Why I Haven't Written In A While](https://vijayasundaram.com/why-i-havent-written-in-a-while/) - Why I Haven't Written In A While ©November 22nd 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When the sky rains down fire When children die in faraway Aleppo Breathing chlorine fumes In bursting lungs and bursting lives, When girls are sold into bondage And have no voice, no tongue No self to reclaim, no past to turn to,
- [Sum Total](https://vijayasundaram.com/sum-total/) - Sum Total ©Sept. 28th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram There are days like these (actually, for me, it's pretty much all the time), when the sensation of living in several parallel dimensions of reality seem heightened: There's pleasure in sitting with a steaming cup of Madras filter-coffee, watching squirrels and other small critters racing around in
- [Light-House](https://vijayasundaram.com/light-house/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Irony; pseudo-religious fiction Light-House ©September 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Ascension wasn't difficult that day. I simply dissolved into many points of light, allowing myself to be beamed up. My problem is that no one saw it. What was the point
- [On Working With Hypocrites](https://vijayasundaram.com/on-working-with-hypocrites/) - On Working With Hypocrites ©september 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram An arrow comes straight at me Pierces the skin, goes right through, And vanishes into sub-space. So many arrow-cuts! So many entries into An alternate universe! Every unkindness, every slight Every stabbing by the two-faced Bring a revelation If only it weren't quite so painful!
- [Radical](https://vijayasundaram.com/radical/) - Radical ©September 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Things take root where they can – Sandy soil, clay-ey soil, soil rich in humus – Things take root, and grow. Ideas grow, too, and minds, And passion and fervour, And hatred and mistrust, And love and kindness. Plant well, weed well, nurture well. When radical change happens,
- [Lines Written in Response to My Wounded Dog at the Vet's](https://vijayasundaram.com/lines-written-in-response-to-my-wounded-dog-at-the-vets/) - Lines Written in Response to My Wounded Dog at the Vet's ©September 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Canine puzzlement Gazes out from deep, brown eyes Pain forms a question. My voice in her ears Words she understands dimly, Whose intent she knows. Reassurance grows Amidst these entangled threads Perplexed eyes soften. Love is absolute Days
- [Slog](https://vijayasundaram.com/slog/) - Slog ©September 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Jonah stood at the window, and looked out at the harvest moon. Tears glittered in his eyes, and he brushed them away absently. "Come back," he whispered into the night. No one answered. A night bird called somewhere. A breeze ruffled his hair, made him look vulnerable and
- [This Side Up](https://vijayasundaram.com/this-side-up/) - This Side Up ©September 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Over and over, and over and over I fall and crack, and fall and crack And every time, the cracks spread out, And radiate like broken suns. Each time, more light keeps leaking out Each time, more air keeps seeping out Each time, the cracks don't
- [Gathering](https://vijayasundaram.com/gathering/) - Gathering ©September 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram We sit side by side Friends all, gathering bright words Eating cool night air. The moon weaves her spell And our attention wanders Everything listens. This is illusion Togetherness passes on. Solitude awaits. _______________________________________________________ Together
- [Grindstones and Gold](https://vijayasundaram.com/grindstones-and-gold/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Shaktiki Sharma Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic Fiction Grindstones and Gold ©September 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The dowry covered the basics: A grindstone for godumai mavu, another for makkacholam, and a stone idli mavu-grinder, plus the usual assortment of stainless steel kitchen necessities. Kavita also brought a gold
- [Dark-Side Priest](https://vijayasundaram.com/dark-side-priest/) - Dark-Side Priest ©September 8th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It was the night of the lunar eclipse, and the earth had come to a stillness that boded no good. All living things had gone into their dens, or lairs, and nothing was abroad. The ocean struggled in vain with the wind, and all humans were within
- [Sidewalk Woes](https://vijayasundaram.com/sidewalk-woes/) - Sidewalk Woes ©September 8th, 2016 I will avoid the cracked and bleeding sidewalk And dance on the road in bare and sore feet. So what if a storm were to come And whisk me far away from home? So what if a car were to crush me, and Speed away without a backward glance? The
- [Anahata Nada](https://vijayasundaram.com/anahata-nada/) - Anahata Nada ©September 8th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When the chord is struck, and Silence dies away, Listen! When the hand reaches But does not play a note, Listen! An orbit shapes its wandering, Seeking a hidden desire: Listen! _______________________________________________ Melody
- [Love-Struck](https://vijayasundaram.com/love-struck/) - Love-Struck ©September8th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Air swirls around neck A thousand flowers turn sunward Shiver brightens spine. ______________________________________________ Shiver
- [Treadle and Thread](https://vijayasundaram.com/treadle-and-thread/) - Photograph©Sandra Crook Word Press: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Fantasy / Fairy-Tale Treadle and Thread ©September 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Lyra sat weaving at her loom. Behind her was a strange device. Cursed to dwell there eternally, Lyra dreamt of freedom. Food was brought to her, and mead. Through the shuttered window of
- [What I Painted This Morning ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-i-painted-this-morning/)
- [Sub-Woofer](https://vijayasundaram.com/sub-woofer/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Science-Fiction / Apocalyptic Fiction Sub-Woofer ©August 31st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Leena had had no inkling of doom that day. She'd gone to bed at 1:00 p.m., after reading for an hour, but was awoken by a noise that she'd never heard before. Tiptoeing down the stairs,
- [Ghost-Boat](https://vijayasundaram.com/ghost-boat/) - Word Count: 100 words Genre: Paranormal romance Ghost-Boat ©August 30th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Every evening, Saras goes down to the banks of the river flowing near her house. A dark boat emerges silently from the gloaming. Saras steps on board. Sitting back, she sighs. The boat moves. No oars break the water's surface. Long
- [Speak Out](https://vijayasundaram.com/speak-out/) - Speak Out August 29th, 2016 Vijaya Sundaram Bear witness to injustice. Hold the mirror up to the haters and the corrupt. Tell the story. Speak out. Support. Help. It's the least we can do in a world riddled with those who possess power, and who hurt others intentionally, because they can. ____________________________________________________ Witness
- [Obvious](https://vijayasundaram.com/obvious/) - When the obvious is obscured When vision is clouded What do we see? Whom can we trust? This, then, is the goal: Sweep away the clouds. Toss out old curtains. Wash the glass. Open the windows Open your eyes. See what is there. Leave behind desire. Abandon supposition Forsake need. Desert all that you feel.
- [Small](https://vijayasundaram.com/small/) - Small ©August 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I've always loved small things. I loved the little plastic animals that came with Binaca Flouride Toothpaste when I was growing up, a wonder-struck child, in India. I was entranced by little glass animals as a child, and even now as an adult, I cannot resist getting them
- [Back from vacation – A week is a long time!](https://vijayasundaram.com/back-from-vacation-a-week-is-a-long-time/) - I've been away on vacation, and was off-line most of the time. I'm back, and I'll try to catch up with my writing, even as I try and catch up with some of your work. You know who you are. Love, Dreamer of Dreams
- [Learning Beyond](https://vijayasundaram.com/learning-beyond/) - Learning Beyond ©August 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Don't take me away! She cries to Death Who comes quietly And waits in shadow. And Death asks in a voice As dry as deserts: Why do you seek to stay? And she replies, With thirst in her throat: There is much to learn And I'm not
- [Fifty-Plus](https://vijayasundaram.com/fifty-plus/) - Fifty-Plus ©August 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Something about the word Makes one hope And despair, both. Half-way there. Half-way done. Split down the middle. Wholeness awaits. When I turned fifty, I wished to leave my job, When I turned fifty-one, I did. Turning a deaf ear to my Calling. Turning an open one to
- [Jeu Parti](https://vijayasundaram.com/jeu-parti/) - Jeu Parti ©August 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I want an even chance, Says Man to the Fates They cluster close, white and black, They laugh in his face, As they rattle his bones. The dice are loaded against you. No matter what you choose, You will face us someday. But go ahead, Hedge your
- [Finale](https://vijayasundaram.com/finale/) - Finale ©August 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram A lifetime ago, Blood leaped like salmon in light Dream now in still pool. Ripples flick at light Dream on, still as a shadow Fins flashing in sleep. _________________________________________ Youth
- [Eyes Spy](https://vijayasundaram.com/eyes-spy/) - Eyes Spy ©August 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram A curtain comes down. Windows to the soul, well, yes – I see closed windows. And what will it take To throw wide those blind shutters? A drowned child's closed eyes? J'accuse say these eyes: A child in an ambulance Looking out at us. Somewhere, their eyes
- [Moon-Walk](https://vijayasundaram.com/moon-walk/) - Moon-Walk ©August 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The moon comes down to me at full-tide time And says, "Come outside, take a walk with me." I put on my shoes, and walk in the shadows Emerging in the light, along the silvery paths she makes, And when I go down towards the Church of St.
- [Hive-bound](https://vijayasundaram.com/hive-bound/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Janet Webb Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Post-apocalyptic magic-sci-fi Hive-Bound ©August 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I wait, resting my haunches, dreaming of other times. My people went away millennia ago, leaving our perfect hive among beautiful, polished stones on a blue china plate, which sat on a table
- [Ghost](https://vijayasundaram.com/ghost-2/) - Ghost ©August 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Every day, a ghost visits me Formless and opaque, she fools me; I see her as a wisp of air, A shade of light, A spectre of cloud-moisture. She follows me and needles me And pokes and prods and pushes me And mocks me, and jeers and gibes
- [Things I Carried](https://vijayasundaram.com/things-i-carried/) - Things I Carried ©August 16th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Sitar and a suitcase, and a carry-on; The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde; The Complete Works of William Shakespeare; Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali and other poems, T.S. Eliot’s poetry and William Wordsworth’s poetry A slim volume of French poetry and my poetry, And Jane Eyre, the heroine
- [Confused](https://vijayasundaram.com/confused/) - I'm confused, confounded, bewildered, addled, puzzled, perplexed, mystified, bemused, stupefied, baffled, bamboozled, muddled and nonplussed by: Practically ANY government form I have to fill out. Trump and his followers People who don't know what irony means People who don't know what sarcasm means My vacillating about whether to do this one thing I love to
- [Tanglements](https://vijayasundaram.com/tanglements/) - Tanglements ©August 15th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When the string comes unraveled, It's time to die. It's when it gets entangled That life struggles forth. And if it's not complicated, Is it worth it? ________________________________________ Complicated
- [Reach](https://vijayasundaram.com/reach/) - Reach ©August 15th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram She reached for the stars But got a handful of dirt. In every grain, Life. ___________________________________________ Reach
- [Song-Bird](https://vijayasundaram.com/song-bird/) - Song-Bird (A Fragment) ©August 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Every day, Kavita sat at her window, and gazed out, waiting. What she was waiting for, nobody knew – not her mother, not her father, not her sister, or brother, who were twins, and five years older than she was. Kavita was five years old, and
- [Long Walk](https://vijayasundaram.com/long-walk/) - PHOTO PROMPT – © Adam Ickes Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic Fiction Long Walk ©August 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I remember the clouds that day. The sky shone like my mother's eyes, when she told us to be good, to always listen to Dad. She told us to stay inside
- [Surface-Tension](https://vijayasundaram.com/surface-tension/) - Surface-Tension ©August 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Dreaming of depths unseen, We float on wave after wave, Tossed along by storm after storm. We imagine the haunting sounds Echoes of another world, Reverberating, linking us, Strand by strand to our past, Our future, full of promises, Full of consolation (Yes, we'll See each
- [This, Maybe](https://vijayasundaram.com/this-maybe/) - This, Maybe ©August 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram You walk along the path together, Cocooned in yourselves, and growing, Looking out at the reservoir nearby Flashing silver amongst tall trees. The birds are muted, lonely, The trees noisy, conferring. The underbrush hints of hidden Creatures, crawling or hopping. Legs flash by, all in a hurry
- [The Merchant and the Mendicant](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-merchant-and-the-mendicant/) - The Merchant and the Mendicant ©August 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram A merchant clad in fine silk came stumbling along the mountain path. Dust covered his clothing, and so were his feet, though he was shod in good sandals. His brown eyes were stark and staring, his neatly trimmed hair and beard were dusty, and
- [Joke No More](https://vijayasundaram.com/joke-no-more/) - Joke No More ©August 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Why don't you do us a favor And jump off a bridge? No one likes you, they said. She made her heart a stone And wrote a note And shed no tears As she walked to the bridge Fragile and pale A wraith in the dusk.
- [Stubborn](https://vijayasundaram.com/stubborn/) - Stubborn ©August 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The five-year old child stomped his feet, and cried. He didn't want to take his bath. His mother, Rachael, a harassed, overworked nurse, who'd come home from her evening shift just in time for the babysitter to rush out, wanted to get him into his pajamas, and tuck
- [Painted World](https://vijayasundaram.com/painted-world/) - Painted World ©August 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram If I took a broad brush, Dipped it in no colour, Whispered a prayer to the moon, Bent my head to the sun, And slashed the air around me, Would I erase all ugliness All pain, all horror from the world? What of all its beauty, All
- [Crossing](https://vijayasundaram.com/crossing/) - Crossing ©August5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Come, lift your hands in praise. Praise the woman who stands Smiling, calm, unbent in the gale, Maligned and slandered. Praise the steely strength The resolve that could move mountains The centre of peace that allows Her boat to bob on the waves As she rows, tirelessly To unknown
- [Grape-Craving](https://vijayasundaram.com/grape-craving/) - Grape-Craving ©August 4th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I crave grapes. Yes, grapes! Rich, luscious, succulent, Tight-skinned, green-gemmed Bursting-at-the-seams Grapes! Like chrysoprase cabochons Strung together, grapes Shining in the light, those Green gems so tight, Make me crave them. Their translucence drives Me sick with desire And their sweetness Causes me to swoon. Grapes that ripen
- [Afternoon-Flight](https://vijayasundaram.com/afternoon-flight/) - Afternoon-Flight ©August 4th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Flash of blue sails across sun-drenched air. Japanese maple stands, glad to receive bird With open branches and dappled leaves. Glints of gold on green and flutter of leaf and feather Gently open my tight-breathing heart, With its Elsewhere just a step away, And pour in peace. Blue-jay,
- [Empty](https://vijayasundaram.com/empty/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic-magic-realist fiction Empty ©August 3rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Every day, they peer over my shoulder with haunted eyes. I ignore them. I've a job to do. Some days are good. The money's okay. At least, the drunk ones can't reach over far enough to grab my
- [Keep Looking](https://vijayasundaram.com/keep-looking/) - Keep Looking ©Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Every strand of my DNA Takes me further back And farther And is woven through All life around me. Every strand of my DNA Shivers when people suffer And when they kill, I feel killed, cell by cell. And every nucleotide in me Hears every nucleotide
- [Sorry!](https://vijayasundaram.com/sorry/) - Sorry! ©August 1st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I'm sorry, she said After flaying him. Recriminations, regrets Tears, rage, had all Poured out like torrents Of water down a street After a colossal storm. And he picked up his Spirits, tucked his Sadness under his arms, And carried on,. Love bears all things But sometimes, it
- [I Admire](https://vijayasundaram.com/i-admire/) - I Admire ©July 31st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The hummingbird that hovers Magical and suspended in a sea of perfume Drunk with nectar and delight Whirring silently before taking off: I admire her. That cat that walks, soft-padded Sure and silent, unblinking Like a lighthouse in a sea of darkness As it watches for a
- [An Ill Wind](https://vijayasundaram.com/an-ill-wind/) - An Ill Wind ©July 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I am the bringer of coolness. But I can fan the flames too.I fell trees and buildings, And whip the sea into froth. I blow people hither and yon, And the windmills turn. Wildly the weathercock turns And the earth turns, as I blow. And I
- [Unstoppable](https://vijayasundaram.com/unstoppable/) - Unstoppable ©July 28th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram That slippery slope? I call it the hell-slide. Begin that descent. You'll justify it at all costs. You'll bluster and shout You'll wave your arms. You'll step on some skulls And you'll keep on waving. Your conscience will call And you won't hear. And, as the water gathers
- [Crisis-Planet](https://vijayasundaram.com/crisis-planet/) - Crisis-Planet ©July 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Once, there was a planet. She was a beautiful jewel. With blue, green, white and brown Her birds sang everywhere, And bees and butterflies Flew from flower to flower, And fruits grew in profusion There were animals that roamed And fish that swam, each Eating and eaten in
- [Drowning](https://vijayasundaram.com/drowning/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Janet Webb Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic Fiction Drowning ©July 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Leila stood in a corner, sipping water, wondering why she'd attended the party. It's not that I'm ugly, she thought. I'm ... boring. And I hate small talk. Well, I won't stick around,
- [Sanctuary](https://vijayasundaram.com/sanctuary/) - Sanctuary ©July 25th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram This is my refuge. And in our intertwined lives, I've found sanctuary. There are some storms, yes, And gusts of wind, pouring rain – So much grows after! A garden of peace – A quiet place of wonder – Sweet music wafts through. Here are dreams and songs
- [Slip](https://vijayasundaram.com/slip/) - Slip ©July 24th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I've said it before, I'll say it again: I hate clocks! I hate Time! Treacherous old King! Stupid we are, so willing, Enslaved to that tyrant! Tick-tock, tick-tock, Drip, drip, drip, drip! Always dribbling through The hourglass of our days, He drags us (that traitor!) Feet-first into the
- [I, Prometheus](https://vijayasundaram.com/i-prometheus/) - I, Prometheus ©July 23RD, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram There is an eagle. By day, deathly agony Every night, rebirth. Come, Heracles, come! Free me from my binding chains Golden apples wait. The gods are jealous, Incensed, for I helped mortals. Gods know no mercy. I brought them fire Moved by pity for mortals – So
- [Slowly Flooding, Slowly Ebbing](https://vijayasundaram.com/slowly-flooding-slowly-ebbing/) - Slowly Flooding, Slowly Ebbing ©July 22nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It spreads slowly This relaxing of a stiffening. The body gives way to Strange griefs of its own, Unknown to the mind. Toes and fingers, And spine and elbows, And neck and knees And hips and hands And feet beneath All succumb. A mysterious call
- [The Eternal Seduction of the Unfettered Mind](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-eternal-seduction-of-the-unfettered-mind/) - The Eternal Seduction of the Unfettered Mind ©July 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Birds sail the air like fast boats. Ferns wave, dreamy and ancient. Quietly, a mushroom grows At the foot of a fir tree. The Now seduces me. I watch with half-closed eyes At the post-noon languor Of my backyard. I know there
- [Perfugium](https://vijayasundaram.com/perfugium/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Perfugium ©July 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram "What is that thing, Sire?" clicked Secondus. Primus, squinting through the periscope at the watery world around them, clicked out a reply. They'd been stranded in the trenches of the ocean world. Air supplies had diminished, as
- [What is This Thing?](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-is-this-thing/) - What is This Thing? ©July 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram This is a mystery So still, so stormy, So full of shadows and shapes, So many fishes, small and large, So many beasts beyond our ken, So full of canyons and peaks, So riotous in colors and life, So saturated with longing With the past,
- [Feast and Famine](https://vijayasundaram.com/feast-and-famine/) - Feast and Famine ©July 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram So much to eat, And such little control. So many riches, And such little taste. So many sensations, Such little feeling. So much beauty, Such little appreciation. So much knowledge, Such little wisdom. So many choices, So many chains! _______________________________________________ Feast
- [Frail, Holy Grail](https://vijayasundaram.com/frail-holy-grail/) - Frail, Holy Grail ©July 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Hold the Earth holy Hold her in your hands. Keep her safe. Blue oceans circle her. Giant peaks touch hushed skies. Canyons yawn below. Trees grow tall and strong, Grasses wave gaily in prairies, Animals leap and stalk, and dive, Flowers grow unashamed and lush, And
- [Driving on Parallel Lines](https://vijayasundaram.com/driving-on-parallel-lines/) - Driving on Parallel Lines ©July19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Tree after tree after tree Flashes by, green streaks against blue. Endless scenery can get old. But oh, the lure of the car! The getting in it, the onward trip. A metal box of death With music to beguile us Pouring out of an i-pod, Promises
- [Unpredictable](https://vijayasundaram.com/unpredictable/) - Unpredictable ©July 16th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Even as I think The skies wheel around my head And I unthink it. Even as I say it, The ground revolves below me, And I unsay it. Even as I feel it, My blood swirls around my bones And I feel it more. __________________________________________________________ Unpredictable
- [Storm-Catcher](https://vijayasundaram.com/storm-catcher/) - Storm-Catcher ©July 16th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Winds gather up each other Roiling in a viper's nest Storing up venom, Coiling and uncoiling, And the skies groan Like women carrying Wet laundry to the line, Dripping clothes To wring out And hang up. Flash of lightning Tears apart clouds Titanic hands ripping skies Clashing cymbals,
- [Sheeples](https://vijayasundaram.com/sheeples/) - This is a re-run of my 2014 story (which appeared on my first blog, which lasted for a year, and which I've now set on a shelf). Thanks, as always, to Fairy Blog-Mother Rochelle Wisoff-Fields who runs Friday Fictioneers! This week’s photo is courtesy of Sandra Crook. Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre:
- [Star-Trip](https://vijayasundaram.com/star-trip/) - Star-Trip ©July 13th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Unfurling my bright new sail. Getting ready for my journey. Will you step on board with me? We will sail through puffy clouds We will sail up to the moon We shall catch the Earth-rise soon. Stop here for a bit and breathe That heady breath of space-time
- [(g)Host](https://vijayasundaram.com/ghost/) - (g)Host ©July 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Annika slipped past the gate of the house in the woods. She had gone exploring, and was lost. She had wandered out of her backyard, where she had been playing a make-believe game. Her mother was sound asleep in the hammock, made drowsy by the sound of bees
- [Cowardice](https://vijayasundaram.com/cowardice/) - Cowardice ©July 11th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Arise! Take up your knitting. Do it! Do not fear it! It's just yarn and needles You're not weaving lives, Spinning destinies Plotting a Revolution, Like Therese DeFarge. You're knitting a swatch. Ah, it isn't cowardice, then? What is it? Jump! There's a place to learn to swim
- [Desert-Rain](https://vijayasundaram.com/desert-rain/) - Desert-Rain ©July 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Thirst is all around us Vast, gaping, parched thirst Gripping the throat, Drying the mouth, Making a desert of our lives A desert in the hearts of men. And the land crumbles to dust. And people fall forward, Prey to hatred and guns To violence and pain To
- [A Glass of Water](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-glass-of-water/) - A Glass of Water ©July 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Liquid sand turned transparent Catches captured light from a bulb, Holds it in liquid, transparent, Shining like the sea. A glass of water. And when it falls, Its light tumbling and cracking It sometimes breaks And spills everywhere – A little like us when we
- [Façade](https://vijayasundaram.com/facade/) - Photograph©Warren Senders, 2008, Kathakali dancer, Kerala, India Façade ©July 8th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Masks bloom everywhere Smiling, chilling, leering fronts Where are you, truly? See that tranquil scene? Beneath that lake lies a beast. Take care where you swim. Clean and bright and fresh Building smiles at everyone. Watch out for that step! _______________________________________________________
- [Blue on Black](https://vijayasundaram.com/blue-on-black/) - Blue on Black ©July 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram A shot – and we know. Blue on black crime, cops go free Mourn this dying land. Where can sorrow go? Form a bridge from here to there. Get people across. Where can anger flow? The stony path zigzags steep – Cut a grove through it!
- [Recalled](https://vijayasundaram.com/recalled/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Oneiric Greek Mythology Recalled ©July 6th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram She walked down a whitewashed alleyway. White-gold sunlight shafted down, and cerulean skies shone on azure doors. Before her was the soft sound of footsteps of someone she couldn't see. Faint music reached her. She strained to
- [Layering Down, Layering Up](https://vijayasundaram.com/layering-down-layering-up/) - Layering Down, Layering Up ©July 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram There was the layer so thin, so fine Only eyes that had been open in the womb Could see it, and not drown in ecstasy. This was the layer of plasma and iron. Then, there was the layer of tissue And the layer of muscle
- [Autonomy](https://vijayasundaram.com/autonomy/) - Autonomy ©July 4th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When in the Course of my puny life, It is of compelling urgency To become one with Nature And to cut away all that threatens Life on our beautiful Planet, Respect for you, my fellow-humans, Necessitates that I declare The reasons which bring me to this Separation from
- [A Fairy Tale Lighter Than Air](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-fairy-tale-lighter-than-air/) - Copyright – Rochelle Wisoff-Fields A Fairy Tale Lighter Than Air ©July 3rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Pearl-grey light crystallized on my window. Weaving leaves on my loom, I awaited that which would break the spell cast upon me and the world by the Queen of Darkness. And as I wove patterns more delicate than air,
- [Archipelago](https://vijayasundaram.com/archipelago/) - Archipelago ©July 3rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram See that child who stands there near traffic Dressed in rags, his face a mute plea, While people walk around him, parting Like water around a small rock, A rock that's slowly being eroded, By water which never stops or slows, While traffic flows by him, oil-slicks
- [Burnt Offering](https://vijayasundaram.com/burnt-offering/) - Burnt Offering ©July 2nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Fire mesmerizes me. I watch it, as it dances, To music that I cannot hear. I fear it and adore it, And watch it as it soars, Plasmic cosmic freedom Destroyer of all that lives, Preserver of all who wish To live. Fire, unfettered, Lawless, breaks all
- [Queen Pleasure On a Hot Day](https://vijayasundaram.com/queen-pleasure-on-a-hot-day/) - Queen Pleasure On A Hot Day ©July 1st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Here are some round, bright grapes And a soft, cushiony couch, And an Ottoman for aching legs. Break off a few grapes, go on, Have them, and pass me the plate. Oh, and a glass of ginger lemonade With cubes of ice tinkling
- [The Winter of Our Ennui](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-winter-of-our-ennui/) - Copyright – Rochelle Wisoff-Fields The Winter of Our Ennui ©June 30th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram You and I are like frost on that windowpane. Somewhere along the way, ennui and coldness set in. Our children have grown, and have children of their own. What do you contemplate while you eat your dinner blankly, sitting
- [Clouds Shaped Like Au Revoir](https://vijayasundaram.com/clouds-shaped-like-au-revoir/) - Clouds Shaped Like Au Revoir ©June 30th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram There were clouds looming ahead All pregnant with sunlight and rain-light, Clouds shaped like au revoir, Auf Wiedersehen, phir milenge, Aprama pakalam, Until we meet again, When we drove to Vermont, En famille, to the place That would be nurturing my daughter For seven
- [Tourist](https://vijayasundaram.com/tourist/) - Tourist ©June 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I am a tourist in this land And the land in which I was born. I wander, and wonder where I belong. I am a tourist in this life And the place whence I came. I seek my home elsewhere. A silver river flows calmly where I'm from
- [Let the Circle Be Broken](https://vijayasundaram.com/let-the-circle-be-broken/) - Let the Circle be Broken ©June 28th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram A circle of water Like an uncertain crown On an uneasy head Glimmers at the brim Of my wide Mason-jar, Ready to take a spill. This I will not allow. Tenderly, I pick up My jar, and take a sip. The water level falls,
- [Deprive](https://vijayasundaram.com/deprive/) - Deprive ©June 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram To become human, you climb out, Grow legs, totter along, build things. To become human, you shed the wild, Grow a mind, shape the world. To be human, you breathe And make trees breathe back. To be human, you make Something out of nothing. To be human, you
- [Build that Fence!](https://vijayasundaram.com/build-that-fence/) - Build that Fence! ©June 26th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram A fence is good, you say? To keep people out? Or to keep you in? Go ahead, you can stay. We're happy to go, to know We won't see you again. If you build a fence, Don't you dare leave. Stay behind. You may rot there,
- [Oracle](https://vijayasundaram.com/oracle/) - Oracle ©June25th, 2016 By VIjaya Sundaram The waters will rise, We shall rise with them. And we shall sing Riding the waves, Which will pull us down Down to the place whence We emerged, gills and all. And the fires will burn And millions of years Will flow by like plasma, Engulfed in flame. And
- [Gardening Mania – Journal Entry](https://vijayasundaram.com/gardening-mania-journsl-entry/) - Been working for hours in the garden steadily for days and days. Yesterday, I spent FIVE hours, digging, weeding, watering, and planting – now, all my dreams are about plants, weeds, flowers and fragrant, damp earth. I love manual labour! (And the garden's looking nice, although I have tons more work to do on the
- [Voyage](https://vijayasundaram.com/voyage/) - Voyage ©June4th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The boat bobs slowly With no oars and no pilot Behind lies the shore. The boat floats darkly Sun-rays spread across water Beyond lies a dream. Water-creatures leap Bright shoals of fish alongside Your gaze plummets down. Down the mazèd deeps, Into the heart of the Earth And you
- [Awe and Gratitude](https://vijayasundaram.com/awe-and-gratitude/) - Awe and Gratitude ©June 23rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The two-month old babe who smiles, Bright and open like a new universe, At the huge billboard at the airport, With its smiling female face, all teeth; The toddler who at 9-and-3/4-months Teeters along on unsteady legs, Desperate to be moving, not crawling. Teaching herself what
- [Airborne](https://vijayasundaram.com/airborne/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic fiction Airborne ©June 23rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Settling comfortably in her seat, she looked at her neighbor. His aquiline nose caught the light as he turned and intercepted her frank gaze, his brown eyes bright, expression blank. He looked away. What if he's a terrorist?
- [Que Sera, Sara](https://vijayasundaram.com/que-sera-sara/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Paranormal Fiction Que Sera, Sara ©June 23rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I always knew what the future held. It made life unbearable and surreal, but also interesting. Although I saw what was coming, I could not change anything. For this reason, I was not married, and had
- [Empty and Full](https://vijayasundaram.com/empty-and-full/) - Empty and Full ©June 22nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Empty is good It can be filled to the brim. Empty is beautiful There's something waiting outside. Empty is hopeful Things can take root and grow. Empty is true It cannot pretend to be anything else. Empty is impossible Even if all is removed, something lurks.
- [Ship of Fools](https://vijayasundaram.com/ship-of-fools/) - Word Count: Exactly one hundred words GenreU Greek Mythology Ship of Fools ©June 22nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Come, Phoebus-Helios, in your chariot of gold. Awaken the sluggish morning – your sister, Eos, lies dreaming, while Tithonus grows as old as Time. Come, rosy-fingered Dawn, Eos – touch this air-ship thing with gentle light. This
- [See Christo’s ‘Floating Piers’ From Space — TIME](https://vijayasundaram.com/see-christos-floating-piers-from-space-time/) - The European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2A satellite captured this time-lapse of the construction of Bulgarian–born artist Christo’s latest art installation in Lake Iseo in northern Italy. “The Floating Piers” is a 16-meter wide pathway made up of 220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes, covered in fabric. The walkable path spans nearly two miles (3-km), connecting two islands to… via
- [Companion of Her Days](https://vijayasundaram.com/companion-of-her-days/) - Companion of Her Days ©June 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Alone she comes into life And alone she goes out of it. And yet, yet, here you are, Beside her, holding her aloft When she falls, gasping, ready to die, You hold her, and she holds you, too. Smiling, loving, encouraging, Healing with song and
- [Summertime](https://vijayasundaram.com/summertime/) - Summertime ©June20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Girls in cool tank tops And short shorts, flashing leg, Sipping iced mochas And strolling through Echo-y shopping malls, Spending money and time And tossing their hair In pert insouciance, Aware of their power. Boys in packs, talking loudly Swearing, chewing, drinking beer Playing ball, throwing frisbees, Going to
- [Drift](https://vijayasundaram.com/drift/) - Drift ©June 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Drifting, always drifting, You point your catamaran Inexorably To Polaris. How do you know where You're headed, with no Compass, no instruments, No notes, no rudder? Do you have a secret plan? An esoteric set of sticks that Follow waves and swells, Indicating winds and atolls? Do you
- [Cracked Glass](https://vijayasundaram.com/cracked-glass/) - Cracked Glass ©June 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Crackled flat disc of blue glass With a crack cutting through, Sits on window ledge, sunlight In its midnight heart, And calms my sleep-weary eyes, And makes an ocean in my mind. Every morning, I gaze at it And every night, it draws me. I drink that
- [Pianissimo, Pianissimo!](https://vijayasundaram.com/pianissimo-pianissimo/) - Copyright -John Nixon Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Fantasy-Reality Fiction Pianissimo, Pianissimo! ©June 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram After Freddy Zhang came home from his after-school tutoring class, track team, or Robotics Club (he was forced to attend these), his mother made him practise piano first – no snacks until he
- [So, this happened ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/so-this-happened/) - On June 17th (that is, earlier today, since I count post-midnight posts as still being TODAY!): And I had a GREAT time! The audience was VERY small (I guess I should have promoted it a lot more). However, the people who were there were wonderful poets and artists themselves, and I loved how they listened.
- [Electric Grave](https://vijayasundaram.com/electric-grave/) - Electric Grave – Retaining Walls ©June 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When the lights on the ground Dim the lights in the sky And the sound of deep silence Is silenced by deep sound The collective sounds of human And non-human in dizzy dance And spirals of movement From home to work, to play, To
- [Open!](https://vijayasundaram.com/open/) - Open! ©June 16th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The corridor is endless Orange flames in brackets on walls Seem all the darker for the blackness pressing All about you, hugging your shape As you move silently along, holding your breath. The silence haunts with a sibilant sound. And the sound of your own voice In your
- [Breath and Nature](https://vijayasundaram.com/breath-and-nature/) - Breath and Nature ©June 15th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram To bathe in beauty Saturating sunlit days, Amongst trees, is joy. To rest weary eyes On shadows on moonlit nights And breathe, contentment. ________________________________________________
- [Skunk-Struggle](https://vijayasundaram.com/skunk-struggle/) - Skunk-Struggle ©June 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Five little kittens Skunk kittens, that is. So small, so tumbly, Peering through a fence At me, strange human. It's seven p.m., Where is their mother? I wonder, and gaze So tender, so sweet Their returning look. I call out softly. They squeeze through the gaps Towards me,
- [Time to Rebuild](https://vijayasundaram.com/time-to-rebuild/) - Time to Rebuild ©June 13th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I'm very, very tired today. The car door of our rented car (a honking SUV, which I hate, but which we needed because someone rammed into our car over a week ago, and gave me a fender-bender) got whipped out of my grasp by the wind,
- [To Stand and to See](https://vijayasundaram.com/to-stand-and-to-see/) - To Stand and to See ©June 12th, 2016 by Vijaya Sundaram I stand in the midst of thought And, my mind ripening, I marvel At fields of golden grain before me. Where the sun pours down generous light. My eyes and mind rejoice at sudden Dawning comprehension, a glimpse Of what it means to live,
- [Gentle Rain](https://vijayasundaram.com/gentle-rain/) - Gentle Rain ©June 11th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Today, in the cool, gray light Saturated with rain-damp Happy to be alive and agile, I shoveled rich, dark earth, And cleaned out planters With my husband and daughter. Later, as I planted kale seeds so tiny And celery and mustard, as small And poblano peppers, I
- [Yearning for the Past](https://vijayasundaram.com/yearning-for-the-past/) - Yearning for the Past ©June 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Usually, I live in the present. Some days, however, a deep nostalgia, akin to grief, grabs hold of me and doesn't let go. This surprises me, because I like to think of myself as being free from all that. I'm not. I yearn for every
- [Of Molehills and Mountains](https://vijayasundaram.com/of-molehills-and-mountains/) - Of Molehills and Mountains ©June 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I made a molehill. Tunneled under it. Made a cozy nest. I named it "Mountain." Then, bravely facing The Eastern sky, I Climbed it, scaling It in a single bound. Sure, it was easy, but I did scale a Mountain. What's in a name? A
- [Metamorphosis](https://vijayasundaram.com/metamorphosis/) - Metamorphosis ©June 9th, past midnight, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Cocooned universe Space folded in on itself A new world is born. Somewhere, the dry husk Of the old universe breaks Sweet butterfly world! ____________________________________________________ Transformation
- [Drowning and Flying](https://vijayasundaram.com/drowning-and-flying/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic Fiction Drowning and Flying ©June 9th 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Recently divorced, she lives with her son, and struggles to keep them afloat. Tonight, she dreams she's underwater. There are no mermaids or mermen, no sea creatures, no coral reefs to be discovered - just water
- [Strawberry Jam](https://vijayasundaram.com/strawberry-jam/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Douglas M. MacIlroy Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Bizarro Fiction Strawberry Jam ©June 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The two children hid, naively certain they were invisible. Wearing a diving helmet, their father approached them. "I see you," he boomed. Something was off. Jade nudged Jolen. "Doesn't sound like
- [Embrace it!](https://vijayasundaram.com/embrace-it/) - Mostly, I don't get embarrassed. When I do, I shrug it off. So what if you're wearing mismatched clothes, or your shirt is inside out? I've done it too many times in my youth and middle age to care one whit. So what if you order vegetables au gratin at age 16, because you could
- [Dot Matrix](https://vijayasundaram.com/dot-matrix/) - Dot Matrix ©June7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Here's a dot, see? And there's one. Quick, draw a line! Resembles nothing much. Now, see this one? And that one? Quick, draw another line! Still, nothing much. Do the same, draw lines from A to B, From one bright dot to another, All scattered chaotically across This
- [Seedling and Child (A Haibun)](https://vijayasundaram.com/seedling-and-child-a-haibun/) - Seedling and Child (A Haibun) ©June 6th (since it's well past 2:00 a.m., I guess it's the 7th), 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Such a little matter, transferring little seedlings into bigger pots, and setting them out in the sun! Until this year, my husband did all that. Now, that the garden is entirely my responsibility
- [John Oliver is a Genius, AND a Good Man](https://vijayasundaram.com/john-oliver-is-a-genius-and-a-good-man/) - I know this has nothing at all to do with my blog, or poetry, but I just had to share this brilliant initiative of John Oliver, one of my favorite T.V. personalities (and even though I don't have a T.V., I do like to watch his clips, as much as I enjoy Colbert and Jon
- [The Play Within a Play](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-play-within-a-play/) - The Play Within a Play ©June 6th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Like a streak of madness My dog chases her ball. The sun shines down laughing, And the meadow's ablaze in Green-gold exuberance. And all the dogs leap about In the pure pursuit of fun. My dog always finds her ball. And when she brings
- [Smooth](https://vijayasundaram.com/smooth/) - Smooth ©June 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Smooth is the silk that lies on her skin Smooth is the skin of her face Smooth is the glass that holds her songs in While smoothly she smiles with grace Smooth is the rain that slides down the pane Smooth is the air that she breathes Smooth
- [Marble and Sand](https://vijayasundaram.com/marble-and-sand/) - Marble and Sand ©June 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram You hold your future lightly, A glowing marble in the sun, And watch it glitter. And you twirl it about Peering at it, curious, Eager to get on with things. Then, tossing it lightly aside, You skip away, light-hearted – A whole Now awaits you. So
- [Digambara](https://vijayasundaram.com/digambara/) - Sky Digambara ©June 3rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The trees judge all things. Moral arbiters of men, Breathing quietly. The sky pouring light, Cloud-blue, and indifferent, Rolls around the earth. Standing there, quite free Shameless and glad, he drinks air, The sky enfolds him. Sky-clad, he stands tall. Chancing upon him, in fright, Woman and
- [The Sky-Clad Man on the Trail](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-sky-clad-man-on-the-trail/) - The Sky-Clad Man on the Trail ©June 3rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Today, I took my dog to the Sheepfold part of the Fells near our house, and she had a grand time romping around, chasing, and being chased by other dogs. My dog is a bit like my daughter, my husband, and me, in
- [Purposefully Drifting](https://vijayasundaram.com/purposefully-drifting/) - Purposefully Drifting ©June 2nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram My purposes leap through the air, make a big splash, and then vanish into the depths. My purposes live in big pods. Purpods. My purposes signal each other. My purposes breed at a gentle pace. However, soon, unless an orca disrupter, all or-chaos and teeth, a veritable
- [Weeding and Dealing](https://vijayasundaram.com/weeding-and-dealing/) - Weeding and Dealing ©June 2nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I'd been working for almost three hours in the garden, and came in for lunch about an hour and a half ago. Got caught up with my family, and then checked WP. Will soon go back out again to plant some roses, lavender, and some little
- [Wheel of Fortune](https://vijayasundaram.com/wheel-of-fortune/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic, fantastical fiction Wheel of Fortune ©June 1st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Jayesh said they would elope that night. He'd told her to wait by the stone hut in the woods. A wheel stood near a boulder there. Aruna arrived at twilight, as the sun sloped westward
- [What Makes Me Angry](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-makes-me-angry/) - What Makes Me Angry June 1st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The abuse of children, whether emotional, physical, or sexual Slavery of any kind Racism, and the self-congratulatory attitude of those born to the dominant race in whichever country they are in, who believe they have a divine right to lord it over others Sexism in
- [Wheel](https://vijayasundaram.com/wheel/) - Word Count: 89 words of text, exactly Genre: Mythological epochal fiction Wheel ©June 1st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The wheel turned, and time turned with it. The earth rose and fell in large, slow panting gasps. No one knew the stone-and-mud abode existed. This valley had been formed millennia ago when the earth yawned, and
- [Purple Prose-Bending](https://vijayasundaram.com/purple-prose-bending/) - This was my first post on this blog a year ago. Around this time last year, I was in the process of letting go of the shackles of being a school-teacher, and leaving the profession in order to spend more time with my family, dog, and myself, and in order to write. The first couple
- [Bread and Circus](https://vijayasundaram.com/bread-and-circus/) - Bread and Circus ©May 31st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Give me my daily bread and circus! Give me my gaudy show! Show me that life's got no purpose, Save what I already know. Keep me ignorant and stupid, Entertain me all day With pretty pink hearts and cupids, While our world burns away! Show me
- [Fire and Ice](https://vijayasundaram.com/fire-and-ice/) - Word Count: 150 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic Fiction Thanks to Priceless Joy, for hosting Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers, and to Barbara Taylor for that very moving photograph! Fire and Ice ©May 30th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram There is a shadow on her heart as she sits here, alone on the bench, looking
- [Blanketed](https://vijayasundaram.com/blanketed/) - Blanketed ©May 30th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Solitary cloud in an empty sky Empties itself of air Arbitrary crowd that an empty eye Empties itself to stare. Blank is the mind that stares up high Looking to find a thought Rank is the mind that looks down low Looking to blind a spot Look
- [Backyard Jewels](https://vijayasundaram.com/backyard-jewels/) - Backyard Jewels ©May 30th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Raindrops glittering. Brilliant diamonds light up trees. And tender young ferns. Laughing pink hearts sway. Fir needles clutch lucent gems. Burning bush shines green! _______________________________________________
- [A Vision in a Waking State](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-vision-in-a-waking-state/) - A Vision in a Waking State ©May 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram As the fan turned The light shook on the glass jars And liquid seemed to flicker – Water it was, not liquor - They did not spill their bright stars Which coolly burned. Movement that's above me Is not movement reflected , And
- [Strange Quark](https://vijayasundaram.com/strange-quark/) - Strange Quark ©May 29th 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It's a strange quark of my nature That interacts with my various Flyaway particles, and is bound with them, Making me stable, forcing me To be seen, known, stay in one place Not vanish in a trice, Into a strange half-life, Wondering whether to be Or not
- [Orderly](https://vijayasundaram.com/orderly/) - Orderly ©May 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I am not. I wish I were. I gaze, longingly At the ladies I know Who arrange and re-arrange And I, stumbling around, deranged Because neatness and I are at war, Rail against the disorder around me, Try all that arranging and re-arranging, And feel trapped underneath the
- [An Unepigrammatical Diatribe](https://vijayasundaram.com/an-unepigrammatical-diatribe/) - An Unepigrammatical Diatribe ©May 28th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I am unwilling to write a post about "epitome," because I am the very picture, the very embodiment, the very incarnation of utter lassitude, laziness, mulishness and intractability. I lie around, the personification of sheer inertia, and view the word "epitome," with a languid contempt. Why
- [Forking Metaphors!](https://vijayasundaram.com/forking-metaphors/) - Forking Metaphors! ©May 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The temptation to make A metaphor that is profound Seizes me when I see a fork. How irritating! I shall deny this urge, And prevent its expression. I shall avoid all forks That beset me when I Travel the byways of my life. I shall not fork
- [Passing Thoughts On A Late Friday Afternoon](https://vijayasundaram.com/passing-thoughts-on-a-late-friday-afternoon/) - I'm sitting in my car, in a strange unsettled state, at a Whole Foods parking lot. This does not please me. I feel bad going there, but it's closer at the moment than our Food Coop. The sun is hot, and I'm feeling bothered. I'm ashamed to say this, but for the first time, I truly wish
- [If You Tripped ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/if-you-tripped/) - If You Tripped ... ©May 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram If you tripped and fell Headlong into my life Would you fly, or drown? The skies beat down Like blue silver or silk, And the sea screams "Seagull!" You'd find yourself crossing an Entire ocean, brushing up Against seals and dolphins Snarfing up some fish,
- [Carping about Carpe Diem (Countless)](https://vijayasundaram.com/carping-about-carpe-diem-countless/) - Carping about Carpe Diem (Countless) (Or, A Whinging about Procrastination and Ennui) ©May 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Countless hours go by And countless days slog along And countless minutes flow by And countless seconds jog along. And still, I don't seize them! If I did, I'd have to release them, And I hate holding
- [Grains and Gains](https://vijayasundaram.com/grains-and-gains/) - Grains and Gains ©May 26th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram See her walking the watery fields Picking grains of rice – She searches for nourishing ones. See him sitting on the fiery dunes Picking grains of sand – He searches for the shining ones. May they find what they desire. Amongst the waters, amidst fire. There's
- [Dream a Dream of Love](https://vijayasundaram.com/dream-a-dream-of-love/) - Dream a Dream of Love May 26th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram As the waves sweep towards these rocks where he stands, he dreams. He is holding his beloved in his arms, she of the gossamer hair and glimmering eyes, of the breath sweet as wildflowers, she of the voice like the sighing sea-breeze, of
- [It Isn't Quite Goodbye, With Friends](https://vijayasundaram.com/it-isnt-quite-goodbye-with-friends/) - It Isn't Quite Goodbye, with Friends (A Kyrielle) (Unintended Farewells) May 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When you turned and left her to go And turning, the world seemed to slow. Did you think that you'd see her again? It isn't quite goodbye, with friends. Love never quite dies, even though Every word that you
- [Didn't do Any Writing Today ... Yet](https://vijayasundaram.com/didnt-do-any-writing-today-yet/) - Because I was, so to speak, knee-deep (not really, but it sounds better that way) in cow manure and compost and nice, fragrant earth, preparing beds for planting roses on one side, and planting peas and carrot seed in prepared beds on the other side of our hilly front yard. Last week, I'd planted bush
- [The Nightbird Sings (Passing Phase)](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-nightbird-sings-passing-phase/) - The Nightbird Sings (Passing Phase) ©May 24, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The night bird sings a lonely song. For she awaits one who Is passing through. It's a passing phase, this Like all the rest of them. This despair, this elation This sunny day, this cloudy one, This happiness at seeing loved ones arrive This
- [Eye-Spy](https://vijayasundaram.com/eye-spy/) - Word Count: 150 words of text, exactement Genre: Historical-Fantasy Fiction Prompt by: Priceless Joy at Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers Eye Spy ©May 24th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The Eye swivelled around in its orbit, taking in everything – the movements beneath, and the muted chatter of humans beneath its watchful gaze. No one saw
- [Dream-Song](https://vijayasundaram.com/dream-song/) - Dream-Song ©May 23rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Out of the dust rose Dream. And Dream held in her palm a flower of darkness, gathering her raiment of chaos around her body. She stood tall and black, full of stars in her pockets, and full of inchoate longing, for she was all alone, and loneliness wasn't
- [Saga](https://vijayasundaram.com/saga/) - Saga © May 22nd (into the 23rd) 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It's always about a quest, isn't it? Or a question that begs an answer. Taking us through lives and lifetimes And battles and romances, fought and won. It's about rings and magic and dreams From which beasts and dragons emerge And are transformed or
- [Sing, O Muse!](https://vijayasundaram.com/sing-o-muse/) - Sing, O Muse! ©May 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Sing to me, O Muse! Sing of children who play at war And warriors who play at war Only there's no death in one, And death in the other. Sing to me, O Muse! Sing of those who capture and kill Who accuse the innocent, Who
- [Brick Shift](https://vijayasundaram.com/brick-shift/) - Brick Shift ©May 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram You built your edifice Brick by brick You created the castle of you Out of nothing, from nothing You made your self a building That sat on rich land, verdant Lush with plants and trees, Your castle housed attics and cellars, Oh, and a damp dungeon, Through
- [Pen-Sieve](https://vijayasundaram.com/pen-sieve/) - Pen-Sieve ©May 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Perfect blankness is my state When I think about thinking, And if I had a pensieve Like Dumbledore, I'd have nothing to add to it, But thinking about not thinking Is making me pensive. I miss being blank, And having thoughts Sift through me, and out Leaving only
- [Wilt Thou Flourish?](https://vijayasundaram.com/wilt-thou-flourish/) - Wilt Thou Flourish? ©Mary 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I wilt in Winter. When darkness tautens Around my neck Like a noose of gloom, In the dead of December, I wilt, desolate, disconsolate. Despair and sadness, twin tight Bands, constrict my heart. Everything seems pointless. Then, I breathe deeply Watch snowflakes fall like dreams Observe
- [Beyond the Veil](https://vijayasundaram.com/beyond-the-veil/) - PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic and semi-Paranormal Fiction Beyond the Veil ©May18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The waiting was hard, but it was all Santosh could do. Images of his new bride, now in the hospital, flooded his mind. Standing up suddenly, he brushed his
- [The Wait, or, The Tame Elopement](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-wait-or-the-tame-elopement/) - The Wait, or The Tame Elopement ©May 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram We waited with drumming hearts. We were breaking a rule. "Next!" came a voice from the office. We entered with our friends, Ajit and Randy. "Sign here," said the magistrate. We signed. I didn't remember much else in that bureaucratic blur. "Have sweets,"
- [South-Bound](https://vijayasundaram.com/south-bound/) - South-Bound ©May 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The land pulses with heat And moist air, pregnant and brooding With malligai and bougainvillaea And chanpakam and rojapu. The pure and sinful scent of chandanam The heady perfume of ylang-ylang The fragrance of Madras coffee The aroma of steamed idli with sambhar, And upma and paper-crisp dosai-chutney
- [Buddy?](https://vijayasundaram.com/buddy/) - Buddy? May 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I'm not from the West. The word "Buddy" does resonate with me, for me. I prefer "friend." "Buddy" has a masculine connotation for me, sort of like Yaar, or Dost, in Hindi does. And it also has a canine connotation. I noticed, with interest, that my sister-in-law, brother-in-law
- [Sun–Spring (Vid and Haiku)](https://vijayasundaram.com/sun-spring-vid-and-haiku/) - [wpvideo kiggFn4E] Sun–Spring ©May 16th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Singing woods in Spring Stippled leaves, dappled light, dog. Swiftly, Earth spins, drunk. ———————————————
- [What the Healthy!](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-the-healthy/) - What the Healthy! ©May 15th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I am tired of all things healthy All this narcissistic absorption In one's food, and one's skin And hair, and whatnot! All this measuring of waist And hip, and chest, such rot! Bring me palak, rich and green With chunks of fat paneer, And rich, creamy
- [Pearl Beyond Compare (Underestimate)](https://vijayasundaram.com/pearl-beyond-compare-underestimate/) - Pearl Beyond Compare (Underestimate) ©May 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Good at estimating Hazarding a guess, He could tell at a glance The true price of everything, But the value of nothing, And he'd beat it down To get what he wanted. But when he picked up a Pearl beyond compare, Lying innocent and quiet
- [Vis-à-Vis](https://vijayasundaram.com/vis-a-vis/) - In response to The Daily Post's Photo Challenge: Face Vis-à-Vis ©May 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Let me see you now In the light of the glimmering water Where fish swim swiftly, surely, Like sparrows in a backyard, but we Shall out-swim them, shall we not? Let me see your eyes – Inscrutable and bottomless
- [Vision and Visions](https://vijayasundaram.com/vision-and-visions/) - Vision and Visions ©May 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It is what you do not see When you walk, eyes fixed On everything beyond, your Footsteps leading you Inexorably towards your Future, meted out to you In incremental doses by A timid mind – yours – That is what interests me. Vision is tricky in
- [Escape](https://vijayasundaram.com/escape/) - PHOTO PROMPT © CEAYR Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Somewhat-Grim Realistic Fiction Escape ©May 13th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When they came, I was asleep in my sleeping bag in the wooded park far from home, where my step-father had contributed to a life of mute terror. The woods bordered a lake,
- [Wormhole (Survival by Chance)](https://vijayasundaram.com/wormhole-survival-by-chance/) - Wormhole (Survival by Chance) ©May 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram To reach its goal, sperm swims upstream Poor little salmon, bursting free from The urge to be washed away. If it's lucky, it'll survive. And then, if we're lucky, We shall see the light of day. If not, meh, no big deal. Someone will emerge
- [Ad Astra](https://vijayasundaram.com/as-astra/) - PHOTO PROMPT © CEAYR Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Inter-galactic romantic fiction Ad Astra ©May 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Waves of light trembled brokenly on the water. The buildings lit up like jewels. Turning to face him, I saw his anguished look. "It's time to go," he whispered, embracing me. "Why
- [Beans to Be](https://vijayasundaram.com/beans-to-be/) - All photographs©Vijaya Sundaram, May 2016 In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Generation Beans to Be ©May 11th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Yesterday, with the sun pouring Streams of honey on fragrant flowers, With the bees drunk with it all, And the birds singing, their Unfettered joy ringing in trees, With the rain clouds
- [All Those Opossums](https://vijayasundaram.com/all-those-opossums/) - All Those Opossums ©May 11th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram All those opossums Crossing the road In cold, cruel North America Where cars drive by, oblivious, Callous and uncouth, eating the horizon, Metal behemoths, graceless and soulless Carrying fleshy bipeds, intent on pleasure, Needlessly texting, swilling coffee, eating. All those opossums, Slow and sweet Full of
- [Di-verse](https://vijayasundaram.com/di-verse/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Diverse Di-verse ©May 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The deadly spectre of duality Has quite overtaken my halting verse – 'Twould be far better if plurality Were awakened to stop it from being terse. _________________________________________________________
- [Take off the Lid (On the Chaos in My Mind)](https://vijayasundaram.com/take-off-the-lid-on-the-chaos-in-my-mind/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Chaos Take Off The Lid (On the Chaos in My Mind) ©May 9th, 2016 Want a peek into pure chaos? Lift the lid to my brain Go on, do it! Ah, I knew you were too scared Worried about what you'd find, eh? Here, I'll take you
- [Quick Request to my Readers](https://vijayasundaram.com/quick-request-to-my-readers/) - Dear Readers, I want to thank all of you who visit my blog, and read what I write. It would mean a lot to me if, upon reading my work and liking what you read, you take a minute to click on "like," and click on the post title to leave a comment. (And of
- [Cloudy Stroll](https://vijayasundaram.com/cloudy-stroll/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Stroll Cloudy Stroll ©May 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Take a stroll down your street See that leaf spiraling in the wind? Pick it up, stick it in your hair. A piece of sunlight, green-veined, Is yours for an hour. See that man with his hound? Slow
- [About My Mother](https://vijayasundaram.com/about-my-mother/) - About my mother: My mother is beautiful and I adore her. She is the epitome and grace and goodness, of soul and lyricism. She imbued me and my sister and brother with music, something which sustains us. Despite her 8th grade education, she made sure that she supported and encouraged all of us to love
- [Beggars](https://vijayasundaram.com/beggars/) - Beggars ©May 8th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The temple bells ring And the air is filled with light. The beggar sits outside The gates, metal bowl clinking With coins from grudging charity. He sings of long ago with aching voice. Milky-blind eyes see darkness, Broken arms end in stumps. The beggar sings of God and
- [Sacrifice](https://vijayasundaram.com/sacrifice/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Sacrifice Sacrifice ©May 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I cannot see this word Without an inward hush, An awe descending like mist Obscuring sight and sense, And I feel the presence Of something huge and solemn Stand at the very edges of my vision. A Being, an Idea,
- [Moon-Being – An Original Song](https://vijayasundaram.com/moon-being-an-original-song/) - In 1994, I wrote and composed many songs, and recorded them with my musician colleagues and friends in Pune, India, in a creative, musical burst of energy I am yet to recapture. I look back and think: Did I actually do that much music, and compose so much? For those who think that writing songs
- [Bird Over the Water – An Original Song](https://vijayasundaram.com/bird-over-the-water-original-song/) - In 1994, I wrote several songs, composed the music for them, including my guitar parts, and recorded them in the city of Pune, India. Here's one which I wrote a few years before that, but recorded in 1994. It's about Daedalus, the great labyrinth-maker and artist. It's also about taking the middle path. I titled
- [Shadow-Life](https://vijayasundaram.com/shadow-life/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Shadow Shadow-Life ©May 6th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram For every place I care to go She likes to elsewhere, For only she and I can ever know – And who's to say we care? For every word I choose to say, She thinks another word, And just
- [Grey Day Amidst Purple, Red and Blue~A Haibun~](https://vijayasundaram.com/grey-day-amidst-purple-red-and-bluea-haibun/) - Grey Day Amidst Purple, Red and Blue ~A Haibun~ ©May 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Grey sky, goose-feathers, And silver rain sliding down What songs can be born? Alone, I sit in my blue room with midnight blue curtains, and blue-saturated paintings, with a poster of Bleu, a film by Krzysztof Kieslowski on my left,
- [Seaslide](https://vijayasundaram.com/seaslide/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Beach Seaslide ©May 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The sea casts up her dying fish The sea casts up her nets The sea won't grant our dying wish The sea does not forget. The beach collects our broken days The beach collects our souls The beach allows
- [Song of the Air](https://vijayasundaram.com/song-of-the-air/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic Fiction Song of the Air ©May 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When things got unbearable, Lali would go up to the attic, escaping the constant carping of her mother. Her cowed father's silence, the result of his being sniped at daily,
- [Hope Springs](https://vijayasundaram.com/hope-springs/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Hope Hope Springs ©May 4th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Eternal, they say. Now, in May, I cannot see How a real Spring will Return – with sun and rain, And birdsong and flowers And plants to go into the ground And people singing in the rain, Of
- [Dave](https://vijayasundaram.com/dave/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Whimsical Bird-Fiction Dave ©May 4th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram "Where's Dave?" "Oh, you know Dave!" "He's late, dammit! This concert will be a disaster without our bass player." "We could do "Flight of the Bumble Bee." "Nah, that's too overdone." "What about
- [Abandonment](https://vijayasundaram.com/abandonment/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Abandoned Abandonment ©May 3rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram An old road leads to a locked house And in the old house these abound: Lost hopes, lost spoons, lost socks Lost dreams, lost children's ghosts, Lost lovers' bliss, lost songs, Lost days, lost nights, lost maps, Lost directions,
- [Inheritance](https://vijayasundaram.com/inheritance/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Music Inheritance ©May 2nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Most days, with the scent of coffee Came music in the mornings. My mother's voice, bright as oranges Bright as the green of a neem tree, as it Wove through the morning hours And filtered into my consciousness As
- [Blade-Run](https://vijayasundaram.com/blade-run/) - TRIGGER WARNING AND DISCLAIMER: This is a very sensitive topic for many school-going teenagers, and may not be one you want to read if you've been in this emotional place. And no, I have NOT been in this place, but I'm very empathetic to those who have, because I taught teenagers for eighteen years. In
- [Little Boat Setting Out – Translation Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/little-boat-setting-out-translation-poem/) - Little Boat Setting Out – Translation Poem The title above is mine, but the poem is Dante Alighieri's ©April 30th, 2016 Translated by Vijaya Sundaram From Dante's Paradiso, II, 1-9. O voi che siete in piccioletta barca, desiderosi d'ascoltar, seguiti dietro al mio legno che cantando varca, [tornate a riveder li vostri liti:]
- [Spiral (Stairs)](https://vijayasundaram.com/spiral-stairs/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Stairway Spiral (Stairs) ©April 30th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Slowly, step by step by Perfectly curving step, our Intuition pulls us upward Reaching, breathless with desire as we Ascend, for the apex, where the Luminosum dwells. _______________________________________________
- [Genii](https://vijayasundaram.com/genii/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Mary Shipman Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Semi-realistic fantasy-fiction Genii ©April 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram My husband had died. My son had taken the house. My relations were scattered. All I was left with now was the shop. No one wanted it. By law, it was mine
- [I Remember All This ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/i-remember-all-this/) - I Remember All This ... ©April 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I remember when I was born. I was wrinkled and dark, And quiet, I think. I remember my mother Singing to me in her womb. Her voice shaped me, Note by golden note. I remember seeing pigs Rooting, squealing on the streets Outside my
- [From a Lover to A Beloved](https://vijayasundaram.com/from-a-lover-to-a-beloved/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Curve From a Lover to A Beloved ©April 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The curve of your ears The curve of your eyes The curve of your smile The curve of your frown The curve of your back The curve of your neck The curve of your
- [Parallel-Life](https://vijayasundaram.com/parallel-life/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Mary Shipman Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic fiction Parallel-Life ©April 28th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I'd travelled many miles. Bandits had taken all I had. My only child had died when they attacked. I had to bury him in the forest, my heart a stone. Grief and hunger
- [Shopping Trap](https://vijayasundaram.com/shopping-trap/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Mary Shipman Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Fairy tale? Demon-Tale! (Alas, I seem to not have much realistic fiction left in me – I'll give it another try!) Shopping Trap ©April 28th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It was a curious shop. Rolling pins, lamps and chemises hung down. At
- [Haunted by Solitude](https://vijayasundaram.com/haunted-by-solitude/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Solitude Haunted by Solitude ©April 28th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram And where I go, she goes And everything she knows. And when I sing, she sings The song of beginnings And when I play, she plays She never goes away And when I smile, she smiles (Please
- [Song of Freedom (A Read-Backwards Poem)](https://vijayasundaram.com/song-of-freedom/) - Song of Freedom (A Read-Backwards Poem) ©April28th, 2016 Singing a song of freedom. Or, perhaps, it was her blood Mermaids singing to her. Somewhere, she could hear The water stung like hornets. Burning with borrowed heat. A comet with icy heart, Hurtling through the air, She took a deep breath, and flew, As her blood
- [Masked-Love](https://vijayasundaram.com/masked-love/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Mask Masked-Love ©April 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram If you wear a mask As the moon wears a soft cloud Is it to shine less? Better to shine less Than to have all look upwards This way, I can rest. Why do you hide thus? To behold
- [Long Lives, Long Lines](https://vijayasundaram.com/long-lives-long-lines/) - Note: I chose to write this poem with 17-syllable-long lines. It's dedicated to all couples, and all friendships. Long Lives, Long Lines ©April 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram You stand back to back, each facing the other direction, and winds howl And your house begins to fall over slowly, oh so very slowly! Your silence
- [When the Crossroads Come – 14 Senryu (An Offering to Hecate)](https://vijayasundaram.com/when-the-crossroads-come-14-senryu-an-offering-to-hecate/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Crossroads When the Crossroads Come – 14 Senryu (An Offering to Hecate) ©April27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When the crossroads come And you're standing still, so still Let them pass, softly. When the crossroads come And you see Her there, bow down. Ask her for a gift.
- [Down-River](https://vijayasundaram.com/down-river/) - Down-River ©April 26th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Float down-river, see me shiver. I see you from afar, O Friend. Come, draw me clear away from here Why should I heed you when you plead? Oh, take me where no one will stare But if I do, you'll see me true. Oh come, dear friend, from
- [Hear Not the Call; Do Not Respond](https://vijayasundaram.com/hear-not-the-call-do-not-respond/) - Hear Not the Call; Do Not Respond ©April 26th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Come, fly the skies with roaring cries! We shan't, we won't, O Thunderbolt! Oh come, release the tops of trees! But you'll not win, O Typhoon winds! Let's burn the shade from all these glades! Oh, that's not done, O blazing sun.
- [Whispers of Another Land](https://vijayasundaram.com/whispers-of-another-land/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Whisper Whispers of Another Land ©April 25th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram To wave your oar at every ship that goes Upon the waves on which you row your boat Is foolishness, for all it does is show The world around you that you are afloat. The whispers of
- [Ishmael – A Fever in a Dream](https://vijayasundaram.com/ishmael-a-dream/) - Ishmael – A Fever in a Dream ©April 25th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The whale sings of coral, and of algae The whale sings of deep sea divers Who dive for the perfect pearl The Pearl of the World. And as they come and go, The whale watches from afar, And sings her lonely song
- [The Star-Poacher (On Borrowing)](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-star-poacher-on-borrowing/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Borrowed The Star-Poacher (On Borrowing) ©April 24th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I was hungry; food had been denied me I went abroad, my trusty net in hand To hunt down stars which had been snagged by trees I brought them down to eat, though they were banned.
- [Lucubrations of a Doggy Sort](https://vijayasundaram.com/lucubrations-of-a-doggy-sort/) - Lucubrations of a Doggy Sort ©April 24th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I inveigle my canine companion Into perambulating with me Down the street To do her doggy business. Her Linty Goofiness Sidesteps my urgent Persuasions and entreaties Staunchly, steadfastly refusing To step onto the patch of grass Oh no, not she! What catches her fancy
- [Do I Disappoint? (Three Light-hearted Senryu)](https://vijayasundaram.com/do-i-disappoint-three-light-hearted-senryu/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Disappointment Do I Disappoint? (Three Light-Hearted Senryu) ©April 23rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Do I disappoint? Asks the sunflower of the sun – Gentle light rains down. ____________________________________________________________ Do I disappoint? Asks the child of her mother (Love's cocoon enfolds). ____________________________________________________________ Do I disappoint? Asks a dog
- [Curtain-Close](https://vijayasundaram.com/curtain-close/) - Curtain-Close ©April 23rd, 2016By Vijaya Sundaram When the curtain falls, and it's time to sleep The long sleep, I'll give thanks for life, and go To where my spirit takes me, and you'll know 'Tis not the time to mourn – so, do not weep. There are things I will toss, and things I'll keep
- [Forgive Us Now ... And at the Time of Your Death](https://vijayasundaram.com/forgive-us-now-and-at-the-time-of-your-death/) - Written in response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Earth Forgive Us Now ... And at the Time of Your Death ©April 22nd 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram She bloomed In the chaos of night, In the clang and clamor Of her birth-pains, In the clash and clutter Of planets forming, Re-forming, Dying, becoming moons Or
- [Happy Earth-day – A Ragged Ditty](https://vijayasundaram.com/happy-earth-day-a-ragged-ditty/) - Happy Earth-day – A Ragged Ditty ©April 22nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Good day, O Earth! Emerged at birth With storms and light And endless night, You burst to life From bloodless strife. And then, life grew, And plants all new Arose and filled Your carbon mill With pure air sweet, Until our feet Tromped
- [Locked Wor(l)ds](https://vijayasundaram.com/locked-worlds/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Locked Locked Wor(l)ds ©April 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram In a room so far away A lady lives a black dream, Locked away from Everyone she ever loved. Cold she is, and full of dread For, soon one day, She'll be dead to all, And no one
- [Fog Rising](https://vijayasundaram.com/fog-rising/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Fog Fog Rising ©April 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Curtain lifts with sun: Fog rises and dissipates Coffee clears my head. Gentle words soothe me Mist of despair vanishes Thank you for your love. ___________________________________________________
- [What the Mountain Heard (Poem From Point of View of Echo's Mountains)](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-the-mountain-heard-poem-from-point-of-view-of-echos-mountains/) - What the Mountain Heard (Poem From Point of View of Echo's Mountains) ©April 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Whom does she call, this Voice So alluring, so full of anguish, So rich with music, quickening With languishing love, So haunted by lost hope? Whom does she mourn, Surely the most forlorn, the Most beautiful of
- [What the Pool Saw (Poem From Point of View of Narcissus' Pool)](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-the-pool-saw-poem-from-point-of-view-of-narcissus-pool/) - What the Pool Saw (Poem From Point of View of Narcissus' Pool) ©April 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I am loved. I know this to be true, because When a beautiful young man Leaned over, and gazed at me, His eyes were a mirror In which I beheld my Own true beauty, my Sky-clad translucence.
- [En Route to Toronto](https://vijayasundaram.com/en-route-to-toronto/) - En Route to Toronto ©April 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram She flies along, skimming surfaces With eel-ease, flowing through air Purring now, growling at times, This Traveler, swift as a swallow, Carrying travelers, still as stone. Companionable and old she is, but proud, Unwilling to give up the ghost, Nursed along by stubbornness. The star-cradle
- [MagPied Piper! (Video and Dialogue)](https://vijayasundaram.com/magpied-piper-video-and-dialogue/) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV4qZ_lgStw MagPied Piper! (Video from YouTube, dialogue by me) April 20th, 2016 Vijaya Sundaram "Why upside down?" "It's cool. Bats do it. I just wanna hang like them. Come, hang out with me!" "I don't know, man! All this is too outré for me!" "I think I like being right side up. It's the right
- [Demon-Town](https://vijayasundaram.com/demon-town/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Fairy tale? Demon-Tale! Demon-Town ©April 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I can't take anymore, sighed Hans. He'd been walking the fence for twenty minutes, trying to find a gap. THEY had segregated him, his family, and town, for unknown reasons. Psst! came a voice from a tree
- [Questions For A New Odysseus](https://vijayasundaram.com/questions-for-a-new-odysseus/) - Questions For A New Odysseus ©April 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram All those years ago Before you were ashes and dust Before that muddy river bore you Downstream, before more loss, Before returning to mundane life, Did you fall in love? Did you see a demure golden lady Perfect and pretty, full of Doe-eyed allure,
- [So Happy!](https://vijayasundaram.com/so-happy/) - I'm the featured participant for NaPoWriMo's Day Twenty (with my How to Clean Your House poem!) Yay! Thank you, NaPoWriMo! _________________________________________________
- [Summer-Sky](https://vijayasundaram.com/summer-sky/) - Summer-Sky ©April 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Sing of winters past Sing of summer's scorching scourge – Fan me into coolth! Let me sing that sky And never be extinguished – And let the rain fall! __________________________________________________
- [Sky-Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/sky-poem/) - Sky-Poem ©April 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Watch those skies flow by Come, bridge me to remote worlds, Climb those spirit lights! Bright lights swing across Skies so blue and gold and red – Cut me not from them! ___________________________________________
- [Fake-itude](https://vijayasundaram.com/fake-itude/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Fake Fake-itude! ©April 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram How lovely to see you! You don't look a day older (Despite the wrinkles, that is). Such gorgeous ladies! Fabulous beauties, all of you! (Fabulous is for fifty-year olds!) Oh, we must meet again, soon! Where'd you get that
- [How to Clean Your House](https://vijayasundaram.com/how-to-clean-your-house/) - How to Clean Your House ©April 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Want a clean home? Snatch a dust pan and brush Before the thought recedes, Start The Beatles. Rush to it. Revolver or White Album will do. Start at the kitchen, Then, stop. A thought strikes. (Dishwasher needs emptying. What I'd do for some magic!
- [Closet in Two Tanka](https://vijayasundaram.com/closet-in-two-tanka/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Closet Closet in Two Tanka ©April 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Musty closet calls Things tumble out, rumpled dreams Time to air things out. Here's an old dream – toss it out. This one's soft, so wear it now. Open doors, comb through Pick this concept, try
- [Unmaking (A Tanka)](https://vijayasundaram.com/unmaking-a-tanka/) - Unmaking (A Tanka) ©April 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Old thoughts lie broken Stone-piles along flowing stream Think I'll make a bridge. Make it to the other side, Unbridging my stony thoughts. ___________________________________________
- [The Sounds and Words of Home](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-sounds-and-words-of-home/) - The Sounds and Words of Home ©April 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Shuklam Bharataram Vishnum Shashi Varnam Chaturbhujam Prasanna Vadanam Dhyayet Sarva Vighna Upashaanthaye The words and the voice pull aside Heavy curtains of sleep And I stir to the warmth Of M.S.'s voice On a Sunday morning. Clatter of stainless steel Pathirams in kitchen-time;
- [Breathe!](https://vijayasundaram.com/breathe/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Breath Breathe! © April 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Inspire me! My vision fails, and My limbs are weak. And all I hear is My dog barking. I am hungry. I care Only for food, and its Atavistic satisfaction. I wish to know how To shape this
- [No Words for This](https://vijayasundaram.com/no-words-for-this/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Disaster No Words for This ©April 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When the train pulled Black and hateful and loud – Loud as all of India – Into that teeming station, With thousands pushing, Pummeling, yelling, crowding, Cursing, shouting, shoving, Grunting, hitting, rushing, Punching, running, stumbling Into
- [Une Vie En Musique](https://vijayasundaram.com/une-vie-en-musique/) - Une Vie En Musique ©April 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Susurrando, susurrante, A voice from another world Speaks to me in honey-tones Leaning seductively, caresses My dream-state, and says: Conduct yourself well And tune to the bourdon-hum of life Play your life-song rubato, Steal from Time: Steal all that you can steal From the hours that
- [Almanac-Poem:  Phoenix-Song](https://vijayasundaram.com/almanac-poem-and-phoenix-song/) - Almanac-Poem: Phoenix-Song ©April6th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Rising on wings of flame, The phoenix sits atop a mango tree And sings a lonely song Calling my name. A white-hot sun rains down sweat And curls the ends of brinjal leaves While busy caterpillars chew on a Drumstick tree, where fat pods Hang down like rain.
- [Snap – A COMPLETELY Uninspired Litany of Complaints  (NOT a poem!)](https://vijayasundaram.com/snap-a-completely-uninspired-litany-of-complaints-not-a-poem/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Snap Snap – A COMPLETELY Uninspired Litany of Complaints (NOT a poem!) ©April 15th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I don't like it when people snap at me. I dislike it more when I snap at them. I don't like to snap to attention. I detest calling photographs
- [Split-Image](https://vijayasundaram.com/split-image/) - Split-Image ©April 15th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram And who might you be, who's peering at me As I lace my fingers through curtains three? Your face is familiar, and rings a bell, And your eyes follow me,– casting a spell. I've walked very far to come to this place, I've left things behind, I've been
- [Suitcase-Blood](https://vijayasundaram.com/suitcase-blood/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Suitcase Suitcase-Blood ©April 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Pack your suitcase (tattered, but good) Sling your instrument over your shoulder, Look around quietly, Take the measure of things, And say, "Bye, then!" And leave. The road unfurls before you, The horizon pearl-pink. You spend your time Forgetting
- [Truth and Lies – The Outlier](https://vijayasundaram.com/truth-and-lies-the-outlier/) - Truth and Lies – The Outlier ©April 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Dear child, if called on to prevaricate Think straight, and try to not be prodigal Dwell deeply on the truth (intensively). For you, dear child, will find it's not too late To dismiss what's mythological. Your doubts, when you think straight, will disappear.
- [Ars Longa, Vita Brevis](https://vijayasundaram.com/ars-longa-vita-brevis/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Fairy tale Ars Longa, Vita Brevis ©April 13th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram A castle stood deep in a forest. An imposing tower frowned upon the trees that ringed it. A timid moon shone behind the smaller turrets around it. The oaken gates opening onto a courtyard revealed
- [Giggle](https://vijayasundaram.com/giggle/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Giggle Giggle ©April 13th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I do not giggle any more. It causes me some pain For I have graduated from Teenagerhood to Brain. To keep a brain, we all agree We cannot laugh and titter We have to hold our breath and moan
- [Fantasy-Fortune Cookie - Poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/fantasy-fortune-cookie-poetry/) - Fantasy-Fortune Cookie - Poetry ©April 13th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram What's that you say? You will find happiness one day? If you build castles in the air You will float away. Never fear the unknown Even if it bites you in the rear. You will break your leg. Step carefully, Avoid pitfalls. In a world
- [Bedtime (a silly poem)](https://vijayasundaram.com/bedtime-a-silly-poem/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Bedtime Bedtime (a silly poem) ©April 13 (really, the night of the 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram If only I had one! When all is said and done, It's in the land of sleep We plunge in waters deep. I find the night a lure – For
- [Found Lines and Imagined Ones – An Index Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/found-lines-and-imagined-ones-an-index-poem/) - Found Lines and Imagined Ones – An Index Poem ©April 13 (late night of April 12th), 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Resolved: to be irresolute (a state absolute) to live like a fool (and be a tool) to take Fate by the throat (and float) to the skies, aspire on wings of fire. What: is the
- [Climate Change is Real:  Day 14 of My Part-Shared, Part-Lone Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-day-14-of-my-part-shared-part-lone-vigil/) - Climate Change is Real: Day 14 of My Part-Shared, Part-Lone Vigil ©April 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Today was an extremely long day. Finally, I sit down and try to recapture my vigil from this morning. Yes, I went out today, after a gap of two or three week-days to face with some degree of
- [Suddenly](https://vijayasundaram.com/suddenly/) - Suddenly (A Sonnet) ©April 11th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The water mirrors all the black and green Of rocks (with rippled gold from sudden stone), And trees, whose branches sway in singing wind, As my dog and I walk in these woods, alone. Our days were filled were bitter cold and dark But clouds fill
- [Newspaper Clippings – A Soup](https://vijayasundaram.com/newspaper-clippings-a-soup/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Newspaper Newspaper Clippings – A Soup ©April 11th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Bring me some news Some bad, some good! And bring me a big pot. If you would. Fetch me some shears. These won't hurt. Pour in some water, Toss in some dirt, Add plenty of
- [Words and Worlds](https://vijayasundaram.com/words-and-worlds/) - Words and Worlds ©April 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The Book Thief Speak(s) with Wicked Words In a Different Voice On the Origin of Species, baring White Teeth. Self Comes to Mind. While The Prophet is Reviving Ophelia Into the Looking-Glass Wood we go. Like An Anthropologist on Mars, I find my way with The
- [Misplaced – A (sort-of) Fairy Tale Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/misplaced-a-sort-of-fairy-tale-poem/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Misplaced Misplaced – A (sort-of) Fairy Tale Poem ©April 1oth, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram She walked on to the cliff-edge sheer, The slope to sea was steep. She went to where the winds blew drear, And fished in waters deep. In waters deep she went to fish,
- [Green to Grey, to Gold to Day](https://vijayasundaram.com/green-to-grey-to-gold-to-day/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Green Green to Grey, to Gold to Day ©April 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When I was young And I was green I wished to be Both heard and seen Now, I am older Greyer, golder* I'd rather see And hear, and be. When I was young
- [In Confidence](https://vijayasundaram.com/in-confidence/) - In Confidence ©April 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram If I say this, will you hate me? Will you convert or berate me? Can I trust you with this thought? Will our friendship come to naught? If you wish to know, come near Let me whisper in your ear While I love our human spirit And
- [Reminiscence](https://vijayasundaram.com/reminiscence/) - PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic Fiction Reminiscence ©April 8th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram "Do you remember, love? Do you remember how you and I built our house? How we lived, loved, fought, and laughed together? Do you remember the flowers we planted, the vegetables, the
- [Superstition](https://vijayasundaram.com/superstition/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Superstition Superstition ©April 8th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram If I gave you a rose with thorns As a token of my love, Would you say, "This relationship will Stagger and fail?" Or, would you kiss me, Accept it with love, And say, "My love loves me Thorns
- [An Efflorescence: Five Flower Poems](https://vijayasundaram.com/an-efflorescence-five-flower-poems/) - An Efflorescence: Five Flower Poems ©April 8th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Crocuses Crocuses, purple and orange and white Braving the snow and the frosty blight Tender young sweetlings, but tougher than nails Give us your strength, for, before you, we pale. Tulips Lush and richly soft, and tempting Like a sensual thing in red, Inviting
- [What I'm Reading Right Now ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-im-reading-right-now/) - What I'm Reading Right Now ... ©April 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I've been reading "Strangers Drowning" by Larissa MacFarquhar, and it's deeply moving, deeply unsettling, deeply inspiring. After I read about people like Dorothy Granada, Aaron Pitkin, Peter Singer, Julia Wise, Baba (no last name) and Ittetsu Nemoto, I feel unbearably selfish in my
- [Twisted Vignettes – A Verbless Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/twisted-vignettes-a-verbless-poem/) - After reading Edward Hirsch's explanation of the Verbless Poem, I decided to try one, and combined it with The Daily Post's Daily Prompt for today: Tricky Twisted Vignettes – A Verbless Poem ©April 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Twisted, broken, aging oaken branch, Shining drops of rain on arching trees, Solitary girl in dripping dress,
- [Life and Death, and Silence and Sound (A Tritina)](https://vijayasundaram.com/life-and-death-and-silence-and-sound-a-tritina/) - Life and Death, and Silence and Sound (A Tritina) ©April 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The thrilling rain fills the air with sweet sound Birds trill their joy aloud, and the soil sings So, why do I feel so lost and alone? For you are gone, and it's the sky alone Which feels my pain,
- [Clarity:  My Mind And Yours](https://vijayasundaram.com/clarity-my-mind-and-yours/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Clarity Clarity: Seeking You ©April 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When things are clear, oh Lady, dear It's easy to advise But when the storms are brewing, I'd like to stay inside. I know it doesn't help to hide, It doesn't help to fight it doesn't help
- [Handwriting – A Lament](https://vijayasundaram.com/10086-2/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Handwriting Handwriting – A Lament ©April 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram My handwriting goes raggle-tag And off the page, and in a rage It stomps around, then takes a rest ('Tis time to leave the stage). My handwriting is small and neat, But then, quite suddenly It
- [Faraway:  A Mirrored Fib](https://vijayasundaram.com/faraway-a-mirrored-fib/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Faraway Faraway: A Mirrored Fib ©April 6th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It's A Distant Faraway Place, where I come from – And that's where I am headed to. It doesn't matter if I slip, or fall, or if I'm Crushed, or hurt, or if I disappear into
- [Fruit – A Poem about Mad Desire](https://vijayasundaram.com/fruit-a-poem-about-mad-desire/) - Fruit – A Poem about Mad Desire ©April 6th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram What draws me isn't just the actual fruit You understand. No, it's the thought of fruit, Its connotation, its symbolism Its scents twining their arms about me, Its hidden erotic profiles. What draws me is all that is around it. Yes, it's
- [The Detention](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-detention/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Horror (ish) The Detention ©April 6th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Two things you should never do: a. Contradict your teacher. b. Stay back after school for an extra session. I did both. I stayed back after school. My outburst in class about yet another incorrectly-explained algebra
- [Climate Change is Real:  Day 13 of my Lone Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-day-13-of-my-lone-vigil/) - Climate Change is Real: Day 13 of my Lone Vigil ©April 6th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Twenty-three degrees this morning at 6:55. Twenty-Five around 7:30. Twenty-eight around eight a.m. Thirty before I left the house around 8:37. Thirty-two by the time I reached the spot at 8:42. Thirty-four by the time twenty minutes passed. And
- [Vegetable Sacrifice](https://vijayasundaram.com/vegetable-sacrifice/) - Vegetable Sacrifice ©April 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Calypso dances around a campfire While Bulls Blood is the sacrifice Spicy Green picks a fight with the Red Russian And the White Russian does the Tango, alone. Diamond makes out with Lady Bell Sweet While the King of the North frowns from his corner Ida Gold
- [Climate Change is Real:  Day 12 of My Lone Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-day-12-of-my-lone-vigil/) - Climate Change is Real: Day 12 of My Lone Vigil ©April 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I awoke, swampily, out of a thick dream which enclosed me like a blanket, and when I opened my eyes, I found it was the blanket. Pah! It was no dream at all (although there might have been a
- [Street-Dream (A Sonnet, of sorts)](https://vijayasundaram.com/street-dream-a-sonnet-of-sorts/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Street Street-Dream ©April 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Gliding through the streets 'tween dusk and dawn Sliding past your eyes; you look; they're gone. Shining through your gaze 'tween noon and night Finding eyes so glazed, it's hard to think right. He walks, she walks, and they
- [Colored Me](https://vijayasundaram.com/colored-me/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt for April 1st: Colorful Colored Me ©April 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Color your world blue Blue ice, blue eyes, Blue mood, blue skies. Color my world brown Brown skin, brown hair Brown earth, brown stare. Color their world green Green trees, green grass Green youth, green
- [Rebirth – A Hopeful Sort of Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/rebirth-a-hopeful-sort-of-poem/) - Rebirth – A Hopeful Sort of Poem ©April 4th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram April is the cruellest month Taunting and teasing, Bursting with wickedness, Squalling winds, blowing snow, Budding leaves, blooming crocuses, Cerulean skies, carefree clouds, Leaden skies, lethargic clouds. Yes, April is the cruellest month A harpy dressed as a lady Full of glee,
- [The Container and the Thing Contained – A Study in Contrasts](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-container-and-the-thing-contained-a-study-in-contrast/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Contrast The Container and the Thing Contained – A Study in Contrasts Yin and Yang Feminine and Masculine Night and stars Water and earth Chanting and Declaiming Space and Starlight Womb and Sperm Creator and Creation Love and Love. ________________________________________________
- [For OFOFWW](https://vijayasundaram.com/for-ofofww/) - For OFOFW ©April 3rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Your words shaped worlds, Rearranged my mind Wrenched my heart Sang in my voice Haunted my holidays, Made me weep in sympathy. Your words held my hand As I tried, halting and bold, both To shape my own. Your words, drenched in purple Clad in gold, dripping
- [Chance](https://vijayasundaram.com/chance/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Grimly-Realistic fiction Chance ©April 2nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Aparna stood, transfixed. Beside her stood Ajay, her husband. Together, they gazed out on the city. The city was everything she had imagined. The morning sky was clear and blue. The streets teemed with life. Somewhere within, however,
- [My Family – A Non-Portrait](https://vijayasundaram.com/my-family-a-non-portrait/) - My Family – A Non-Portrait ©April 2nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I do not really like to paint My family's pictures, thus to taint With wordy portraits all that's vast And complex, which I hope will last. Suffice to say that we are three And thus, we form a Trinity Of an earthly kind, it's
- [Your Voice](https://vijayasundaram.com/your-voice/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt for March 30th, 2016: Voice Your Voice ©April 2nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It is your voice that spells out Home and shelter, and love, And quiet certainty. A conduit of beauty and song, A channel of kindness, your voice Allows things to flow. I shall carry
- [Resurgam, OR, Babylon Revisited](https://vijayasundaram.com/resurgam-or-babylon-revisited/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Mythological fiction Resurgam, OR, Babylon Revisited ©April 2nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram "This one's mine," said Tammuz. "You can't take over this one, Tums," said Ishtar. "You're too gloomy. That city is MINE. I'll call it the City of Love." Marduk, on her left, laughed at
- [Lilac-Love (Lune)](https://vijayasundaram.com/lune/) - Lilac-Love ©April 1st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Purple mist atop green leaves – Bridal lilacs emerge. The still morning air blushes. Hard to believe such beauty Lives here, now. Meanwhile, millions breathe only dust. Translucent motes of morning sound Gong-like and golden I stand, lost in reverie. __________________________________ (Poem #1 – NaPoWriMo) Note: According to
- [Climate Change is Real:  Day 11 of my (15-minute shared) Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-day-11-of-my-15-minute-shared-vigil/) - Climate Change is Real: Day 11 of my (15-minute) Shared Vigil © April 1st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I acknowledge temporary defeat today. I am utterly spent this week (probably from everything I did for the past fifteen or so days), and did not do more than fifteen minutes of vigil, this time in Warren's
- [Climate Change:  Day 10 of my Part-Shared, Mostly-Lone Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-day-10-of-my-part-shared-mostly-lone-vigil/) - Climate Change: Day 10 of my Part-Shared, Mostly-Lone Vigil ©March 31st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I took a day off from doing the vigil on Wednesday, since Warren returned from India on Tuesday afternoon, and I wanted to sleep in while he returned to his vigil. Today, having rested a little, I resumed my post
- [Climage Change is Real:  Day 9 of my Lone Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climage-change-is-real-day-9-of-my-lone-vigil/) - Climate Change is Real: Day 9 of my Lone Vigil © March 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Climate Change is Real: Day 9 of my Lone Vigil © March 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram This was my worst day for a vigil – being very sleep-deprived all week, and waking up earlier than usual, well
- [Frivolous Gravity](https://vijayasundaram.com/frivolous-gravity/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Frivolous Frivolous Gravity © March 29th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Frivolous I might be, but I Revel in, delight in your Ibsenian seriousness. Veer here, the world's On a collision course with hell, so Lone traveller, may I join you One day, soon, now? (I like your
- [Climate Change is Real:  Day 8 of my Lone Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-day-8-of-my-lone-vigil/) - Climate Change is Real: Day 8 of my Lone Vigil © March 28th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram This morning, I actually had some dreams (which means I had about five hours of sleep, instead of four) from which I arose, like a fish jumping out of the sea, water streaming off its fins, before plopping
- [Polaris-Bound – A Short Story](https://vijayasundaram.com/polaris-bound-a-short-story/) - Polaris-Bound – A Short Story* March 24th, 2013 ©By Vijaya Sundaram The stars were very bright that night. I looked up, and saw Polaris, and became still. I knew that I had to do something within the hour, because if I didn't, I would lose the game which had released me as a pawn into
- [Wormhole – Time Feel](https://vijayasundaram.com/wormhole-time-feel/) - Wormhole – Time Feel ©March27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The beat took hold of me, But turned upside down And inside out, And I found myself pulled into A rhythmic wormhole. And when I emerged on the other side, The music was over. _____________________________________________________
- [Tapping](https://vijayasundaram.com/tapping/) - Tapping your feet is inappropriate He said. My feet itched and twitched, but I held still. ___________________________________________________________
- [A Question](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-question/) - Asking questions is inappropriate, He said. And I wanted to ask, "Why?" _________________________________________________________
- [Smoke and Tears (Three Senryu)](https://vijayasundaram.com/smoke-and-tears-three-senryu/) - Smoke and Tears (Three Senryu) ©March 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Another blast, and Another hole torn right through The fabric of life. Smoke and fumes and blood And the rain of tears cannot Quench the reign of fear. Please stop, please stop, Oh All of you who shed such hate, Please spill mercy here.
- [Pebble Games](https://vijayasundaram.com/pebble-games/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Edge Pebble Games ©March 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram She has an edge They say, He has an edge They nudge each other We need to smooth them down They nod Take all the sharpness out! Round out the corners! Make them smooth as a pebble, Made
- [Footstepping Stone](https://vijayasundaram.com/footstepping-stone/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Footsteps Footstepping Stone ©March27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I step on sand, and my footsteps fade. I step on water; waves drift away. I step on air; winds catch my feet I step on clouds; rain drenches me. My footsteps lead to strange new spots I step
- [Fear Less](https://vijayasundaram.com/fear-less/) - In response to the Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Fearless Fear Less © March 26th, 2016 By Viajaya Sundaram Everything contains dust Everything cradles fear. Everything contains death. When these arrive, I shall discard the dust Of my self. I shall become particles of air, I shall become one with the stars. From the stars I
- [Climate Change is Real:  Day 7 of My Lone Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-day-7-of-my-lone-vigil/) - Climate Change is Real: Day 7 of My Lone Vigil ©March 25th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I awoke at an early hour, emerging sluggishly from a swamp-like sleep, in which I could not detect any dreams. As I got ready, put the dog out, heated up old coffee, and dressed, I was feeling pretty detached.
- [Climate Change is Real:  Day 6 of My Lone Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-day-6-of-my-lone-vigil/) - Climate Change is Real: Day 6 of My Lone Vigil ©March 24, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram (Woman with Sign, standing in for Man with Sign) Everything becomes a habit, that's why we should treat any activity with the caution it deserves. Come close to it, sniff around it, find out whether it's good or bad,
- [Help Taken and Help Given](https://vijayasundaram.com/help-taken-and-help-given/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Help Help Taken and Help Given ©March 25th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Help may be asked, and you may give it, but don't expect thanks. You may need help, and someone gives it, but do not forget. It takes true freedom for people to thank you for
- [Neural Impulse, or: Echolocations](https://vijayasundaram.com/neural-impulse-or-echolocations/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt for March 23rd, 2016: Nerve Neural Impulse, or: Echolocations ©March 24th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram So many nerves, so many branches Striving towards the others. Even here, in this Deepest, densest, convoluted Folded forest beset with confusion, Weary travellers cross Vast distances with urgency To touch another
- [Climate Change is Real:  Day 5 of my Lone Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-day-5-of-my-lone-vigil/) - Climate Change is Real: Day 5 of my Lone Vigil ©March 23rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram (Woman with Sign, standing in for Man with Sign) So, with Raga Bhatiyar humming around my ears like a drunken bee, I awoke just before the alarm. This is not my favorite trend, being by nature a night-owl, but
- [Out of the Muck](https://vijayasundaram.com/out-of-the-muck/) - PHOTO PROMPT – © Ted Strutz Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Philosophical Realism / Science-Fiction at the end Out of the Muck ©March 23rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram We cannot live without hope. Throw us in the dirt – we'll rise. Throw us in the ocean – we'll swim. Feed us rats
- [At What Cost?](https://vijayasundaram.com/at-what-cost/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Price At What Cost? ©March 22nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Want to fit in? Cut your own cloth Then, pay for it. Want to make change? Fork over the dollar. Follow the boss. Look to him. He'll kindly, so kindly, let you know the changes you're allowed
- [Nonsense Limericks](https://vijayasundaram.com/nonsense-limericks/) - Nonsense Limericks ©March 22nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram A doggle while roaming the park Saw a bird whom he called "Pig-Lark." Said the lark to the dog, "I am SO not a hog And I'm not a big fan of your snark." A pig who was roaming at dark Saw the dog who had teased
- [Climate Change is Real:  Day 4 of my Lone Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-day-4-of-my-lone-vigil/) - Climate Change is Real: Day 4 of my Lone Vigil ©March 22nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram So, today: Woke up at the sound of the alarm. Groaned. Hit the snooze. Woke up ten minutes later. Didn't make coffee. Made chai instead. Let the dog out, then back in. Reached the Warren Intersection at 7:44. Not
- [For My Dear Friend – You Know Who You Are](https://vijayasundaram.com/for-my-dear-friend-you-know-who-you-are/) - For The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Friend For My Dear Friend – You Know Who You Are (A Simple Ditty) ©March 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram My love for my friend. Is so simple, so right. My love doesn't end, Or fade in daylight. When I'm blue or gray And my thoughts go astray, When
- [Climate Change is Real:  Day 3 of my Lone Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-day-3-of-my-lone-vigil/) - Climate Change is Real: Day 3 of my Lone Vigil ©March 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram 6:58 a.m.: I awoke BEFORE the alarm on my i-Phone went off (yes, yes, I've succumbed completely to the many enticing temptations of this instrument from Hell, including using the Record function, checking the weather, checking how many
- [The Peel's The Thing](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-peels-the-thing/) - The Peel's The Thing ©March 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Everything is camouflage, All of it, all. So, who are you, really When you don't blend in? Under all those words, Under all those deeds, What is your true Immaculate, perfect Face? You peel and peel away Each layer of self Until you reach the
- [Window – A Junction](https://vijayasundaram.com/window-a-junction/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Window Window – A Junction ©March 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Your eyes, her mind Your picture, her frame Her universe, your telescope Your song, her bar lines. No, you cannot own her. Nor can she own you. What you see is just An aperture, a capture.
- [Rhymed Season:  Winter - Haiku 4](https://vijayasundaram.com/rhymed-season-winter-haiku-4-2/) - Rhymed Season: Winter - Haiku 4 ©March 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram White and cold and stark Snow falls in the glooming dark. Winter makes his mark. _________________________________________________________________
- [Rhymed Season:  Autumn - Haiku 3](https://vijayasundaram.com/rhymed-season-autumn-haiku-3-2/) - Rhymed Season: Autumn - Haiku 3 ©March 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Gold and red and green Blend with ripened things, between Daytime and our dreams.
- [Rhymed Season:  Summer – Haiku 2](https://vijayasundaram.com/rhymed-season-summer-haiku-2/) - Rhymed Season: Summer - Haiku 2 ©March 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Salt and sweat and sun Summer flowers swoon as one Ere the day is done. ____________________________________________________
- [Rhymed Season:  Spring – Haiku 1](https://vijayasundaram.com/rhymed-season-spring-haiku-1/) - Crocus Longiflorus by Meneerke bloem (2010) Bluejay By William H. Majoros - Own work Rhymed Season: Spring - Haiku 1 ©March 20th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Rain and bulbs and sky – Blue-jays and geese flashing by – Spring-time makes me sigh. ________________________________________________________
- [Today in Blue Silk – Four Haiku](https://vijayasundaram.com/today-in-blue-silk-four-haiku/) - Four Haiku ©March 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Sky-shine like blue silk Road, a glimmering river My dog and I, fish. Not a shoal, we two, Just sun-dazed, slow-moving fish Silk-threading a cool, blue trail. Sunlight slips within Our footsteps rise up like air We hum-float along. Plants wave like sea-weeds The world moves like
- [Never be Free! (Of Dirt, That Is!)](https://vijayasundaram.com/never-be-free-of-dirt-that-is/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Dirty Never Be Free (Of Dirt, That is!) ©March 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Don't touch that! It's dirty! Don't go there! It's ... dirty! Sit here, not there, it's ... dirty! Oh no, the dog's gotten all ... dirty! . What has happened to me? I,
- [Fight the Tide Twice](https://vijayasundaram.com/fight-the-tide-twice/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Fight Fight the Tide Twice ©March 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When the tide comes in Flooding where you stand and stare – Fight it, rise and swim! When the tide goes out, Dragging, tugging at your feet – Fight it, dig feet in! _____________________________________________________
- [Swoon-Shine – Haiku](https://vijayasundaram.com/swoon-shine-haiku/) - Swoon-Shine ©March 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The moon hangs down low. Eyelids half-closed in near-sleep, I drowse in swoon-shine.* ____________________________________________________________ The above is my response to the March 17th prompt in Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. Swoon-Shine is my play on words for this prompt, with the sense of sleepy swooning I felt, combined with
- [Climate Change is Real – Day 2 of my Vigil Alone](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-day-2-of-my-vigil-alone/) - Climate Change is Real – Day 2 of my Vigil Alone ©March 18th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram So, another late night followed by an even earlier morning (6:15) for me today – sigh! I made coffee to take in my trusty travel mug, and a hot breakfast, and ginger tea for my daughter (who arose
- [Shelved – Four Senryu](https://vijayasundaram.com/shelved-four-senryu/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Shelf Shelved – Four Senryu ©March 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Dark, swirling eddies: Sorrow, rage, hate, all of these I set on a shelf. Open the windows, Let the cold, waiting heart of Outer Space have them. When dark thoughts are fed To the Hungry Thing
- [Shelf-Life](https://vijayasundaram.com/shelf-life/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Shelf On one of the bookshelves in my study / work-space (made of mahogany by my amazing husband) are the following: A metal bird hanging on the side of it Some dust on the very top, along with: A tone drum, very beautifully carved A pair of
- [Climate Change is Real - And I Won't Give Up](https://vijayasundaram.com/climate-change-is-real-and-i-wont-give-up/) - Climate Change is Real - And I Won't Give Up ©March 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It was a pearly-gray morning, and the moisture in the air was gentle, not threatening. The sky was rich with bird-song and Spring-tones. I woke up duly at 7:00 (feeling a little sad about having to wake
- [Travels Without the Dog](https://vijayasundaram.com/travels-without-the-dog/) - Travels Without the Dog ©March 16th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Holly is sad. She doesn't know why my daughter, husband and I drove with her to pick up my husband after he'd finished teaching his class. She doesn't understand why we drove together to a fancy street in the city, and left her in the
- [Muddy Waters](https://vijayasundaram.com/muddy-waters/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Pseudo-historical Romance Muddy Waters A muddy, foam-flecked, turbulent river divides me from the world. Mirroring my anguish, it keeps me from the one I love. I am imprisoned here, with my inkwell, my Venetian blown-glass vase, my antique clock, and my beautiful brass sailing ship. I'm allowed
- [What I Envy](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-i-envy/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt:Envy What I Envy ©March 16th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I envy plants and flowers for being the most beautiful things in the world. I envy rocks and stones and pebbles for not caring about being buffeted by the winds and the tides and Climate Change. I envy
- [Today in Five Senses](https://vijayasundaram.com/today-in-five-senses/) - Today in Five Senses ©March 15th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Today, there's rain and damp earth, and my bulbs have begun to bloom – bright yellow flowers pushing out from the ground on rich, green stems, and shy, purple flowers just beginning to make their appearance. And my new-growing bulbs drink long, cool draughts of
- [Drop-Spindle, Spindle-Drop](https://vijayasundaram.com/drop-spindle-spindle-drop/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Drop Las hilanderas o La fábula de Aracne, óleo sobre lienzo, 220 x 289 cm, Madrid, Museo del Prado Drop-Spindle, Spindle-Drop ©March 15th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram How heavy the weight of All your pride, How heavy the weight of Things to come! How heavy the weight
- [Drop a Drop!](https://vijayasundaram.com/drop-a-drop/) - In response to the Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Drop Drop a Drop ©March 15th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram How far can you go With a cup of water That is filled to the brim And hold it aloft, Never spilling a drop? Though it's small, it will grow In weight as you go And your
- [Drop-Ocean (Senryu)](https://vijayasundaram.com/drop-ocean-senryu/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Drop Drop-Ocean ©March 15th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I am but a drop And I yearn with aching heart For the deep ocean ______________________________________________________
- [Electrical Impulse, Molecular Impulse](https://vijayasundaram.com/electrical-impulse-molecular-impulse/) - Word Count: 200 words of text, exactly Genre: Science-fiction/semi-horror (but not quite!) Electrical Impulse, Molecular Impulse ©March 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Chandra Shekhara had been hard at work all night. She had laboured mightily, and had been alone too long. Now, that would change. Although she'd been alone for two years, she had
- [Love and Soul, Soul and Death](https://vijayasundaram.com/love-and-soul-soul-and-death/) - Painting: Amore e Psiche (1707–09) by Giuseppe Crespi Love and Soul, Soul and Death ©March 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Don't look at me, he said to her. And trust in me, he said. Don't seek to see my face, he said And so she was content. And unseen spirits came to her And brought
- [Paper Revenge](https://vijayasundaram.com/paper-revenge/) - Paper Revenge – Fantasy Flash Fiction ©March 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram It was time to enter the world of the three-dimensional. Stepping out into traffic, Papyra stood, her arms above her head. The traffic screeched to a halt, but one car sailed through her. Papyra walked on, naked and calm, to the other side.
- [Fleeting Night – Haiku 4](https://vijayasundaram.com/fleeting-night-haiku-4/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Fleeting Fleeting Night – Haiku 4 ©March 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Morning veil stirring Throngs pass through in quiet haste Birdsong fills the air. ________________________________________________________
- [Fleeting Nature – Haiku 3](https://vijayasundaram.com/fleeting-nature-haiku-3/) - For The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Fleeting Fleeting Nature – Haiku 3 ©March 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Tall trees lose their seeds Bolting in desperation Premature birth-death. ______________________________________________________
- [Fleeting Moon – Haiku 2](https://vijayasundaram.com/fleeting-moon-haiku-2/) - For The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Fleeting Fleeting Moon – Haiku 2 ©March 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The moon weeps and fades Branches toss grief back and forth, Back and forth. Dew falls. ______________________________________________________
- [Fleeting Universe -Haiku 1](https://vijayasundaram.com/fleeting-universe-haiku/) - For The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Fleeting Fleeting Universe – Haiku 1 ©March 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Quick! Come take a look Whirling leaves sucked down the drain Planets in orbit. ___________________________________________
- [Complete and Incomplete](https://vijayasundaram.com/complete-and-incomplete/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Incomplete Complete and Incomplete ©March 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram What would you say if I Took your life and mine And wove both into a Tapestry that told a tale Of two people long ago Who completed each other But were complete before They met each
- [Incomplete](https://vijayasundaram.com/incomplete/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Incomplete Incomplete March 13th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Why is it SO hard to write about this topic? I began TWO poems before this post, and discarded them. I think I know the reason why. It's because INCOMPLETE is the dirge of my days. Incomplete this, and
- [Unfinished](https://vijayasundaram.com/finished-with-incompleteness/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Incomplete Unfinished ©March 13th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The brush moves in strokes And a painting is born The bell rings; like smoke, The image is gone. Turn back to the brush Take up a new one. You feel there's no rush When you bloom in the
- [Regret and Reach](https://vijayasundaram.com/regret-and-reach/) - My second response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Misstep Regret and Reach ©March 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Somewhere, in the course of her days, she made a blunder. She misheard. She misunderstood. She misspoke. She mistook. She missed a step. It might have been the thirteenth one. Empty space loomed between it and
- [Missed Step and Hidden Moon (Four Senryu)](https://vijayasundaram.com/missed-step-and-hidden-moon-four-senryu/) - For The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Misstep Missed Step and Hidden Moon (Four Senryu) ©March 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Miss, please watch your step! She makes a misstep, hurtles, Floating, feather-light. So easy to see Now, floating above the earth So sweet it all was All the faults, the flaws Their beauty, his joys,
- [All You Need](https://vijayasundaram.com/all-you-need/) - In response to The Daily Post's Weekly Photo Challenge: One Love (Note: All photographs©Vijaya Sundaram (with the exception of the one of me with sitar, which is © Warren Senders, and the one of both of us, taken by a friend). All You Need* ©March 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I've always loved the word,
- [Happy!](https://vijayasundaram.com/happy/) - On the eve of my birthday (wait, it IS my birthday now, since its now 12:30 a.m.), I wish to say this: I am happy to be alive. I am happy to love and be loved. I am happy to know good people. I am happy to learn new things. I am happy to teach.
- [Flow-erings](https://vijayasundaram.com/flow-erings/) - My third response to the March 11th Daily Post Daily Prompt: Flow Flow-erings ©March 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When sunlight and life Flow into the veins of plants, They burst into bloom. See that thick sunlight Flowing around our ankles Drawing in the bees. And that slow, sweet light, The slow, golden flow that
- [Flow-er](https://vijayasundaram.com/flow-er/) - My second poem for today's Daily Prompt from The Daily Post: Flow Flow-er ©March 11th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram When life tosses a few rocks I plunge into the stream Hold my breath, and Submerge in my subconscious. Sometimes, I fear I'll Never emerge. Sometimes, I poke my head out, Disapprove strongly Shake my head,
- [Un-Jonah!](https://vijayasundaram.com/un-jonah/) - (Poem in response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt for today: Flow) Un-Jonah! ©March 11th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I don't WANT to go with the flow It's too easy for me Too easy to let things be I WANT to resist Lest I be swept away to sea And die in the mouth of
- [Plummet](https://vijayasundaram.com/plummet/) - Photo prompt provided by Louise Bunting at The Storyteller's Abode. Word Count: 175 words of text, exactly (next time, I'll go for 150 words!) Genre: Realistic Fiction Plummet ©March 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Rajashekhar had died six months ago. At least, they'd been childless. Both his and her parents were long-dead. She had no
- [Legacy:  A Simple Love Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/legacy-a-simple-love-poem/) - Legacy: A Simple Love Poem (for The Daily Post Prompt for March 10th: Legacy) ©March 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Give me your heart. I shall always be true. I shall wind the silk Of mine with yours And spin a cloth That endures. Give me your trust. I shall hold it close. And build
- [Objects I Didn't Make (Daily Post Prompt: Object)](https://vijayasundaram.com/objects-i-didnt-make-daily-post-prompt-object/) - For the March 9th Daily Prompt: Object Objects I Didn't Make ©March 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram This stone in my hand? From the heart of a planet Swinging through time And shaped by space. More sacred than some Gift shaped by human hand (Although I like those, too!) This flower on the plant? More
- [Choice (2nd Poem for the Daily Post Prompt: Contrast)](https://vijayasundaram.com/choice-2nd-poem-for-the-daily-post-prompt-contrast/) - Contrast This is my second offering for the March 8th Daily Post prompt "Contrast." Choice (Daily Prompt, Single-Word Prompt: Contrast) ©March 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Black is the colour* of his true love's hair And black's in the heart of the racist's stare White is the colour of the skin he wears And
- [Shine On! (Sonnet for Childhood)](https://vijayasundaram.com/shine-on-sonnet-for-childhood/) - Shine On! (Sonnet for Childhood) ©March 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram See yon diamond kite, sweet child of the sky? Come watch it trail its skeins of sun, and smile. And see the air move round it in a dance – You'll soon, like me, fall straight into a trance. The world moves fast around,
- [Ill-Met by Rain-Light!](https://vijayasundaram.com/ill-met-by-rain-light/) - Photo-Credit: Emmy L. Gant Genre: Shakespearian Fantasy / Grim humor Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Ill-Met by Rain-Light! ©March 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The King stepped into the urban jungle, followed by his retinue. He stared at his Queen, who emerged from behind a trash can, with her attendants. "Ill met
- [Lone Trash](https://vijayasundaram.com/lone-trash/) - Photo-Credit: Emmy L. Gant Genre: Brutal Realism Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Lone Trash ©March 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I sit on the sidewalk in the rain, my mind an empty bin. I can barely move. Ants bite at my veins. Spiders crawl up my spine. Last night's dinner knocks at my
- [Sun in a Universe Blacker than Night (Daily Prompt:  Contrast)](https://vijayasundaram.com/sun-in-a-universe-blacker-than-night-daily-prompt-contrast/) - In response to The Daily Post's Daily Prompt: Contrast Sun in a Universe Blacker than Night ©March 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The night presses so blackly Against my cold window-pane, That the absurd orange of Fake cloth flowers holds it back. Night staggers away, singing – A drunk in delirium. I am not fazed.
- [Secret Season -- Tanka #2](https://vijayasundaram.com/secret-season-tanka/) - In response to Secret from The Daily Prompt Secret Season – Tanka #2 ©March 9th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Bees buzz in sunshine The Season of Secrets comes; Blossoms everywhere! See your child unfurl her wings; Wonder at her secret smile. ______________________________________
- [Safe Home (Haiku)](https://vijayasundaram.com/safe-home-haiku/) - Safe Home ©March 6th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Safety is your voice Arms and soul and heart so warm Homeward-bound I am. _________________________________________________ For Sunday's Haiku Horizons
- [Geese, and Catamarans, Cowrie Shells and Smoke](https://vijayasundaram.com/geese-and-catamarans-cowrie-shells-and-smoke/) - Connection Geese, and Catamarans, Cowrie Shells and Smoke (Daily Prompt: Connections) ©March 6th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram If I send you a string of thoughts Winging across the air In goose-formation, Would you watch their flight? And would you send back A flight of thoughts Winging as surely as geese Returning in springtime? Little archipelagos
- [The Daily Post Photo-Challenge:  Harmony](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-daily-post-photo-challenge-harmony/) - At the ICA, in Boston, with Merce Cunningham's dance troupe on the screen Photograph@Vijaya Sundaram, January 2016 Still Life. Still, Life ... ©March 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram As she leaves the screen, She stills the terror within. What am I doing in this show? And she steps out, shaken. The pale-and-dark of space Obliterates
- [Today, a Cold Sun (Tanka #1)](https://vijayasundaram.com/today-a-cold-sun-tanka-1/) - Today, a Cold Sun (Tanka #1) ©March 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Today, a cold sun Breaks upon my window-pane. Shards of blue scatter. I sit mute, keys a-tapping, Awaiting winter or spring. ____________________________________________
- [Gold and Shadow](https://vijayasundaram.com/gold-and-shadow/) - Gold and Shadow ©March 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram That reflection you hold Aloft in your mind's view? Find it. Reach it. Touch it. Understand It's the sun. You're the one. (Don't burn your hand. Let it teach you. Don't let it blind you.) Turn all into gold. Don't let it vanish Don't turn your
- [Looking-Glass](https://vijayasundaram.com/looking-glass/) - Looking Glass ©March 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Gaze at the looking-glass See how you've changed. How easy it is to forget! Remind yourself today Of who you are now, Come, take a bow. Marvel at who, how You were yesterday. Who you want to be, and yet Not change. How strange! Can this come
- [Flow, Bacchanal!](https://vijayasundaram.com/flow-bacchanal/) - Flow, Bacchanal! ©March 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Make up your mind! You flow like water, Move with the wind. Turn like the tides, You, Dream's daughter, Streaming through The void of this life, Don't avoid strife! Be wild, be a child, Dance in beams of light Wild girl, bacchanal, Bell-voiced, laurel-leafed Tread and stomp
- [The Triangle](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-triangle/) - Your Photo Prompt for Week #10 – 2016 Genre: Historical Fiction/Greek Mythology Word Count: 200 words of text, exactly (for Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner) The Triangle* ©March 4thm, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram [Smiling, Clotho regarded the spark in her cave in the dark mists of time, a spark shaped like a girl.
- [Descent](https://vijayasundaram.com/descent/) - Descent ©March 4th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram First comes desire, an urgent Pressing need to do: I want this, I want to do this. Next comes resistance: No, I don't! I won't! I cannot! Then comes stasis. And the minutes tick away Lifetimes slide past, Looking sorrowfully Out of the corners of their Eyes, moist
- [Out of My Mind](https://vijayasundaram.com/out-of-my-mind/) - Genre: Science Fiction Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Out of My Mind ©March 3rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I was running out of mind. I was un-person-ed. Quiet panic was settling in. Dave had wormed his way into my consciousness, tunneling into my mind, devouring memories as he went, chomping on happy times,
- [Electric Sleep](https://vijayasundaram.com/electric-sleep/) - Genre: Science Fiction/Horror Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Electric Sleep* ©March 3rd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram So many batteries, so little time! I taste success, despite setbacks, and despite my school-mates laughing at me. He can't move himself without huffing and puffing! Check out those batteries he's collecting. What's he going to make
- [Tribute, OR:  Who Carries Whom?](https://vijayasundaram.com/tribute-or-who-carries-whom/) - Genre: Non-Fiction Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Tribute (Or: Who Carries Whom?) ©February 24th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Ninety-three years old, clear-skinned, white-haired, my grandmother shines with inner light. Married at thirteen, a mother at seventeen, a grandmother in her early forties, she grew up in a time and country unconducive to women.
- [Sow Well](https://vijayasundaram.com/sow-well/) - Karma Chameleon (Daily Post prompt) Sow Well ©February 19th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram As you sow, so shall you reap. Your good thoughts, good words, good deeds are the only choice that you, a moral person, should make. Not just good thoughts, because the road to Hell or Perdition, as they say, can be paved
- [TILT!](https://vijayasundaram.com/tilt/) - Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction (Timely Tales 2) Word Count: 100 words TILT! ©February 17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Time was lonely, and a-weary of her job. The stars spun in their course around the Universe, even as it expanded quietly. Planets formed, died, and were re-born. Nebulae cradled baby stars, and supernovae interred them. Interminable darkness
- [STOP!](https://vijayasundaram.com/stop/) - Genre: Timely Tales (Entry 1) Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly STOP! ©February17th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The killer struck, and his knife remained in his victim. The blood that poured out from the wound stopped flowing. The teacher's raised stick stayed raised. The flinching student cowered. The soldiers in the field lay sprawled
- [Poem for My Valentine](https://vijayasundaram.com/poem-for-my-valentine/) - Poem for My Valentine ©February 14th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Sometimes, tumbling into sleep, We turn to each other, smile And close our eyes, and follow Our own paths into our own Inner romance, into sleep. For, sometimes, love needs no words. Although we talk and ramble. Music, love, politics, friends, Books, child, dog, ideas,
- [Quoth the Teacher: Never Again!](https://vijayasundaram.com/quoth-the-teacher-never-again/) - Quoth the Teacher: Never Again! ©February 13th, 2016Dreamer of Dreams Never Again Even as I write this, I hesitate. But this was MY life and reality for seventeen years, and I will write about it. So, to what do I say Never Again? Waking up at 6:20 a.m., frantically getting showered, dressed, coffee-d, and unbreakfasted (except
- [Eat to Live, or Live to eat, but LIVE!](https://vijayasundaram.com/eat-to-live-or-live-to-eat-but-live/) - Eat to Live, or Live to Eat, but LIVE! ©February 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Live to Eat --Dailypost prompt Don't we all? I mean, live to eat? No? Which planet do you come from? No, seriously! Food is good. It's beautiful. It's ... full of untold sensations that satisfy so many needs! Yes, we
- [Away! (An Aubade)](https://vijayasundaram.com/away-an-aubade/) - Away! (An Aubade) ©February 12th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Night comes quietly, Eager to court me, And pay me tribute. Soft is the pale cloud On which we both lie, And converse, entwine. Colors flow like songs And music slides in Hues beyond my ken. Sleep is my lover. We keep our dream-tryst, Short though
- [Hello, Goodbye!  OR:  Pride comes before the Plucking](https://vijayasundaram.com/hello-goodbye-or-pride-comes-before-the-plucking/) - PHOTO PROMPT © The Reclining Gentleman Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Fanciful Fiction Hello, Goodbye! Or, Pride Comes Before a Plucking ©February 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The tulip, emerging from the ground, encountered a tall daffodil. "Hello?" she said, nervously. The daffodil looked around, well aware of his flamboyant good looks,
- [Flower-Child](https://vijayasundaram.com/flower-child/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Fanciful Fiction Flower-Child ©February 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram People flee me when they see me -- I know, because I hear them. Before I was born, my mother turned her face to the sun, and begged for a child who would save the earth. I am
- [To a Spider](https://vijayasundaram.com/to-a-spider/) - To a Spider ©February 10th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram With eight eyes, what do you see? The universe is an octagonal thing. And all the sounds of it must be Octaves of sensation! Do you see eight worlds? (Allow me my fancies.) With delicate, eight-legged gait, You, a creature from another world, Inhabit the same
- [Not Crying](https://vijayasundaram.com/not-crying/) - Not Crying (A story from 2009, which I revised today) ©February 8th, 2016 Vijaya Sundaram The class had been more difficult than usual that day, and it was now time to collect their homework. Ms. Mitchell, the English teacher, not especially known for her kindness, walked around collecting assignments, while the class attended to their
- [Choose Carefully](https://vijayasundaram.com/choose-carefully/) - Choose Carefully ©February 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Wonderstruck, thunderstruck, You twirl on shifting sands Of contradiction and paradox, And the dance of life Becomes dizzy. To care, or not to care To work, or not to work To laugh, or not to laugh To think, or not to think To eat, or not
- [Our First Big Snow Since 2016 began ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/our-first-big-snow-since-2016-began/) - ... made us all happy, especially our daughter (not pictured) and the dog (pictured, but not in the snow).
- [Forbidden](https://vijayasundaram.com/forbidden/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic Fiction Forbidden ©February 5th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I waited for him, lost in regret. Twenty years ago, we'd parted friends, but frosty. We had, however, agreed that we would meet on this day, on the banks of the water-hyacinth-clogged river where we'd learned to swim
- [Shadows of the Real](https://vijayasundaram.com/shadows-of-the-real/) - Shadows of the Real ©February 4th, 2016By Vijaya Sundaram Shadows chase shadows chasing shadows And mirrors reflect mirrors reflecting mirrors. And you stand to one side, A shadow within a shadow, Leaving behind no dent, Causing no reflections, Barely a whiff of air to prove you existed. So easy to say, "What's the point?" As
- [Among the Water-Hyacinths](https://vijayasundaram.com/among-the-water-hyacinths/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Fantasy Fiction Among the Water-Hyacinths ©February 4th, 2016By Vijaya Sundaram The King lay in the arms of his best friend, bleeding to death. "I wish it hadn't ended like this," he rasped, eyes filming, a shroud of regret settling on him. "It'll be all right, Sire, you'll
- [Expedition Denial](https://vijayasundaram.com/expedition-denial/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Quasi-historical fiction Expedition Denial* ©February 4th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Water-plants choked the river. Below, lurked hungry crocodiles. They'd already gone far enough. Food on board was dwindling. The natives they'd met on the shores, strange dark-skinned people (indubitably, cave-dwellers), looked unfriendly. The soldiers on the ships
- [Life is But A Dream](https://vijayasundaram.com/life-is-but-a-dream/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Somewhat-Realistic Fiction Life is But A Dream ©February 4th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The clouds loomed. The air was still with expectation. Water-hyacinths choked the river. "Why this route?" I complained for the umpteenth time. "There isn't any other route," replied the boatman, sullenly. Suddenly, the boat
- [House of Sand, House of Darkness](https://vijayasundaram.com/house-of-sand-house-of-darkness/) - House of Sand, House of Darkness ©January 27th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Matthieu told me when I bought the house that it was a bad idea. He warned me not to buy so close to the beach. I bought it. It was beautiful. Old tiled roofs and stuccoed walls made it look charming. Bamboo
- [Solitude in the woods at 5:00 in the winter afternoon](https://vijayasundaram.com/solitude-in-the-woods-at-500-in-the-winter-afternoon/) - Walking in the woods in the gathering gloaming late today afternoon, Holly and I were the only souls there ... or so we thought. As we reached the far end of the trail, before turning back, Holly, who had been bounding about happily, became still and looked away, as if listening to something. I felt
- [Change, please](https://vijayasundaram.com/3176-2/) - All photographs©Vijaya Sundaram, 2015-2016 Change, Please ©January 22nd, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I wonder about trees. When I consider my life -- So short, so filled with futile Railing against this and that, Filled with pride and fall, Gain and loss, Wasted effort, and just waste, I wonder about them. When I sojourn in the
- [Piano, piano](https://vijayasundaram.com/piano-piano/) - Piano, Piano ©January 21st, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Magic Realist Heartbreak Tale Softly, you stole her heart, and drowned it. You spoke of dreams, played songs, and promised ... nothing. Stepping unsuspectingly in the wake of your beauty, your tightly-lidded passion, she was swept away. And as
- [Little Straw Folk](https://vijayasundaram.com/little-straw-folk/) - Here is a song I wrote (and for which I composed the music and supporting parts, except the improvisational sections) in 1992, and sang and recorded in 1993. It's a story, as many of my songs are. Hope you like it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owc5vB7mPCI
- [Worshipper](https://vijayasundaram.com/worshipper/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Magical Mystery Fiction Worshipper ©January 13th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Nine steps was all it took ... and Abida was lost. Dimly, she remembered pushing a gate. There was a railing, and some creepers. The steps were cracked. Spidery veins cut through the concrete. When she found
- [The Double Life of the Dreamer of Dreams](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-double-life-of-the-dreamer-of-dreams/) - All photographs ©Vijaya Sundaram, (taken January 12th, 2016)
- [Advice](https://vijayasundaram.com/advice/) - Advice ©January 8th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram This you shall do*: Love the earth, Take care of her, as you Take care of your family. Love your family, Keep them close, Give them space. Do not intrude, Love them freely. Offer a listening ear. Offer a hand if someone wants it. Enjoy company, Enjoy solitude.
- [In Plane Sight (My second story for Friday Fictioneers)](https://vijayasundaram.com/in-plane-sight-my-second-story-for-friday-fictioneers/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Melanie Greenwood Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Flight Fantasy In Plane Sight ©Janary 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram Every day, two hazel-green eyes gazed from the perfectly polished glass windows of the little airport, and lingered longingly at the Cessna on the tarmac. The being standing there (and whose
- [Parentheses](https://vijayasundaram.com/parentheses/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic fiction Parentheses ©January 7th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram The Cessna stood on the tarmac, polished and shining in the sun. Seven-year old Julia read its tail fin: N173VP it read. She looked up at her father, round eyes worried: "Dad, will it take us all the
- [A Bit of Abrupt Reality (Dog-Tail #3)](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-bit-of-abrupt-reality-dog-tail-3/) - A Bit of Abrupt Reality (Dog-Tail #3 ©December 6th, 2016 By Vijaya Sundaram I went to the woods today -- TWICE! The first time, I went with the Hod. It was a beautiful day, and she was excellent for the first part of our walk. Then, on the way back, she was
- [Forgiveness on a Coffee Date](https://vijayasundaram.com/forgiveness-on-a-coffee-date/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic Fiction Forgiveness On A Coffee Date ©January 1st, 2016By Vijaya Sundaram We looked at each other over that promised coffee. It was tepid. A lemony sun shone in the sludgy sky. Outside, a few timid flowers bloomed. The doorway glowed resplendently, its rising sun emitting caffeinated
- [Remorse](https://vijayasundaram.com/remorse/) - Remorse ©December 26th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram There are times When silence is best, When she needn't Have spoken the words That hurt, and hurt again. Wishing she could seize Barbed moments, when words Cut into someone's soul, she tries To push against the wheel of time To set it back to the place Before
- [Happy Christmas!](https://vijayasundaram.com/happy-christmas/) - Photographs©Vijaya Sundaram, December 25th, 2015 (Some presents, walk in the woods in the late December afternoon, some brownies, and that cake!) We spent yesterday with extended family at Amherst, eating our "traditional" Christmas Eve Chinese food at Amherst Chinese Restaurant. Today, a quiet day with just us -- we had lovely pancakes which my
- [The Mower](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-mower/) - PHOTO PROMPT – © Scott L. Vannatter Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Death-myth fiction The Mower ©December 23rd, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The farm-cat knew it. Both dogs knew it. Even the little mice scurrying behind the walls knew it. The sheep in their pens knew it, and baa-aa-ed nervously. The cow
- [Mesmer (Dog-Tail #2)](https://vijayasundaram.com/mesmer-dog-tail-2/) - PHOTO PROMPT – © Scott L. Vannatter Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Animal Tails Mesmer (Dog-Tail #2) ©December 23rd, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Hypnotia, our cat, had trained us well. Her lamp-like stare could arrest us in our tracks. We'd play the piano for her any time she needed to yowl. Then,
- [A Song I Love](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-song-i-love/) - Click on the audio link above to hear John Lennon sing "Julia," written for his mother (with references to Yoko Ono, as well). All photographs @Vijaya Sundaram / Warren Senders, between July 2008 - December 2015
- [Diary-Entry:  Dog and Ducks in December](https://vijayasundaram.com/diary-entry-dog-and-ducks-in-december/) - All photographs ©Vijaya Sundaram, December 23rd, 2015 Holly and I took a walk together earlier today. It was a warmish-cool afternoon (in December!), with the temperatures between 57° and 52° degrees, and yes, the world is slowly coming to an end, while global warming and climate change do their gritty business, fulfilling their promise to
- [Of Human Boatage](https://vijayasundaram.com/of-human-boatage/) - With apologies to W. Somerset Maugham
- [Plastic Angels -- Ten Haiku for this Season](https://vijayasundaram.com/plastic-angels-ten-haiku-for-this-season/) - Plastic Angels -- Ten Haiku for the Season ©December 21st, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Lights blink on and off A tangle of paper and tissue Such innocent dreams! Darkness pivots on light Panic fills waiting houses Cheer bursting its seams. Not of this place, nor This ethos of gift-giving Shrug on your disguise. No, we
- [Fare for the Ferry (Prompt: Farewell; Poetry Day 10)](https://vijayasundaram.com/fare-for-the-ferry-prompt-farewell-poetry-day-10/) - Fare for the Ferry (Prompt: Farewell; Poetry, Day 10)©December 18th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Goodbye, I said to the clock in the room Goodbye, it whispered back to me. Farewell, I said to the shadowy gloom, Which said, "Oh, please come back to me." Goodbye, I said to the leaning tree Goodbye, it whispered back
- [Bound for Canaan (Prompt: Farewell, Poetry, Day 10)](https://vijayasundaram.com/bound-for-canaan-prompt-farewell-poetry-day-10/) - Bound for Canaan ©December 18th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Hello! Goodbye! in one breath, We come into our birth and death, We fly in and out, Our cries are a shout, Huddling together, we sisters and brothers Seeking some warmth and love from each other, Seeking a word or even a sign That who we
- [On the Road to Perdition (Camouflage; Poetry, Day 9)](https://vijayasundaram.com/on-the-road-to-perdition-camouflage-poetry-day-9/) - On the Road to Perdition (Prompt: Camouflage; Poetry Day 9)December 17th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram He stands at the corner And they drive right on, Or stop, pull up windows, Lock their doors, cautious You see, because ... well ... Because ...they're ... cautious, And it's good sense, right? Not knowing what Lurks in the
- [Keen Dog (Dog-Tail #1)](https://vijayasundaram.com/keen-dog-dog-tail-1/) - Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Canine Fiction Keen Dog (Dog-Tail #1) ©December 16th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram My family had gone away. Strangeness was in the air. Someone was waiting outside. Looking out the window, eyes adjusting to the hazy dawn, I saw nothing. I padded to the back door, worked the
- [Wailing Wall (Graffiti; Poetry, Day 8)](https://vijayasundaram.com/wailing-wall-graffiti-poetry-day-8/) - Wailing Wall (Prompt: Graffiti; Poetry, Day 8) ©December 15th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Standing uncertain And pulling the curtain Away from your eyes You stand, hypnotized. Come, write this on me, Tell yourself that you're free From the fate that dogged you And the hate that fogged you And all you've endured since The time
- [Ouroboros (Poetry, Day 7)](https://vijayasundaram.com/ouroboros-poetry-day-7/) - Ouroboros (Prompt: Beloved, Poetry, Day 7) ©December 15th, 2015 Vijaya Sundaram When the stars have burned out And turned into lumps of coal Useless, unless sparked into life, That's when I might, just might Leave you. My beloved, it's because I have To light those stars again. It'll take some time Before I return. An
- [Dog and Snout and Door, Or, Unreasonable Sense](https://vijayasundaram.com/dog-and-snout-and-door-or-unreasonable-sense/) - Dog and Snout and Door, or, Unreasonable Sense ©December 14th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram If a picture paints a thousand words, I shall paint Her straining, pointing Sense of smell, Her mystic Nose; Knife-bladed, full of delicate velvet, Wet with warm canine intuition, Her Nose sketches out landscapes Full of squirrels and raccoons. And Her
- [Gibberish](https://vijayasundaram.com/gibberish/) - Grock snurple snark! I like to have a lark. Cluck, crumple skonk I want to make a honk! If this post shows no Comments I'll have to asharofglow Grarmlents!
- [Freedom Tracks -- A Ditty (Poetry, Day 5)](https://vijayasundaram.com/freedom-tracks-a-ditty-poetry-day-5/) - Freedom Tracks ©December 10th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram See those children skipping rope. They chant and sing and dream and hope Playing hopscotch, playing tag Their minutes stretch, but never drag. See those dancers, see them swirl Full of tight control, they whirl. Gravity is just a word Freedom is a song not heard, But
- [Twist of Time (Poetry, Day 4)](https://vijayasundaram.com/twist-of-time-poetry-day-4/) - Twist of Time (A Surrealist Perspective) ©December 10th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Came a multi-chorused Voice From the blue-green sphere: May I have some more, Sir? Please? Could I, do you think? My life's running out, My heart's pumped out dreams And fear, desire and grief My pulse hammers and quakes In rhythm, in time.
- [Block-Cage](https://vijayasundaram.com/block-cage/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Luther Siler Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: Realistic Metaphorical Fiction Block-Cage ©December 9th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The prisoner beat his head against the cage, and died ... I stopped typing, and shook my head. I didn't like the story. My eight-year-old came into my room, saw the fallen
- [Doors of Deception](https://vijayasundaram.com/doors-of-deception/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: War/Ghost-Fiction Doors of Deception ©December 9th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Once, there was a house. Once, there were warm, living people in this house. There was a house, with warm, living people in it -- now there is dry heather. Wind moans
- [Morpheus Dreams of Sleep (Poetry, Day 3)](https://vijayasundaram.com/morpheus-dreams-of-sleep-poetry-day-3/) - Morpheus Dreams of Sleep ©December 9th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram I sift dreams, and drift through souls Bringing stasis, wafting through That place where poppies grow, Whose redness, like blood, Makes me nod, and nod, But I never sleep. I ache with desire for sleep. I search, adrift, through worlds Seeking sleep. I cast my
- [Hide and Seek:  Reflections (Poetry, Day 2)](https://vijayasundaram.com/hide-and-seek-reflections-poetry-day-2/) - I see you. You lurk behind a mask But your eyes move, And in those eyes, I see desire, I see fright I see self-effacement And self-aggrandizement. I see sadness and loss, And the bluster and dross of A life lost to reason And treasonous hopes fled As hopes always do. I see excuses and
- [Magic-Maya (Day 1)](https://vijayasundaram.com/magic-maya-day-1/) - Magic-Maya © December 8th 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Sunlight slipped from the tree Into the palms of my young hands, And I drank deep of the well of Green-gold peace, And found magic. Chasing after street pigs In my mother's hometown, Laughing in limpid delight At their tails curling stiffly Behind them, and wanting Wanting
- [On Taking the Plunge](https://vijayasundaram.com/on-taking-the-plunge/) - When I think about writing novels, and publishing my poems, short stories and plays, my heart quails. True, honest writing is like jumping off a bridge, with no harnesses, no safety nets, nothing. It's about jumping off, and enjoying the few moments of flight -- if suddenly, one grows wings while falling, how wonderful! If
- [Sisyphus The Second](https://vijayasundaram.com/sisyphus-the-second/) - Sisyphus The Second ©November 27th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly Genre: End-Times, Greek-Myth-Sci-Fi Style They condemned me to hell. I’d committed a crime beyond forgiveness. I’d destroyed the oceans, and lied about it. When They heard about it, They plucked me from my mansion, and set me down hard
- [Cigarette Butts and Dead Leaves](https://vijayasundaram.com/cigarette-butts-and-dead-leaves/) - Cigarette Butts and Dead Leaves ©November 19th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly I sit on the sidewalk near the gutter by our flat, and wait. Smoking cigarette after cigarette, my fingers stained yellow, my eyes blank, my hands trembling, I wait. The seasons come and go. Long
- [Where Have All the Flowers Gone?](https://vijayasundaram.com/where-have-all-the-flowers-gone/) - PHOTO PROMPT – © J Hardy Carroll Where Have All the Flowers Gone? © November 15th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Genre: Realistic Fantasy Death-Fiction Word Count: 100 words of text exactly So much sorrow in the world, so much war, so many dead! All that waste, all those fathers gone, those flowers with their heads
- [Wife-Earth-Mother](https://vijayasundaram.com/wife-earth-mother/) - Wife-Earth-Mother ©November 5th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram I walked in her footsteps. Grace had tended our arid acre of land, pouring her spirit into it. That which was infertile, she'd made fertile, and that which had died, she'd made live. For twenty years she grew corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers - enough for our
- [Nothing much ... Just Saying Hello!](https://vijayasundaram.com/nothing-much-just-saying-hello/) - So, on Friday, my daughter and I leave for India. We'll be flying on Emirates (which, I've heard, is an excellent airline). We'll be gone from the 6th through the 23rd of November. We're excited, because this is the first time she'll be celebrating Diwali, and that too, in the land where it's meant to
- [CROSSING THE SEA OF DEATH by Carol P. Christ](https://vijayasundaram.com/crossing-the-sea-of-death-by-carol-p-christ/) - The story of refugees fleeing their war-torn homelands and crossing the sea to come to the relative safety of Europe (where they face discrimination in countries like Hungary, but are being shown kindness in some places in Greece, Turkey, and recently, Germany) is most heartbreaking news I've been following over the past several months. This
- [Today, Washed Clean](https://vijayasundaram.com/today-washed-clean/) - Today, Washed Clean ©October 29th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The backyard patio is swept clean of leaves, the steep flight of front stairs leading up to the house are swept, the bulbs are in (maybe I'll plant more today, since I have more -- I'm turning into a bulb-freak!), and the rain has wiped the
- [Rebirth of the Hydra](https://vijayasundaram.com/rebirth-of-the-hydra/) - PHOTO PROMPT – © Dale Rogerson Genre: Greek neo-Myth Word Count: 100 words of text exactly Rebirth of the Hydra ©October28th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Why did I fight Alcaeus? I should've recognized him when he arrived. I should have known when he and Iolaus cauterized eight of my heads. I should've known that he,
- [Flower Sack Dresses From the Flour Mills (Historical Kindness)](https://vijayasundaram.com/flower-sack-dresses-from-the-flour-mills-historical-kindness/) - I found this blog through a friend on FB. This is quite inspiring, and makes me ashamed of how much I waste in my life when I buy store-bought clothes, and don't even "re-purpose" them. I love the idea of a Kindness Blog, don't you? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- [Coddling The Hod](https://vijayasundaram.com/coddling-the-hod/) - Coddling The Hod ©October 25th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Fifty-nine more bulbs went into the ground today, in between my running around, doing various other things. (Someone give me a blunt object so I can knock myself out!) My dog, Holly (aka, The Hoddles, aka The Hod) gave me a reproachful stare when I came
- [Forever Summertime](https://vijayasundaram.com/forever-summertime-tomato-harvest/) - So, my beloved poet-friend Elizabeth Gordon McKim saw my post on FB about the tomatoes I'd mentioned yesterday (was it just yesterday?!), and commented that she loved "the sorting and the naming...appeals to (her) poet nature...waiting for the taste/the touch/ the aroma." This prompted a response from me, and I simply wrote a poem back.
- [Dream-Nap (Haiku)](https://vijayasundaram.com/dream-nap-haiku/) - How often do you nap? This was the topic I got on the Random Questions - Conversation Topic Generator on Dan Alatorre's blog, where he issued a haiku challenge (and I got here via one of my blogging favs, Draliman (thanks, Dr. Ali!) So, how strange that I should get my favorite topic -- SLEEP? The
- [The Strange and the Familiar](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-strange-and-the-familiar/) - Crunch of leaves, Underfoot, a soft sound. Golden-brown flutters down, Red-rich, green-meagre trees Bravely holding on. Slant-wise light, Deepening shadows, Graying skies. Dog by my side, Paws scudding, Joy fills her nose. Up the slopes, and Down the craggy Face of the wooded hills, Down the leafy paths Narrow and wide, Into that which is
- [The Voice of Triumph Over Tribulation](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-voice-of-triumph-over-tribulation/) - I am sitting with a cup of coffee at my kitchen table on this chilly fall day, listening to the late great Hindustani vocalist, Padmabhushan Gangubai Hangal singing Raga Prabhat Bhairav. Her voice is raw, uncompromising, full of pain and triumph, and not at all like the very high, pretty, curlicued vocalisms usually practised by
- [The Last of the Season's Tomato Harvest!](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-last-of-the-seasons-tomato-harvest/) - The Last of the Season's Tomato Harvest You get a pang when you pick the last of the season's tomatoes (well we picked them just before that first freezing night -- was it last week?). They languished all this time in two bags. I sorted them out finally today, after removing all the dried out
- [A Non-Traditional First Dussera Celebration in my Indo-American Household!](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-non-traditional-first-dussera-celebration-in-my-indo-american-household/) - Happy Dussera, Indian homies out there! Okay, so ... have I turned into a trad.Tam.Bram? I celebrated Saraswati Puja yesterday -- in my own style, at night (which I found out is frowned upon). Terribly busy day yesterday, everyone's schedules were different, so ... I cleaned up the kitchen, and arranged some pictures of Saraswati
- [Jefferson's Big Day](https://vijayasundaram.com/jeffersons-big-day/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Ron Pruitt Genre: Vehicular Fantasy Word Count: 100 words of text exactly Jefferson's Big Day ©October 22nd, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Jefferson was waiting. He was bored. And he felt mischievous. Waiting was irksome. It wasn't his forte. He felt positively homicidal. After an age, there were streams of passengers, appearing out
- [A Fierce Nostalgia, and Music](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-fierce-nostalgia-and-music/) - Right now, while the washing machine is sloshing clothes around, and the dryer is roaring away, I'm listening to a recorded lesson given to my husband and me by my (late) teacher of Indian classical vocal music, Pandit S.G. Devasthali. He was a teacher of Hindi at Loyola School in Pune, India in his professional
- [Should Teachers Work for Free?](https://vijayasundaram.com/should-teachers-work-for-free/) - This is a reblog of Diane Ravitch's piece on her blog.
- [Three Things to Read to Understand Common Core](https://vijayasundaram.com/three-things-to-read-to-understand-common-core/) - More on the same.
- [Michael Fiorillo on Bill and Melinda Gates: A Literary Reference for Close Reading](https://vijayasundaram.com/michael-fiorillo-on-bill-and-melinda-gates-a-literary-reference-for-close-reading/) - Literature holds the mirror up to the truth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- [Ritualized Horrors and Indian Girls - My response to an NPR article](https://vijayasundaram.com/ritualized-horrors-and-indian-girls-my-response-to-an-npr-article/) - A Girl Gets Her Period And Is Banished To The Shed: #15Girls - An NPR article. Please read the linked article above. This is my comment upon reading it: This happens not just in Nepal. In South Indian Tamil Brahmin culture (at least in the Iyer caste), this is called "Duram" -- literally "distance." Something
- [Saying Nothing](https://vijayasundaram.com/saying-nothing/) - I guess I'm suffering from withdrawal pangs. The past two weeks (ten days) were absolutely wonderful, intense poetry-imbued weeks, and I wrote my first limerick(s), ballad, odes, acrostic poems, found poems, elegy and sonnet. I've read and written poetry for most of my life. I even wrote rhymed poems, but this was my first attempt
- [Immortality, OR:  Art Causes Pain And Pleasure](https://vijayasundaram.com/immortality-or-art-causes-pain-and-pleasure/) - Immortality, OR: Art Causes Pain and Pleasure ©October 16th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram It's You of whom (sometimes) I think when I See people work at art or song or verse While making beauty with their minds, traverse The lands invisible that touch the sky. Your shadows lurk so menacingly stark For 'tis a
- [Patron Saint](https://vijayasundaram.com/patron-saint/) - In response to The Daily Post's writing prompt: "A True Saint." Patron Saint ©October16th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram I am a saint. Look at me! See that halo around my head? You don't? Hang on, I'll adjust it. No, it's not there! Where did I put it? Yikes! Here it is, Shivering in the refrigerator,
- [Sorry folks!  (No poems today - but here are some famous sonnets to soothe you)](https://vijayasundaram.com/sorry-folks-no-poems-today-but-here-are-some-famous-sonnets-to-soothe-you/) - No poem from me tonight -- But there'll be a sonnet from me tomorrow. Meanwhile here are some sonnets to keep you company and gladden you as you go about your possibly sad and forlorn day, which might, perhaps, be stripped of poetry (I'm just being facetious -- I know all your lives and days
- [Nanati Bratuku -  And A Whole Way of Life](https://vijayasundaram.com/nanati-bratuku-and-a-whole-way-of-life/) - As a young teenager, I used to wake up to all the songs on this album, and this one always moved me deeply, both for the beautiful pentatonic scale (1, flat 2, 4, 5, flat 7, 1 - or, Do, flat Re, Fa, Sol, Flat Ti, Octave Do --for those who want to know) of
- [The Thing I Held](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-thing-i-held/) - PHOTO PROMPT -© Rochelle Wisoff-Fields Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly The Thing I Held ©October 14th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Rain poured down like tears while I stood at the railing. My hands shook. My eyes were wet, like rain. The blurring in my eyes flooded my throat, like
- [A Cold Christmas Pine-Tree -- Day 9:  Shape poem, about the cold, using anaphora, epistrophe and symploce](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-cold-christmas-pine-tree-shape-poem-anaphora-epistrophe-symploce/) - A Cold Christmas Pine-Tree (Writing 201, Day 9: Shape Poem/Anaphora/Epistrophe/Symploce) ©October 14th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram ______________________________________________________________________ 'Tis Almost winter. And chill will soon set in And bitter snow will quickly fall Before the Fall comes Tumbling down, before the leaves Come tumbling down, Before green apples turn to brown, before Our smiles turn into
- [Elegy for a Dying Earth (Day 8: Flavor, Elegy, Enumeratio)](https://vijayasundaram.com/elegy-for-a-dying-earth-day-8-flavor-elegy-enumeratio/) - Elegy for a Dying Earth (Day 8: Flavor, Elegy, Enumeratio) ©October 15th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram I fear the earth has come to reap what we have sown In haste, we sowed the breeze, and reaped this hateful wind And through this storm, we'll miss those things we loved so well The rain, the snow,
- [My Dog's Neighborhood --  And Wilderness is Paradise, Enow*-- Ballad (sort of)](https://vijayasundaram.com/my-dogs-neighborhood-and-wilderness-is-paradise-enow-ballad-sort-of/) - My Dog's Neighborhood -- And Wilderness is Paradise, Enow* [Day 7 - Ballad (sort of), Assonance, Neighborhood] ©October 13th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram This is a tale of her and me The human and the canine soul, My tail's aloft, my nose so keen And wilderness our goal. My nose, so sensitive, so black
- [Wide Awake, Dream Time (Day 6 -- Found Poetry, Face, Chiasmus, Attempt #2)](https://vijayasundaram.com/wide-awake-dream-time-day-6-found-poetry-face-chiasmus-attempt-2/) - Wide Awake, Dream in Lilac Time ©October 12th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Wide Awake*, I shut my eyes in order to see.* Visions of Outsider Artists hang like menaces. What lies Within us, and Within us, What lies! Between the lashes Of your eyes, Dream in Lilac Time:* Illusions of perspective Unmatched
- [Not When Pigs Fly (My Day 6 Chiasmus-"Found" Poem -  using "Face.")](https://vijayasundaram.com/not-when-pigs-fly-my-day-6-chiasmus-found-poem-using-face/) - I have NEVER done "Found Poetry," nor have I ever attempted chiasmus as a device, although I knew of it, and had encountered it. It seems that these days I'm doing things that I've never attempted. In any case, today's (Day 6) assignment, in brief, was: Create a "found poem" Make it about "faces" Use
- [A Poem I Love (also poets whose work I've loved through my life)](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-poem-i-love-also-poets-whose-work-ive-loved-through-my-life/) - I have loved many, many poets and poems since I was a young girl of eight or ten. From Donne to Blake, from Shakespeare to Milton, from Wordsworth to Tennyson, from Eliot to D.H. Lawrence, from Wilde to Yeats, from Emily Dickinson to Robert Frost, from Gwendolyn Brooks, May Sarton, Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Sonia
- [Skunkencounter](https://vijayasundaram.com/skunkencounter/) - Skunencounter ©October9th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The day before yesterday, I was inside my house, attending to some trivial task, when I heard The Hod (one of my names for Holly, our nearly two-year old Standard Poodle, barking fit to burst outside in our back yard. Ordinarily, I'd just yell, "Stop barking, Holly!" and repeat
- [Ode to my Beloved (A non-Horatian Ode)](https://vijayasundaram.com/ode-to-my-beloved-a-non-horatian-ode/) - Ode to My Beloved (A non-Horatian Ode) ©October 9th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram You are the route I would like to traverse, My beloved, companion of my days and life. Your beautiful smile the lamplight And your veins tracing your blood To your heart, the mysterious tracks To you. A road so beautiful, your skin,
- [An Ode to My Fate (Map of Fate)](https://vijayasundaram.com/an-ode-to-my-fate-map-of-fate/) - An Ode To My Fate (Map of Fate) (My attempt at a Horatian Ode) ©October 8th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram *Could I hold you aloft in the twilight of love And trace out your routes with attention, to look For where softly would land all my dreams, like the dove From the Ark that found
- [The Tiny Carnival and The Captive](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-tiny-carnival-and-the-captive/) - Genre: A Swiftian Tale Word Count: 100 words of text, exactly The Tiny Carnival and The Captive ©October 8th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Emerging from the tunnel, sore from being squeezed by its crushing metal, Aliya stood, brushed off her dress, smoothed her hair, and stared. A tiny carnival exploded in color. Minute people whirled
- [Another set of Limericks -- FIVE!  (They are FUN!)](https://vijayasundaram.com/another-set-of-limericks-five-they-are-fun/) - The Cantabrigian ©October 8th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram There once was an old man from Cambridge Who played fast and loose with his language He messed up his words Made them oh, so absurd A knuckle* he got as a sangwich. *(I learned about the deliciously painful and evil "knuckle-sandwich" when I came to these
- [FOUR Limericks - Not My Forte, but Hey!](https://vijayasundaram.com/four-limericks-not-my-forte-but-hey/) - I have, I confess, NEVER once tried a limerick. I know some people who're very good at it, and are funny to boot. I tried to be funny, but alas, 'twas not to be! Still, I had a lot of fun making these up. I DO like a challenge. Today's challenge was to write a
- [Walking in the Woods -- Brief Inventory of What I Saw](https://vijayasundaram.com/walking-in-the-woods-brief-inventory-of-what-i-saw/) - Today, while walking The Hod in the woods, I came across: 1. A squashed garter snake in someone's parking lot, before I reached the woods, and I was sad. 2. A robin, which hopped away. 3. A couple off-trail with a dog on a leash, which woo-woo-sang nervously at Holly, who was off-leash -- so,
- [Paean to My Brown Skin - A Prose Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/paean-to-my-brown-skin-a-prose-poem/) - Paean to My Brown Skin ©October 6th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Brown, like the ground, like the earth at birth, full of mystery and fragrance, lines and marks, a history of my life and vagrant self, showing arcs of flight and fall, this skin of mine holds light and sound, heft and air, and bones
- [(A Vain Attempt at Writing an Acrostic Poem About A Gift) -- The Gift I Loved](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-vain-attempt-at-writing-an-acrostic-poem-about-a-gift-the-gift-i-loved/) - (A Vain Attempt at Writing an Acrostic Poem About a Gift) THE GIFT I LOVED ©October 6th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Today, you picked a tiny flower. Humming like a bee, Expectant, sweet and smiling, you stood and looked at me Gladness came to me that hour. Indifference: Not released. First, disappointment came, and then,
- [Three Acrostic Poems - Imagination, Romance and Grief](https://vijayasundaram.com/three-acrostic-poems-imagination-romance-and-grief/) - Imagination ©October 6th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Inquire of me, “Why do you dream?” Merely to drift and spend your life Always looking elsewhere down the stream Goal-free, sans work, sans strife? Investigating that which is dark. “Notice all that hides in the shade Alternating ’twixt flint and spark? Traverse those borderlands and hark! Ineffable
- [I'm Feeling in the Mood for Keats!](https://vijayasundaram.com/im-feeling-in-the-mood-for-keats/) - I'm in the mood for Keats! When I was young, about ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen -- I was madly in love with the Romantic Poets -- Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, Byron, plus a poet who SHOULD have been a Romantic Poet, but is categorized as a Victorian Poet -- Alfred, Lord Tennyson. I LOVED
- [Held In Thrall -  Six Haiku about Screens](https://vijayasundaram.com/held-in-thrall-six-haiku-about-screens/) - Held In Thrall - Six Haiku About Screens ©October 4th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Silver screens and reels Pixellated thoughts and dreams Escape routes abound. I see you staring Eyes filled with flickering light Mirror-self in blue. Computer lights trap, And movie-lights release us We never find sleep. Wandering in dreams We
- [Fall Wealth:  Five Faltering Haiku -- written in a soporific daze.](https://vijayasundaram.com/fall-wealth-five-faltering-haiku-written-in-a-soporific-daze/) - Fall Wealth: Five Faltering Haiku -- written in a soporific daze. ©October 3rd, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Tender the promise Bulbs bearing spring in their roots The gladness of growth. Tulips, daffodils Tight as little fists in bags Raise a hue and a cry. Biting roses, fierce Fighting, thorny, so fragrant I swoon,
- [Mellow Fruitfulness*:  Fall is Here, and I Am Glad](https://vijayasundaram.com/mellow-fruitfulness-fall-is-here-and-i-am-glad/) - So, after a long, long spell of dryness and crackling heat and dust, we've had a spell of three rainy days. And it's darker and darker earlier and earlier outside. Usually, I have ambivalent feelings about autumn because of that, but I love that frisson in the air when it's colder, and the leaves get
- [Journey to the Heart of the Web (Final Day - Day 20 Post -- In the Future)](https://vijayasundaram.com/journey-to-the-heart-of-the-web-final-day-day-20-post-in-the-future/) - Image by Cheri Lucas Rowlands ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Journey to the Heart of the Web (In the Future -- My Day 20 Post) ©October 1st, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The future is now. And now. And now! Half-way towards my Death, I lurch. I see her lurking in the shadows. Her breath So cold, her eyes so
- [Not Blogged Down!](https://vijayasundaram.com/not-blogged-down/) - I have, during this period of being part of #Writing 101, seen some amazing writers and come across lovely thinkers in this course. Oddly, for someone who's not a programmer or computer geek of any kind, I was drawn most to the following two blogs, both of which are by computer programmers: GeekErgoSum and Anand's
- [Mouse-Trap](https://vijayasundaram.com/mouse-trap/) - Genre: Sci-fi/fantasy Word Count: 100 words of text exactly Mouse-Trap ©October 1st, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The mouse sat innocently upon the desktop. There was toast with peanut butter, left there by the human who'd been working at her computer. The mouse just wanted a little nibble. There'd be no harm done, would there? After
- [Homing Instinct, or: The Long Way Back](https://vijayasundaram.com/homing-instinct-or-the-long-way-back/) - Homing Instinct, or: The Long Way Back ©September 30th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram So, I'll keep this brief. I was about five years old and completely fearless (except for my irrational fear of Dracula and Mini-Cula, a character made up by my uncle who told us scary stories which made me whimper at night). I
- [Refuse to Comply / Teddy's Roses (Mine your own material -- the Day 17 Prompt)](https://vijayasundaram.com/my-day-17-post-refuse-to-comply-teddys-roses-mine-your-own-material/) - For my Day 17 post, I searched my old blog for drafts, and found these two things. The first was a draft (ADDENDUM: I found out after checking my private blog just now, that I had published that piece with a different title and opening -- so I just took the draft form of it,
- [The Woods, Waterless](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-woods-waterless/) - The Woods, Waterless ©September 29th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Today, when I walked in the dull-green woods with The Hoddles*, brown leaves rustled underfoot, dry and disgruntled, crackling like the promise of flame without hope of moisture. The air was still, and the sudden call of a bird or two only made the stillness more
- [If I gained 50,000 blog subscribers ... (sigh, dream on!)](https://vijayasundaram.com/if-i-gained-50000-blog-subscribers-sigh-dream-on/) - So, I did not deal with the prompt relating to stats pages, and such. Those things are too off-putting, because my readership seems to go up and down, and I don't want to wonder why. I decided that I would work on one of the alternative prompts, and chose this one: Overnight, you discover you’ve
- [Blood-Dark and Bright Night -- The Night of the Supermoon Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse](https://vijayasundaram.com/blood-dark-and-bright-night-the-night-of-the-supermoon-blood-moon-lunar-eclipse/) - Blood-Dark and Bright Night -- The Night of the Supermoon Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse ©September 28th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram W (my husband), S (our daughter), Holly (our dog) and I were together in the hour when the moon went from half-lit to completely blood-dark -- and the dog went slightly nuts. It was a
- [The Dividing Line](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-dividing-line/) - PHOTO PROMPT © The Reclining Gentleman Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count: 100 words of body text exactly The Dividing Line ©September25th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Some people teeter on the brink of madness; others straddle it; still others go right over the edge. Fourteen-year old Jonah was half-way over that edge, eyes flashing blue fire,
- [Music and Life - Response to Day 15 quote prompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/music-and-life-response-to-day-15-quote-prompt/) - “Without music, life would be a mistake.” — Friedrich Nietzsche Tell us about a time when a piece of music moved you. Do you have an all-time favorite song? Why is it significant? Compile a playlist of 10 tracks that represent you. While I'm not sure whether Nietzsche wrote those actual words, and had to
- [Meditations Upon Walking on Solid Water  (Day 14 Prompt Response)](https://vijayasundaram.com/meditations-upon-walking-on-solid-water-day-14-prompt-response/) - Sorry, I had no time to re-create a day today -- so I cheated (sorry!) and am re-posting an old "day-in-the-life" post of mine) for this assignment Meditations Upon Walking on Solid Water (Reposted an earlier post from my other blog, which is now private) ©By Vijaya Sundaram January 25, 2014 I had never walked
- [A Thousand Fragments of Self  (Day 13 Prompt Response)](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-thousand-fragments-of-self-day-13-prompt-response/) - A Thousand Fragments of Self (A very short story about brokenness and wholeness) ©September 24th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram She was one with the dark, all thousand fragments of her. She sat at the table, her glass of water, a cylinder of dim light in a shaking hand, catching the passing light of a moonbeam.
- [Bidi, Bibi](https://vijayasundaram.com/bidi-bibi/) - Bidi, Bibi ©September 22nd, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Suresh sat on a little box under the makeshift shade of his fruit stand-shack. The sun burned high overhead, and the air was thick with yellow dust and smoke. Fumes from the diesel trucks and rickshaws plunged his senses into a nightmare of asthmatic cloudedness. From his
- [Bright Fall, Cold Winter - Five Haiku](https://vijayasundaram.com/bright-fall-cold-winter-five-haiku/) - Bright Fall, Cold Winter - Five Haiku ©September 21st, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Cold presses palm-down As the seasons swing around Bright air sings sunshine. Though there's weariness Tomatoes burst into song Curtain coming down. Chickadees flicker Cardinals swoop down to eat Trees droop, drop down fruit. Riches bearing down But somewhere,
- [Metamorphosis -- A Short Magical Tale](https://vijayasundaram.com/metamorphosis-a-short-magical-tale/) - Metamorphosis -- A Short Magical Tale ©By Vijaya Sundaram Written on Feb. 26 into past midnight on Feb. 27th, 2013 (Dragged in, kicking and screaming, from my other blog from 2013) The mists descended, and the shadows prowled across my back yard. I had been looking out the window. It was, as usual, 3:00 a.m.,
- [What I Do When I'm Not Writing](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-i-do-when-im-not-writing/) - When I don't write, I do the following: *Think about life, love, existence, light, the universe, nature, certain aspects of physics or biology that I don't understand, but which intrigue and interest me anyway. *Dream about an alternate universe where there's a future for humankind. *Do my everyday boring household tasks which somehow soothe me
- [The Blind Date and The Cup of Coffee](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-blind-date-and-the-cup-of-coffee/) - The Blind Date and The Cup of Coffee ©September 18th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The cup of coffee that she balanced perfectly on her knee looked inviting. So did her knee, with her flowered skirt flowing modestly over it, but it was covered with bright yellow sunflowers and butterflies. "Shouldn't you put that coffee-cup on
- [Letter to the World](https://vijayasundaram.com/letter-to-the-world/) - Dear World, I feel like a child right now, a child wanting approval, a child unsure of herself and her place in this strange reality, having just left behind seventeen years of teaching, completely voluntarily. Should I carry on doing what I set out to do -- which is, to write? As someone who likes
- [Gateway](https://vijayasundaram.com/gateway/) - Photograph ©David Stewart Genre: Realistic Magical Fiction Word Count: 100 words of text exactly Gateway ©September 16th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram I remember that gate. I was eight when I last saw it. Everyone told me not to go near that compound. Did I listen? One day, swinging on that gate, loving its rusty
- [Solve for C](https://vijayasundaram.com/solve-for-c/) - “What hath night to do with sleep?” ― John Milton, Paradise Lost Solve for C A very short Short Story about Flying and Angles ©September 15th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Every night, Clara came awake with a start. Sleep fled into the darkness, sounding like the rustle of wings, a sigh of regret. She sat
- [Day 6 Assignment](https://vijayasundaram.com/day-6-assignment/) - This assignment,unlike the others, feels like "homework" to me. Alas, I do not feel very poetic, creative, or inspired. Ah well. Here's my response: What are my writing habits? I'm still developing them (that is, I'd like to write every day, if I can, and have been doing so for a few weeks), but what
- [I Pledge Allegiance -- A Not-Quite Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/i-pledge-allegiance-a-not-quite-poem/) - In response to The Daily Post's writing prompt: "I Pledge Allegiance." I Pledge Allegiance -- A Not-Quite Poem ©September 12th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram I pledge allegiance to the Truth, Which is the web of this world, And in the web of my mind. I pledge to mesh both webs Into whole cloth, if I
- [Fourteen Years Ago, and Counting ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/fourteen-years-ago-and-counting/) - Fourteen Years Ago, and Counting ... ©September 11, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram I was in class, teaching second period English, when it happened. We'd only just moved to our new house, which we were turning into a home. I found out at the end of third period in school, where I was teaching, getting to
- [Hmm ... Procrastination](https://vijayasundaram.com/hmm-procrastination/) - So, today's assignment was this, in part: Today, write a response to one of these tweets. Shape your post in any way you choose — agree or disagree with the tweet, or use it as a starting point for a story, personal essay, poem, or something else. Now, while I dislike Twitter, I see its
- [A Love Story And A Canoe-Trip](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-love-story-and-a-canoe-trip/) - A Love Story And A Canoe-Trip ©September 10th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Every night, Jacob cleaned his hoe, his rakes, his pitchfork and his trowel, and put them away. He'd take out his fiddle, and play a slow tune on his back porch. His Bernese Mountain Dog, Buckminster, lay at his feet. The sunset stretched
- [The Attic Window](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-attic-window/) - The Attic Window ©September 9th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The day that Shelby laid eyes on the old house to which she had to move with her parents and brother, she hated everything about it -- the peeling paint on the cedar siding, its old roof shingles, its crookedly leaning pine tree in the back
- [What I Did Today](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-i-did-today/) - Blazing heat. Muggy, too. Awful day. Didn't do very much. Made lunch and dinner, but that's usual. Wrote. Did laundry. The usual stuff. Dropped off daughter at friend's place. Picked her up. The highpoint? Watered the garden, always a satisfying thing to do. Holly objected and woofed, because she wanted watering too -- a true
- [Charon-Me](https://vijayasundaram.com/charon-me/) - Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count: 100 words Charon-Me ©September 9th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The canoe was beautiful -- cedar jointed together snug and tight, it curved gracefully like a swan that could slice the waters. Inhaling deeply, letting the scent of the wood drift into my bones, ignoring the cancerous pain in them (my
- [Home](https://vijayasundaram.com/home/) - Home ©September 9th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Where you arrive, drop your wings Remove your bra with a sigh, Greet your child, your husband, your dog, With a "Yay!" in your voice And they greet you back With a "Yay!" in theirs; Where you sing out loud, Toss your bag down, Not caring where it
- [Things I Wish](https://vijayasundaram.com/things-i-wish/) - Things I Wish ©September 8th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram I wish I could fly (this is what always come to mind when I think of wishes) I wish I could put back the clock and go to places and times when I've hurt someone's feelings ... and take back my hurtful words, and fling them
- [Inhabiting A Hidden Reality (Why I Write)](https://vijayasundaram.com/inhabiting-a-hidden-reality-why-i-write/) - Inhabiting A Hidden Reality (Why I Write) At the heart of all human experience lies a truth, hidden, shy, an irritant that promises to become a beautiful (or ugly) pearl. I'm interested in finding that oyster in which that pearl grows. I'm interested in its environs, and in the irritant, the pearl. I want to
- [For Jamycheal Mitchell](https://vijayasundaram.com/for-jamycheal-mitchell/) - For Jamycheal Mitchell ©September 4th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram A shout curled up out of the depths of his being, A wisp of smoke, a spiral of defiance, Seeking air, seeking release. When it did, it became a bubble, A blip of air that vanished, As if a life had never been. And he lay
- [Glimpse](https://vijayasundaram.com/glimpse/) - Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count: 100 words Glimpse ©September 2nd, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram All of life was mirrored in those bay windows. The sky went about its business, pink and gold, to blue, sometimes storm-gray, back to pink and gold, to deep blue to black, back to pink and gold. Clouds played out their
- [Breaking Free](https://vijayasundaram.com/breaking-free/) - Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count: 100 words exactly (text) Breaking Free ©September 1st, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram With a blend of euphoria, weariness, and anger, she shut her classroom door for the last time. She'd spent years teaching, engaging and inspiring. Many students had matched it with hard work, creativity, brilliance. She tried to obliterate
- [Choose!  (Short story response to "Red Pill, Blue Pill" prompt in The Daily Post)](https://vijayasundaram.com/choose-short-story-response-to-red-pill-blue-pill-prompt-in-the-daily-post/) - In response to The Daily Post's writing prompt: "Red Pill, Blue Pill. Choose! (A Short Story) ©August 21st, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram On Tuesday morning last week, I awoke with a hammering heart. I had waited for this day all my life. After showering, I buttoned my white, poet's blouse with shaking fingers, pulled on a
- [Summer Walks in the Woods With Holly](https://vijayasundaram.com/summer-walks-in-the-woods-with-holly/) - I love the woods near our house, and so does our dog, Holly. We've taken to walking there in the blazing heat and quiet of mid-day, when no one else is around. The air shimmers, but once we enter the trails, heat falls away, and the trees shed cool, green shadows around us. Sometimes, we
- [A Different Kind of Air](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-different-kind-of-air/) - Photo-Prompt: ©C.E. Ayr Word Count: 100 words (sans title, name, etc.) Genre: Realistic Fiction A Different Kind of Air ©August 20th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Living in a concrete jungle is not for the weak. Rage makes you strong. You forget sadness. So, when the demolition-men gutted our neighborhood, we snapped and organized ourselves. Walking
- [Summertime, and the Livin' is Easy (Response to The Daily Post, "In the Summertime.")](https://vijayasundaram.com/summertime-and-the-livin-is-easy-response-to-the-daily-post-in-the-summertime/) - In response to The Daily Post's writing prompt: "In the Summertime." Summertime and the Livin' is Easy ©By Vijaya Sundaram In the summer, all bets are off. There are no strict rules, just hazily outlined guidelines for being, which we trace, or retrace, or erase, day by day. The days are long and sunny, sometimes
- [Torrent of Consciousness, Leashless Grammar, Punctured Punctuation, OR DOG-FIGHT (Response to The Daily Post prompt, "Helpless")](https://vijayasundaram.com/torrent-of-consciousness-leashless-grammar-punctured-punctuation-or-dog-fight-response-to-the-daily-post-prompt-helpless/) - In response to The Daily Post's writing prompt: "Helpless." HELPLESS (or, Torrent of Consciousness, or Leashless Grammar, Punctured Punctuation, OR: DOG-FIGHT! ) ©by Vijaya Sundaram So I’m walking down one of the dog-inhabited streets in my neighborhood enjoying the cool evening air and thinking how nice it’s to be walking with my dog Holly who
- [Through the Window, Darkly ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/through-the-window-darkly/) - In response to The Daily Post's writing prompt: "Through the Window." Through the Window, Darkly ... (Short Story Response) ©August 17th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram It was autumn, and the pre-dawn darkness was absolute. A skunk crept on silver-dark feet outside. Looking up from my physics textbook, I stared at it, fascinated, as I always
- [SeeSaw (Prompt --"I see absolutely everything" -- Mondays Finish The Story)](https://vijayasundaram.com/seesaw-prompt-i-see-absolutely-everything-mondays-finish-the-story/) - Word Count: 150 exactly (sans title, name, etc.) Genre: Fantasy-mystery SeeSaw ©August 17th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Getting into my car on Monday morning, I entered another ... reality? You see, I was opening the car door, and ... to cut a long story short, I saw this creature sitting in the driver's seat. It
- [A Habit I'd Like to Break](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-habit-id-like-to-break/) - In response to The Daily Post's writing prompt: "Breakdown." Breakdown ©August 16th, 2015 by Vijaya Sundaram One of the things that plagues me the most is my utter, shameless (okay, there's some shame) caving to my nocturnal self, and the need to write or work deep into the night, and sometimes into the morning. Why?
- [Catching Up While the Bus Speeds Away, And Other Woes](https://vijayasundaram.com/catching-up-while-the-bus-speeds-away-and-other-woes/) - I'm sitting in the kitchen, and it's 2:22 a.m. I must be mad. I should be in bed, where my long-suffering, patient husband is now sleeping, with our dog sprawled out at his feet, but I resist the night, and resist sleep, and want the hum of darkness to soothe my senses and soul. I
- [Moon-Escape](https://vijayasundaram.com/178-2/) - (Photo-prompt ©Madison Woods) Genre: Dream scene / Sci-Fi Word Count: Exactly 100 words (sans title, etc.) Moon-Escape ©August 12th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram It was past full-Earth on the moon. Hopping lightly from her dream-boat, she blanched. Everything was paved with brick. Where she stood, it was sideways all the way. Walking on that surface,
- [NineTeenRager](https://vijayasundaram.com/nineteenrager-2/) - NineTeenRager ©August 13th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram She bangs her head upon the floor, Bursting galaxies of pain Bang, bang, bang! Stars erupt from her eyes She spits and retches Bile arises from hate and pain. She screams, A banshee filling her lungs. She hates with a passion She hurts unendingly. It's all true, it's
- [At the Beach](https://vijayasundaram.com/at-the-beach/) - I call myself "not a beach person," but I think I kid myself. I love lying on the sand, looking up at the sky (with sunglasses, of course), and love seeing the sunlight glinting on the waters. Of course, the beach I went to today was a local one, with imported sand along the shores
- [Laurel and the Night-Terrors](https://vijayasundaram.com/laurel-and-the-night-terrors/) - Genre: Myth-fantasy Word-Count: 100 words (text) Laurel and the Night-Terrors © August 6th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram A throttled moon shone from between strangling branches. A vast, bat-shaped creature flew around and around overhead. Underneath her body, creepers snaked out of the ground and wound themselves lovingly around her arms. Daphne gazed skywards, desperate, ready
- [Djinn and Tonic](https://vijayasundaram.com/djinn-and-tonic/) - Genre: Fantasy Word Count: Exactly 100 words of text Djinn and Tonic ©July 31st, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram All those bottles and not one single Djinni, she sighed. Sunset bounced kaleidoscopically off the bottles on the shelves. The bottles shone like a hallucination. Examining a green jewel-toned bottle, she spotted a speck of dust, and
- [Potion](https://vijayasundaram.com/potion/) - Genre: Evil Fiction (okay, Realistic Fiction!) Word Count: 100 words exactly (sans title, etc.) Potion ©July 30th, 2015] By Vijaya Sundaram I liked hunting. My wife hated it. We'd just inherited some wooded land, and a shack. When we'd roto-tilled the ground, she'd found some antique bottles, and displayed them, but I mocked them.
- [Procrastination](https://vijayasundaram.com/procrastination/) - Procrastination ©July 26th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Evening comes Shod in salmon-pink slippers, While you sit, staring at nothing. And while you wait, you know this: Your paper-piles will not lift themselves Back into files and boxes. Segments of the past come unmoored. Do you need any of it? What you would like is
- [Awaiting Form](https://vijayasundaram.com/awaiting-form/) - This is a poem I wrote over seventeen years ago. Awaiting Form ©January 12, 1998 By Vijaya Sundaram I await form. Meanwhile, I am a would-be nude, Reclining in sensual abandon. Your touch thrills me, But you are no Pygmalion, And I know I am Galatea. So, I will stubbornly Resist you, resist all Other
- [The Kick](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-kick/) - Genre: Fairy Tale Word Count: 100 words of text exactly (sans title, author, etc.) The Kick ©July 22nd, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The abandoned child emerged from the monstrous woods, and saw a building made of frosting and graham crackers. People carried spun-sugar balloons. Golden light from honey-lamps spilled onto sugar-frosted ground. Feet numb, teeth
- [Twist](https://vijayasundaram.com/twist/) - Twist © July 21st, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram What do I see when I narrow my eyes And stare back into a person I knew? I see you still. And you are a wraith, A twisted, curling thing Of memory, like a tight DNA curve of smoke From a dead fire. Yes, I see you
- [Breath-less](https://vijayasundaram.com/breath-less/) - Breath-less ©July 21st, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The Guru sits, enthralled, Arms out at knees, palms upwards, Hair in a knot, eyes closed, Deep in the blood of you, Quiet behind your eyes, Gathering visions. And the world spirals inwards And ever inwards, Until you reach the core, Where burns a sun As still
- [To My Enemy](https://vijayasundaram.com/to-my-enemy/)
- [So, what am I up to these days?](https://vijayasundaram.com/so-what-am-i-up-to-these-days/) - So, I switched over to a new site that I'm trying to set up, but it's somewhat frustrating, because I'm so stubborn, and won't watch tutorials and such! Anyway, it's at this site: http://magicsurrealist2013.me (I also call myself StrangeLander2015). I haven't written anything much recently, because this year, I was mentally focused on the process
- [Last Song](https://vijayasundaram.com/last-song/) - Word Count: 100 Genre: (almost, but not quite, okay, very loosely): Historical Fiction Last Song ©July 18th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The cobbled street sang. The song was of ecstasy and sadness, of seriousness and playfulness. It trembled under his footsteps and echoed in his chest till he thought he would burst. "Get up!" said
- [Always Darkest](https://vijayasundaram.com/always-darkest/) - PHOTO PROMPT © Stephen Baum Word Count: Exactly 100 words of story-text Genre: Post-apocalyptic fiction Always Darkest ©July 9th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram We had prepared and stocked our bunker. When the End happened, we descended the two-hundred steps to it, shut the lead-lined, heavy doors, and sat and waited ... Alex was ill. One
- [Deeper than Silence](https://vijayasundaram.com/deeper-than-silence/) - Deeper than Silence ©June 15th, 2015 Vijaya Sundaram gentle twang of strings thrilling to ten-year old tender fingers in golden room filled with sweet childhood. clicking of keys on computer here in room awash in sweeps of scarves and sheets. whoosh of cars outside dividing rain-washed streets flinging aside water cutting through space hiss of
- [Upon Leaving](https://vijayasundaram.com/upon-leaving/)
- [Slugging Through the Cosmos](https://vijayasundaram.com/slugging-through-the-cosmos/) - PHOTO PROMPT – © C. Hase Genre: Goofy Science-Fiction Word Count: 100 words Slugging Through The Cosmos ©June 5th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram We are the Slug-People. No, wait! Don't back away from us. We come in peace, we truly do. See, we got stranded on your lovely blue-green-white planet. We wanted a piece of
- [Slugging Through the Cosmos](https://vijayasundaram.com/slugging-through-the-cosmos-2/) - Genre: Goofy Science-Fiction Word Count: 100 words Slugging Through The Cosmos ©June 5th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram We are the Slug-People. No, wait! Don't back away from us. We come in peace, we truly do. See, we got stranded on your lovely blue-green-white planet. We wanted a piece of it. Our planet, which was all
- [Darkly, but Darkly](https://vijayasundaram.com/darkly-but-darkly/) - Darkly, but Darkly ©June 5, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram I am here, and yet I am not. I exist somewhere. You look at me, Eyes opaque with layers Of expectation, with preconceptions Which pull like weights, With ghosts that float upwards From the wishes of others Crowding around behind Your gaze, hot and oppressive, Dark,
- [Dolphinium](https://vijayasundaram.com/dolphinium/) - Dolphinium ©June 3rd, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram The last time the dolphins came for me, they didn't fare well. I persuaded the rest not to beach themselves. They obeyed, but reluctantly. I spoke their tongue. I couldn't help it. Sometime after my fourteenth birthday, I found this out. When I walked the lonely two-mile stretch
- [Dusk-Walk](https://vijayasundaram.com/dusk-walk/)
- [Purple Prose-Bending](https://vijayasundaram.com/purple-prose-bending-2/) - Purple Prose-Bending (First post on my new WordPress site: StrangeLander 2015) ©June 1st, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram All right, lasses and lads, beaver-toothed mammoths, snarp-crusted squids, squirrel-faced carp and all acidophilus pro-biotic life forms! This is your former dreamer who spake in the voice of V-Hypnagogic Logic. I come now, wide-awake, armed with sleep-starved brain
- [Still Point](https://vijayasundaram.com/still-point/) - Still Point ©May 20th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram First, your backbone fuses. Then, your fingers grow numb, and your toes tingle. Then, your arms and legs refuse to move. Then, your face refuses to register your thoughts. Then, your heart stops. Then, your eyes stare, full, So full of galaxies, No one can bear to
- [Today in Song and Air](https://vijayasundaram.com/today-in-song-and-air/) - Today in Song and Air © May 16th, 2015 Vijaya Sundaram Cheerful, tender birdsong fills the languid air. I feel cheerful, tender and languid. I do not feel like working. I want to be a bird. I want to be air. I cannot wait, For one day, I shall Be air and spirit and song
- [Illusion -- Homan Square and Worse](https://vijayasundaram.com/illusion-homan-square-and-worse-2/) - Illusion - Homan Square and Worse ©May 15, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram How can I smile? The sun shines muted and somber The children’s cries of glee on the fields Seems removed, like sounds heard through glass. The sky bends, an old woman with a bundle, Inverted, back broken, over an earth which Spins only
- [The Others](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-others/) - , PROMPT -© Marie Gail Stratford Body text word count: 100 words Genre: Futuristic Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy The Others ©May 13, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Long ago, something happened. Nobody mentions it. Every full moon night, we young ones emerge from underground, tiptoeing around the fenced-in field, searching. We are the People. There were others before us ... Stranger
- [Becoming a Balloon](https://vijayasundaram.com/becoming-a-balloon/) - Becoming a Balloon ©May 12th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Detaching from something is a curious sensation, Sad and joyful, exhilarating, downcasting. Liberation can be scary. Who wants to be free? Is this why so many of us choose our own brand of slavery? Better to be attached to something, anything, than to float away, unmourned,
- [Courage OR Writing Your Novel](https://vijayasundaram.com/courage-or-writing-your-novel/) - Courage Or Writing Your Novel © May 11, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Let your person sprout her wings Let her fall on small blue things. Let him stand up really tall or Make him shrivel up so small. Let him quarrel, let her fight Let them be wrong, and then be right. Let them love and
- [Quench](https://vijayasundaram.com/quench/) - PHOTO PROMPT – © Madison Woods Genre: Realistic Fiction; current matters Word Count: 100 words Quench By Vijaya Sundaram ©May 6, 2015 Rupa was in shock. Rubble surrounded her. She was thirsty, but the taps were dry. Her dust-covered cheeks had two tear tracks, streams lost in a desert. People were frantic, looking for their
- [Robin-Spring](https://vijayasundaram.com/robin-spring/) - A robin stands in bright, young grass Under a bough of white blossoms -- Whose cherry tree stands, protective And proud ,with outstretched arms. I understand spring is here. And that it's beautiful. And it's life leaping up Ready to fight. And the robin hops, happy Inquisitive, curious, its bright eyes Darting all around. It
- [They Will Not Die (Elegy #2 for Freddie Gray)](https://vijayasundaram.com/they-will-not-die-elegy-2-for-freddie-gray/) - They Will Not Die (Elegy #2 for Freddie Gray) By Vijaya Sundaram ©May 2nd, 2015 Freddie Gray is dead, Voice-box crushed, Back broken in a Nickel-ride homicide. Was there hope for Freddie Gray, Gray in a grey world? Nebulous justice rules, a Cloudy truth in the world of The makers and breakers. Hope is crushed,
- [Speak - A Lamentation](https://vijayasundaram.com/speak-a-lamentation/) - Speak - A Lamentation By Vijaya Sundaram ©May 2nd , 2015 Spine broken, Voice box crushed, Yet another young man Dies, beaten in the race Of life. Twenty-five years alive -- Now, older than time. Life stretched before him Before death came Cruelly, in the back Of a nickel-ride van. He broke his own spine,
- [Waiting to be Found](https://vijayasundaram.com/waiting-to-be-found/) - Waiting to be Found ©April 10, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram I see you, intent, focused On shadows and light, And I see your eyes move As you follow fantasies On flat, hollow surfaces, Made and sold everywhere For you. And I wish I could Blow away the cobwebs In your mind And open windows And
- [Hum-Ant](https://vijayasundaram.com/hum-ant/) - http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/31/1373930/-Massive-Glacier-Melt-and-Fresh-Water-are-Pouring-into-the-Gulf-of-Alaska Hum-Ant © March 31st, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Gaea awakens from a troubled dream. Ants crawl over her sleeping, aging Rocks, her streams and plumes of Buried hair and abused bones, Like carbon unredeemed. Hum-ants, building anthills everywhere Tickle, bite, pluck, rip, Carry on war and kill for fun, And maim her trees, and
- [Nostalgia of an Ex-Pat Indian](https://vijayasundaram.com/nostalgia-of-an-ex-pat-india/) - What I shared a minute ago on FB today: Nostalgia of an Ex-Pat Indian By Vijaya Sundaram ©March 15th, 2015 We Indian Ex-Pats (yes, ex-pats!) are a strange lot, and vary wildly from sub-group to sub-group. What I do know about myself now, is this: I may not follow most of the customs of my
- [Crows and I](https://vijayasundaram.com/crows-and-i/) - I saw this article about crows (which is beautiful -- please read it) today: http://thewildlife.wbur.org/2015/03/12/the-secrets-of-gift-giving-crows/ And the article put me in mind of my own crow-related experiences in India, as a young girl, a young teenager, and young woman, growing up there. So, I wrote a few thoughts about that on Facebook, then said to
- [Room](https://vijayasundaram.com/room/) - Room A poem by Vijaya Sundaram ©March 13th, 2015 Pearl-white and luminous Shadowed in light, Misted with kindness Age comes to me, And shadowed things drive the air Back and forth, behind her. And spirits stand in wait. Purple and grey and silver They flock around her, And she looks at me, Hand outstretched. I
- [Fifty-One](https://vijayasundaram.com/fifty-one/) - So, I turned 51 today. And everyone was nice. And I cried when I was alone. I'm not sure why. I am overwhelmed by life. It feels like a long dream. ~Dreamer of Dreams
- [Glacial Epoch](https://vijayasundaram.com/glacial-epoch/) - Glacial Epoch ©February 24th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Part I On these cold, white, muffled February days, With heaped snow all around, And chill creeping into our lives, An insidious whisper, An irreversible trend, With ice-caps melting, oceans rising, Poseidon winning this round, Glaciers the size of countries breaking off Into an endless turning, churning,
- [Happy First Anniversary With Us, Holly!](https://vijayasundaram.com/happy-first-anniversary-with-us-holly/) - Happy Anniversary With Us, Holly! ©February 17th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram On this day last year, we brought home our beloved Standard Poodle pup, Captain Holly Short (aka Holly) all the way from Colbrook, N.H. -- from our Crabapple Downs Standard Poodles breeder, Arlene, and this day last year was the day on which
- [Is This What Dying Feels Like?](https://vijayasundaram.com/is-this-what-dying-feels-like/) - Is This What Dying Feels Like? ©February 17th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram SIlence and darkness Press down, down Memory packed down Like Arctic snow, Now melting, Ready to release Plumes of methane From old monsters Buried in the deep, And she thinks, That letter! I forgot To burn that letter! ____________________________________________________
- [Fox and Mouse -- Desperation at the Magnetic North](https://vijayasundaram.com/fox-and-mouse-desperation-at-the-magnetic-north/) - http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/north-america/videos/fox-dives-headfirst-into-snow/ Fox and Mouse: Desperation at the Magnetic North Three Haiku by Vijaya Sundaram ©Feb. 16th 2015 Predator pursues its prey The eternal dance Of desperation There must be some loving here Tuning and turning Magnetic footsteps The world turns on its axis Slanting ever more Weighted down by lust and fear. There's beauty and
- [Snowed in.  Contented](https://vijayasundaram.com/snowed-in-contented/) - What I wrote yesterday: Snowed In. Contented By Vijaya Sundaram The wind howls down the street, blowing drifts of snow back on the steps, no doubt, and the dog barks in response. She suspects the wind as being an entity that's up to no good. She's a mysterious dog, and has deep thoughts of her
- [On Leaving Public School Teaching](https://vijayasundaram.com/on-leaving-public-school-teaching/) - What I wrote on Wednesday Feb. 11th, but didn't post here until now: On Leaving Public School Teaching For the past five-six months, I wanted to make my announcement. While I'd already made my decision this past summer, I didn't get around to letting my Dept. Director and Principal know until the week of the
- [Snow-Day, Feb. 3rd, 2015](https://vijayasundaram.com/snow-day-feb-3rd-2015/) - Snow-Day, Feb. 3rd, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram What is it about Snow Days? I love them. I love the snow, too (used to hate it before daughter was born, but she changed my attitude). If only we could SLLLLLOOOWWW Time down to a crawl (along with our metabolisms and our age), and extend such days
- [Chronicles of Holly -- 2015](https://vijayasundaram.com/chronicles-of-holly-2015/) - Snow-Dog Wolf ©February 2nd, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Snow brings out the atavistic wolf in my dog. She was nuts today, leaping like a wild thing in piles of pillowy snow in the backyard. After such forays into weather-related delights, we return to the warmth of the house, where she submits to a minute examination
- [The First Big Snow Day -- 2015](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-first-big-snow-day-2015/) - The First Big Snow Day -- 2015 (What I posted on Facebook, and didn't want to forget about) ©Jan. 27th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram January 27th, 2015: A lovely morning. Slow wake up. Black coffee, and fantastic pancakes made by my husband, who used candied lemon peel, apple, granola, blueberry pancake mix from Stonewall Kitchen,
- [Snow Fall](https://vijayasundaram.com/snow-fall/) - Snow Fall ©January 24th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram White drifts down, A reminder that The world will be renewed. And that hills and trees, Stripped of color Are still beautiful. And this white and brown And black world, so gentle So muted, so tender Obscures the memory of A harsher place waiting outside The edges
- [Keepin' On](https://vijayasundaram.com/keepin-on/) - Help me! I try not to despair. I weep from sheer horror and frustration and sorrow for our sisters and brothers who are brutalized, shunted aside, stuck in prison for minor offenses, beaten, tortured, killed. I try not to give up on people. I try to remind myself that humanity can be good, IS good,
- [Wish](https://vijayasundaram.com/wish/) - The air coalesces around me, Whispering about the world. And it's not happy. Being older, perhaps wiser, Perhaps, more thin-skinned than before, I see hurt, and hurt more within than ever. I see injustice, and burn more than ever I see evil, and wish for it to go away, Not wanting revenge or retaliation. I
- [Air and You, and I](https://vijayasundaram.com/air-and-you-and-i/) - Air and You, and I ©January 16th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram A bird flies An arrow in the air Shot from a twanging earth Into an indifferent sky, Exulting in flight. Slicing the air, Smiting the blue, It flies, heedless of Its effect on me, the Watcher, Its wings flap, unsteady, And
- [Giving Thanks](https://vijayasundaram.com/giving-thanks/) - Stat PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Jan Wayne Fields Giving Thanks ©January 16th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram Genre: Realistic, depressing fiction Word Count: 100 words It's Thanksgiving. I've set the table. There's no one here -- just me. My father vanished six months ago. My mother was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer after
- [Nap-Time](https://vijayasundaram.com/nap-time/) - Nap-Time ©January 15th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram So sleepy. Washing over me is pure lethargy. I lie in bed and type these words. I cannot believe I'm going to ... gasp ... take a nap! A nap? Really? Try going on a few hours of sleep every night for three nights in a row. So,
- [The Greek Myth that Influenced Two of my Songs (YouTube links)](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-greek-myth-that-influenced-two-of-my-songs-youtube-links/) - The Greek Myth that Influenced Two of my Songs (YouTube links) By Vijaya Sundaram Among all the Greek myths, the myth of Icarus and the story of Daedalus always captured me in a way I cannot fully explain. The image of a young boy spinning up into the sky, exulting in his freedom from gravity, disobeying
- [Daughter](https://vijayasundaram.com/daughter/) - Daughter ©January 12th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram So, my daughter turned ten last Friday. TEN years! How did this happen? First, a bump, then a baby, then, this person -- this deep, deep soul who reads day in and day out, sings day in and day out, thinks profound thoughts about life and death,
- [On My Compulsive Urge to Seek Out the News of the World](https://vijayasundaram.com/on-my-compulsive-urge-to-seek-out-the-news-of-the-world/) - On My Compulsive Urge to Seek Out The News of the World ©January 12th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram What is wrong with me? I never read the news fanatically when I was younger, and now, I go and look for it every day. No, I don't watch television, and I've even stopped reading the newspapers.
- [Dreams - Good and Bad (Possibly symbolic?  Or just random?)](https://vijayasundaram.com/dreams-good-and-bad-possibly-symbolic-or-just-random/) - Woke up from a good dream and a bad one. Good Dream: A recurring one. I was leaping into the air, and able to spin while airborne, and any time I felt gravity pulling me down, I spun towards a wall, and kicked off, only to leap and spin (sort of fly, but not quite)
- [Playing With My Dog](https://vijayasundaram.com/playing-with-my-dog/) - Playing with My Dog ©January 8th, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram It's water leaping into the air Catching light and tossing it up. It's laughter and growls And scurrying and skittering And funny mock-battles. It's being willing to shed Time and dignity And be utterly free. It's letting go of dead weights Encircling ankles, gripping me
- [Child in Water](https://vijayasundaram.com/on-seeing-the-headlines-5-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-tossed-off-florida-bridge/) - Child in Water © January 8, 2015 By Vijaya Sundaram A scream hangs in the air Long after the deed. Betrayal and terror Clip five-year old wings. Sailing over an edge Into a void, crying, “Daddy, I love you! Save me!” The heart stops. Bones hurt with Unending pain. Cold enters deep With fingers
- [Unthink](https://vijayasundaram.com/unthink/) - PHOTO PROMPT – © Copyright Jean L. Hays Genre: Realistic Fiction (current events-inspired) Word Count: 100 words Unthink ©January 8th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram I found myself staring at the banner near the historic sign, and mouthed the letters to myself. Unthink? How had I gotten here? Here, America's Main Street, where songs arose from
- [Walk in the Woods, En Famille, Plus Dog /  Jan. 3rd, 2015](https://vijayasundaram.com/walk-in-the-woods-en-famille-plus-dog-jan-3rd-2015/) - A Walk in the Woods En Famille Plus Dog © Jan. 3rd, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram We took another long walk in the Fells today, en famille. It was a cold, cold day (30 degrees), and all three of us were warmly layered (S said, looking down at her snow pants and thick-jacketed trunk, "I
- [2015 Begins!](https://vijayasundaram.com/2015-begins/) - After a late morning, with Warren's excellent fritters with Vermont maple syrup for breakfast, we went walking in the Fells en famille. Reached the top of the hill, wandered over into a rocky wooded area, and lay on the rocks, looking up at a powdery blue sky, which poured down sunshine. Holly gambolled about on
- [Serendipity / My Christmas Eve Story](https://vijayasundaram.com/serendipity-my-christmas-eve-story/) - This is Serendipity / My Christmas Eve Story: We'd done some Christmas shopping at a Tibetan store a couple of weeks ago (S and I), and then, we'd gone to another store, and then to Porter Square Bookstore. We bought a few books, and, as bad luck would have it, left our bags of stuff
- [Change](https://vijayasundaram.com/change/) - When one reaches the end of something, and is at the start of something else, a strange thing happens, and it goes like this: One doesn't really care (well, not too much) about what people think. One stops worrying about things. One is more charitable. One does not judge too harshly the things one judged
- [Without End](https://vijayasundaram.com/without-end/) - Photo-Credit (Unknown, but here's the source where I got it from: http://dabacon.org/pontiff/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Reflection_in_a_soap_bubble_edit.jpg Without End ©December 5, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram A perfect sphere, Encapsulating house and trees And trees and house And blue so intense It might break but for the violet Which edges that without edges: It floats, delicate and Precise and
- [Frost Flowers, OR:  Aging](https://vijayasundaram.com/frost-flowers-or-aging/) - Frost-Flowers, OR: Aging ©December 4th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Genre: _____________? Word Count: 100 words I remember when frost-flowers froze. Old Jack Frost put on his chill cloak of ice and snow, puffed his cheeks and blew out all life. Then, he fell down in a swound, and lay, eyes open to the sky, which
- ["Water, Wifi, Rest, Knowledge"](https://vijayasundaram.com/water-wifi-rest-knowledge/) - Water, Wifi, Rest, Knowledge ©December 3rd, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Genre: Realistic Fiction/Current Affairs Word Count: 100 words "I'm scared." Don't be. We'll take care of you. And we have books. "My father's out there. The cops hate us." I'm sorry it has to be like this in our town. I'm sorry you have
- [Be Thankful for the Ferguson Library](https://vijayasundaram.com/be-thankful-for-the-ferguson-library/) - A warm feeling pervades me when I read this.
- [Steven Singer: A Moment of Silence for Michael Brown](https://vijayasundaram.com/steven-singer-a-moment-of-silence-for-michael-brown/) - Why does this keep happening? Because hatred is real, and it is deep, and it springs from fear and guilt. Where an apology was never made, nor any reparations for centuries of suppression, there springs fear and hate, because, deep down, they know it, as close to their blood, that they are WRONG!
- [Injustice:  Ferguson, Missouri; Sanford, Florida; Cleveland, Ohio](https://vijayasundaram.com/injustice-ferguson-missouri-sanford-florida-cleveland-ohio/) - Injustice: Ferguson, Missouri; Sanford, Florida; Cleveland, Ohio My heart is broken. There is no justice. There's racism and privilege and hate and violence. There are some rich, white people who really don't get it. There are those who laugh at pain. There are whose who get off on the death of black youths. And there
- [I Wept Today  (Ferguson, Missouri)](https://vijayasundaram.com/i-wept-today-ferguson-missouri/) - I Wept Today I wept today, coming home in the car, in the evening. The darkness pressed in on all sides, and the bright evening lights fluttered and went damp. All I could think of was, "They shot my son." And, for that brief period, alone in my car, I was consumed with grief. I
- [Trinity](https://vijayasundaram.com/trinity/) - PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Claire Fuller Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Fiction Word Count: 100 words Trinity There is no way to beat about the bush. All life ceased to be. So, how am I writing this? I'm not. I'm speaking directly into your mind. You wandered into this spot three million years after it happened. We
- [Full Fathom Five](https://vijayasundaram.com/full-fathom-five/) - Full Fathom Five © November 15th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Tiredness rIses, a wave That washes bones Which float, Then sink, Bleached yellow by time And sun, and a life Run by clocks Whose ticking, asynchronous And arrhythmic, Tocks away the hours; And a life run By the whims Of others, whose Lives are run
- [Somewhere Over the Rainbow ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/somewhere-over-the-rainbow/) - Genre: Tinsel Reality Word Count: 100 words exactly Somewhere Over The Rainbow © November 12th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Welcome to Dreamland! Herein lie shiny wares for those who wish to be taken unawares. Yet, for all you know, you might be the one to go into the Land of Oblivion, standing beneath a palm
- [Behavior Modifications](https://vijayasundaram.com/behavior-modifications/) - PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Jean L. Hays Genre: Who the hell knows? Word Count: 100 words Behavior Modifications ©November 5th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram There it stood, my path to freedom. "Foolish boy!" glared my step-mother, from the doorway. "Your father gave you that Edsel, and this is what you did to it? He
- [I Married Her](https://vijayasundaram.com/i-married-her/) - PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Jean L. Hays Genre: Whimsical Fiction Word Count: 100 words I Married Her ©November 5th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram I was a broken man, and I was broke. My wife had left. I missed being loved. One day, impelled by a whim, I awoke, and went to my car. "Love me," whispered
- [The Patio Loungers](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-patio-loungers/) - PHOTO PROMPT-Copyright-Melanie Greenwood Genre: Fill in the blank Word Count: 100 words The Patio-Loungers ©October 30th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram I gazed at the patio of the house opposite where nobody lived. Outside, there were three chairs. Two people seated there waved at me to join them. Only I saw them. My family called me retard
- [E Pluribus Unum, or, A Brush with The Ego](https://vijayasundaram.com/e-pluribus-unum-or-a-brush-with-the-ego/) - E Pluribus Unum or A Brush with The Ego ©October 24, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Muted voices, many minds Jostling, moving in an abyss, Vie for recognition Vie for space Vie for sound. One of many, I jostle, and am jostled. Yesterday, In blind darkness Unseeing, flailing, Bodiless, falling, I felt the void
- [Rising Waters](https://vijayasundaram.com/rising-waters/) - PHOTO PROMPT Copyright- The Reclining Gentleman Genre: Realistic/semi-futuristic fiction Word Count: 100 words Rising Waters ©October 23rd, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram I like grey lakes, featureless skies, hint of human occupation ... I mean, I am human ... right? We humans enjoy cutting down trees, cluttering the skyline, making messes ... faking guilt about that,
- [Island](https://vijayasundaram.com/island/) - PHOTO PROMPT Copyright- The Reclining Gentleman Genre: I don't know ... existential non-crisis? Word Count: 100 words Island ©October 23, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Shireen approached the bench slowly. She'd been told to go there by someone in a dream which eluded her. All she could recall was the urgency of the voice, its quiet
- [The Golden Ratio, OR The Prodigal Daughter](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-golden-ratio-or-the-prodigal-daughter/) - The Golden Ratio, OR The Prodigal Daughter ©October 15th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram I thought I'd turned away from music, trapped in sadness -- but it reached out and caught me. Music arose sinuously from the depths of an ocean in a conch. The squares arranged teeteringly near it, kept 4/4 time. Beside it,
- [Leaf-fall](https://vijayasundaram.com/leaf-fall/) - Children playing with leaves Photo-credit (as stated on the Carpe Diem website): photo !! Leaf-fall (A haiku celebrating Autumn) ©October 14th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram ____________________________________________ The leaves crushed golden Underfoot by children sing: Springtime in autumn! _______________________________________________ Thanks to Chevrefeuille for hosting Carpe Diem Haiku Family!
- [The Visitor](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-visitor/) - Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Word Count: 100 words The Visitor ©October 13th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram The Visitor looked around. Cautiously, she tapped the glowing brass disc. A shimmer made her rear back. Surveying the row of white and black teeth, arrayed like a beast without a body, she thought, "I must not fear." She
- [Out of Water and Out of Air](https://vijayasundaram.com/out-of-water-and-out-of-air/) - Out of Water and Out of Air ©October 6th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram The fish sails, Head half in, half out, Floundering, diving, Coming up again, diving Neither in, nor out, Neither here nor there. Suffocating in air, Drowning in water. Tail lashing back and forth, It sees the golden disk Of sun from
- [La Salle de Bain](https://vijayasundaram.com/la-salle-de-bain/) - La Salle de Bain © October 3, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram A sigh ruffled a surface And created a ripple of purpose Water splashed silver on silken skin, Washing away worries within. A lone tear trickled down As she rubbed her face dry. A rustle of garments, A freeing of muscles, A silken swathing
- [When You are Fully Grown-Up ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/when-you-are-fully-grown-up/) - You know you are fully grown-up, when your child turns to you at bedtime, asking you to stay near her, because she's newly afraid of the concept, the spectre of death and dying, because she's read a book about Hades. And when she says, "Parents make everything all right," you hug your child and say, "Yes
- [I Remembered the Sun](https://vijayasundaram.com/i-remembered-the-sun/) - Copyright-Kent Bonham Genre: Dark Mystery Word Count: 100 words I Remembered the Sun ©October 1st, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram "Let's visit that haunted cabin in the woods," said Ry. We were playing near the creek bordering our trailer-park. We never crossed it. Once, we had. We'd raced home when we glimpsed a man who aimed
- [A Sleep-Prayer for My Daughter](https://vijayasundaram.com/a-sleep-prayer-for-my-daughter/) - A Sleep-Prayer for My Daughter* ©September 30th,2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Blue descending, silken-deep Like midnight promising her sleep Darkness, spilling sweet moonlight, Ease her mind with gentle night. Let her sleep, and let her dream Let her visions palely gleam In quiet streams, in forest glades In hollows where no one has strayed Hold her
- [Memory and Self](https://vijayasundaram.com/memory-and-self/) - Memory and Self ©September 30th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Someone, and I think it was Oliver Sacks, raised the question (or perhaps the idea) of whether we are a collection of memories, and those memories constitute a "self," that we identify as our own. If our memories make up our “self”, what about those who
- [The Twice-Born](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-twice-born/) - PHOTO PROMPT Copyright – Marie Gail Stratford Word Count: 100 words Genre: Greek Mythology The Twice-Born* ©September 26th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram I stand, ivy-covered thyrsus in hand. I induce madness, ecstasy or death. I, born of Semele of earth, and Zeus of the Lightning Bolt, stand, uncertain for the first time. You ask, "Will you
- [Only Darkness at the End of the Day](https://vijayasundaram.com/only-darkness-at-the-end-of-the-day/) - PHOTO PROMPT Copyright – Marie Gail Stratford Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count (not including the title, name, date): 100 words Only Darkness at the End of the Day ©September 25th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram The wine-light spilled in gem-tones, red, gold and green, filled with promise, promising respite. He yearned for it. He thought about what
- [Feeling Overwhelmed?  Mr. Wordsworth has the words for us.](https://vijayasundaram.com/feeling-overwhelmed-mr-wordsworth-has-the-words-for-us/) - No one said it better than Wordsworth. I will add nothing more to the poem below, except to say, Thank you, Mr. Wordsworth. This poem always, always resonated with me. The World Is Too Much With Us By William Wordsworth 1770–1850 The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we
- [What Words?](https://vijayasundaram.com/what-words/) - What Words? ©September 22nd, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram What words can we say When a young person dies, When anyone dies? I'm so sorry doesn't cut it. Deep sympathies doesn't, either. The world rushes by, myopic And meaningless, While a mother and a father, And a sibling or two Stand, bewildered, static Amidst
- [Fled and Gone](https://vijayasundaram.com/fled-and-gone/) - Fled and Gone - A Lament for Poetry ©September 21st, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Poetry seems to have fled As prose unwinds Wearily, wearily, The thread that Someone, a hero, perhaps, Takes heartlessly To the heart of the labyrinth, Where a bewildered, Bellowing Minotaur awaits To be slain Again, and again. Poor thing! And
- [Torrent of Consciousness, or Leashless Grammar, Punctured Punctuations, OR: DOG-FIGHT!](https://vijayasundaram.com/torrent-of-consciousness-or-leashless-grammar-punctured-punctuations-or-dog-fight/) - Torrent of Consciousness, or Leashless Grammar, Punctured Punctuations, OR: DOG-FIGHT! September 21st, 2014 Vijaya Sundaram So I'm walking down one of the dog-inhabited streets in my neighborhood enjoying the cool evening air and thinking how nice it's to be walking with my dog Holly who is the most beautiful Standard Poodle in the whole world
- [Wax-Blood](https://vijayasundaram.com/wax-blood/) - Genre: Magic Realist Fiction Word Count: 100 words Wax-Blood ©September 17th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Farewell, my friends. Those I've loved have melted away, and all those whom I hated have made moulds out of them. They sit, grinning, like skull-candles upon a mantelpiece in the home of the enemy, wherein visitors enter, and
- [You Won't See Me](https://vijayasundaram.com/you-wont-see-me/) - Copyright – Janet Webb Genre: Fantasy/Supernatural Fiction Word Count: 100 words You Won’t See Me* ©September 11th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram I lived alone in the world behind the mirror. Those whom I saw, looked back at me, but didn’t see me – just themselves, endlessly repeated. They didn’t look, you see. They didn’t see
- [Inferno](https://vijayasundaram.com/inferno/) - Photograph copyright: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count: 100 words Inferno ©September 11th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram She had come through the worst. She had been forged in fire, and had emerged tempered steel. Nothing could reach her anymore: Not the death of a loved one – she had lost all of her family
- [Dinner](https://vijayasundaram.com/dinner/) - PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright – Madison Woods Genre: Science Fiction/Horribleness Word Count: Exactly 100 words Dinner ©August 28th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Wounded, far from home, crash-landed on this planet, I felt a chasm open up. Flaring my optics into flame, I shut them down hurriedly. The light was too intense. My heart throbbed, flopping
- [Probably NO Friday Fictioneers Stories for the next couple of weeks from me...](https://vijayasundaram.com/probably-friday-fictioneers-stories-for-the-next-couple-of-weeks-from-me/) - ... alas! I will be in India. Leaving today. No real access to the Internet, unless I go to an Internet Cafe. Who knows? I just might do that! Love, Dreamer of Dreams
- [House (Me)](https://vijayasundaram.com/house-me/) - PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright-Björn Rudberg __________________________________________________________________________________ Genre: Semi-Horror Fiction Word Count: 100 words House (Me) ©August 7th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram I am fashioned from all your dreams and all your nightmares. You return to me in sorrow, in joy, in darkness, in light. You fall into my arms, and I soothe your senses, your
- [Fold-Unfold](https://vijayasundaram.com/fold-unfold/) - PHOTO PROMPT – Copyright-Björn Rudberg Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count: 100 words Fold-Unfold ©August 6th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Call me superstitious, but I shouldn't have bought that house after my marriage folded. Perched on a precipice, surrounded by a tight mass of trees, it looked picturesque. A constantly folding-unfolding, susurrating ocean looked inviting
- [Overthrow -- A Sombre Vision](https://vijayasundaram.com/overthrow-a-sombre-vision/) - Overthrow--A Sombre Vision ©August 5th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram Gaea was angry, and her rage had built up to incandescent levels, lighting up the skies, pouring out through fissures, terrifying her children. Too long, too much wrong had been done unto her. Deep down, deeper than the human mind can follow, in the sombre shades
- [Disintegration](https://vijayasundaram.com/disintegration/) - Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count: 100 words Disintegration ©July 30th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram When the world blew up, and the sky fell to pieces, I flew for the first time. My atoms took wing, my flesh disintegrated, my "I" flew into the sun. There was an explosion of pain beyond imagination. Fear doesn't exist
- [Wing](https://vijayasundaram.com/wing/) - Photo Copyright: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count: 100 Words Wing ©July 30th, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram She was leaving home. All she had were some clothes, her sitar, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare and Charlotte Bronte. She grieved for her past which fell away, as she rose into the skies. She didn't know what she'd
- [So, here we are, and there they are.](https://vijayasundaram.com/so-here-we-are-and-there-they-are/) - And here we are, comfortable, with our little, daily stresses and cares, our worries, or work-related sorrows, or the baggage we carry from our lives. And there they are, in Gaza, which is burning, with Israeli artillery strikes or misfired Hamas rockets. Or in Baghdad, where Sunnis are being harassed by Shias. Or, in Ukraine,
- [Another One Bites the Dust](https://vijayasundaram.com/another-one-bites-the-dust/) - Here's another one I wrote, and it's 74 words long! I cannot believe it! This was done entirely for my daughter, who sat beside me and wondered whether I could write a shorter (than 100 words) story based on a prompt. So, to her wide-eyed astonishment, I unfolded this one from start to finish, with
- [Sauce](https://vijayasundaram.com/sauce/) - Genre: Weird Semi-Real Fiction (I just made that up) Word Count: 100 Words Sauce ©July 23rd, 2014 By Vijaya Sundaram What? I scare you? Why? Am I not handsome? Isn't this great food? What's your problem? "You are the problem," you say? Have I harmed you? Okay, I'm from a time far from yours, but

## Pages

- [Home](https://vijayasundaram.com/) - Vijaya Sundaram is a poet, short story writer, musician, visual artist, and community college professor based in Medford, Massachusetts. She served as Poet Laureate of Medford between 2023-2025, and is on the Advisory Board of the New England Poetry Club. She is a recipient of the 2026 Mass Cultural Council Grant for Creative Individuals. LEARN
- [Music](https://vijayasundaram.com/music/) - Music Vijaya’s lifelong love of music runs through everything she creates. Trained in both Indian and Western traditions, she weaves melody and verse into a single voice — one that moves easily between languages, moods, and cultures. Whether performing her original songs or blending poetry and rhythm in live readings, her music speaks to the
- [The Poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/writings/the-poetry/) - The Poetry Monastic Illuminations Monastic Illuminations (An ekphrastic poem about the illuminations in manuscripts produced by monks in the Middle Ages) ©April 24th, 2017 By Vijaya Sundaram Snails and Read More » March 26, 2026 No Comments A Vision A Vision © January 7th, 2020 By Vijaya Sundaram The Dreamer stirred- And everything slipped side-wise,
- [The Stories](https://vijayasundaram.com/writings/the-stories/) - The Stories Perfugium – A 100-word micro-fictional short story Perfugium©July 21st, 2016By Vijaya Sundaram “What is that, Sire?” clicked Secondus. Primus, squinting through the periscope at the watery world around them, clicked out a Read More » March 26, 2026 No Comments Titanic Emergence – A 100-word micro-fictional story Titanic Emergence ©July 9th, 2014 By
- [The Blog](https://vijayasundaram.com/writings/the-blog/) - The Blog Greeting the Ghosts – A blog post from my first WordPress Blog, Feb. 10th, 2013 Greeting the Ghosts: (First posted on my WordPress blog on Feb. 10, 2013) ©Vijaya Sundaram Every morning, when I wake up, and every night when Read More » March 26, 2026 No Comments Tatha About my Grandfather, K.G.
- [Media](https://vijayasundaram.com/media/) - Articles and podcasts featuring Vijaya (hover on Media)
- [Podcasts](https://vijayasundaram.com/media/podcasts/) - PODCAST: Vijaya Sundaram: Poetry, Place, and the Role of a City’s Voice July 1, 2024 Vijaya Sundaram, Poet Laureate of Medford, appears in a recent podcast episode exploring poetry, place, and the responsibilities of civic voice. In the conversation, Vijaya LISTEN NOW Podcast: Words to Live By with Vijaya Sundaram November 30, 2021 We’re pleased
- [The Gallery](https://vijayasundaram.com/the-gallery/) - Original Photographs Original Art
- [Bio](https://vijayasundaram.com/bio/) - Bio Originally from India, Vijaya Sundaram came to the United States in 1988. Her poetry and short pieces have appeared in several publications, including The Rising Phoenix Review, the Stardust Review, The Somerville Times, and TELL Magazine. Her first collection of poems, Fractured Lens, was published in 2023 by Červená Barva Press. Reverberations, her second
- [Published Work](https://vijayasundaram.com/published-work/) - Published Works Vijaya Sundaram served as the second Poet Laureate of Medford, Massachusetts (2023-2025). Originally from India, Vijaya Sundaram is a poet, musician, singer-songwriter, and educator. Her work has appeared in The Rising Phoenix Review, the Stardust Review, and TELL Magazine. This is her first collection of poems in print. AVAILABLE HERE AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
- [Writings](https://vijayasundaram.com/writings/) - Writings Here you’ll find a growing selection of Vijaya Sundaram’s written work — poetry, prose, and thought pieces that mirror her lyrical voice and contemplative spirit. Each piece offers a glimpse into her world, where art, teaching, and lived experience meet on the page. The Blog The Stories The Poetry
- [Articles](https://vijayasundaram.com/media/articles/) - Getting to Know Vijaya Sundaram: Poetry, Voice, and the Art of Attention December 31, 2025 In a featured Getting to Know interview with Mass Poetry, Medford Poet Laureate Vijaya Sundaram shares her journey into poetry—from discovering a love of verse READ NOW INTERVIEW WITH SOMERVILLE TIMES December 17, 2025 Discover the vibrant voice of Vijaya
- [Contact Page:](https://vijayasundaram.com/568-2/) - Contact Welcome to my website! I’m so glad you’re here. If you have a message, question, or just want to say hello, please leave it here — I’d love to hear from you. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail * Email
- [Teaching](https://vijayasundaram.com/teaching/) - Teaching This is where Vijaya Sundaram Teaching text goes. Content for this section will be added here to highlight the teachings, insights, and guidance of Vijaya Sundaram
- [Images](https://vijayasundaram.com/images/) - Gallery
- [Who Be I?](https://vijayasundaram.com/who-be-i/) - Original Song - Bird Over The Water Who Be I? I am human. I wish I were a bird. Or, perhaps, a tree. Yes, definitely. Alas, I am human. We humans pollute by existing. Here's the sad truth. I like existing. I don't like polluting. This dichotomy will make my head Explode.
- [About](https://vijayasundaram.com/about/) - I am, first and forever, a dreamer of dreams. In the real world, I am a teacher of eighth-graders. I am a wife and a mother. I am a musician, a singer-songwriter, a guitarist, a sitarist, a poet and writer, a keeper of beats, a tapper of taps on the side of objects. I wander

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/uncategorized/)
- [Awake in Dream Time - Journal Entries about the almost real](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/awake-in-dream-time-journal-entries-about-the-almost-real/)
- [Awake in Dream Time - Journal Entries about the almost real, the surreal and the unreal](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/awake-in-dream-time-journal-entries-about-the-almost-real-the-surreal-and-the-unreal/)
- [Awake in Real Time: Coffee-induced Meditations and Journal Entries](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/awake-in-real-time-coffee-induced-meditations-and-journal-entries/)
- [Blogs and Bloggers](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/blogs-and-bloggers/)
- [Changes](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/changes/)
- [Character Vignettes for Possible Novels](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/character-vignettes-for-possible-novels/)
- [Chronicles of Holly-our Standard Poodle](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/chronicles-of-holly-our-standard-poodle/)
- [Climate Change is Real!](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/climate-change-is-real/)
- [Culture](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/culture/)
- [Current Affairs / General Interest](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/current-affairs-general-interest/)
- [Daily Life](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/daily-life/)
- [Depression](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/depression/)
- [Essays on Music and Musicians](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/essays-on-music-and-musicians/)
- [Essays: On Books, Art, Literary Appreciation and so on](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/essays-on-books-art-literary-appreciation-and-so-on/)
- [Fairy tale](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/fairy-tale/)
- [Flash Fiction for the Aspiring Writer](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/flash-fiction-for-the-aspiring-writer/)
- [Friday Fictioneers](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/friday-fictioneers/) - 100-word original short story responses to a photo-prompt posted every Wednesday on a site hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Delightful community of writers from around the world.
- [Kitchen Table Anecdotes](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/kitchen-table-anecdotes/)
- [Music](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/music/)
- [NaPoWriMo](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/napowrimo/)
- [Novel](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/novel/)
- [OCD](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/ocd/)
- [Original Flash Fiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-flash-fiction/) - What can I say? These are just very short stories that occur to me, and are short hence flash fiction. No prompts provided by anyone, anywhere.
- [Original Poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/) - Poetry is what I breathe. I don’t write as much as I would like to. This site will remedy that, I hope.
- [Original Short Stories](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-short-stories/)
- [Original Short Story](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-short-story/) - Longer short stories which I conjure up out of clouds and dust. Hope you enjoy them!
- [Original Songs](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-songs/)
- [Parenting/ Home-schooling / Family Music and other Notes](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/parenting-home-schooling-family-music-and-other-notes/)
- [Ramblings and Musings](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/ramblings-and-musings/)
- [Reading](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/reading/)
- [Reading, Writing, Thinking](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/reading-writing-thinking/)
- [Rhymed couplets](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/rhymed-couplets/)
- [San San](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/san-san/)
- [Senryu](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/senryu/)
- [sonnet](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/sonnet/)
- [Sunday Haiku Horizons](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/sunday-haiku-horizons/)
- [Sunday Photo Fiction - A Mixed Bag](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/sunday-photo-fiction-a-mixed-bag/)
- [Tanka](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/tanka/)
- [Teaching and Learning](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/teaching-and-learning/)
- [Teenaged Angst](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/teenaged-angst/)
- [The Daily Post](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/the-daily-post/) - This is a wonderful site hosted by The Daily Post. Check it out! Anyway, I respond to prompts they provide. Sometimes, my responses are based in my life and world, and at others, it’s pure story-telling. I promise to let you know the difference.
- [The Daily Post Photo Challenge](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/the-daily-post-photo-challenge/)
- [the surreal and the unreal](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/the-surreal-and-the-unreal/)
- [Thinking](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/thinking/)
- [Writing](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/writing/)
- [Writing 101](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/writing-101/)
- [Writing 201](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/writing-201/)
- [#Couplets](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/couplets/)
- [Acrostic](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/acrostic/)
- [Balassi Stanza](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/balassi-stanza/)
- [Bop](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/bop/)
- [Clerihew](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/clerihew/)
- [Ekphrastic poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/ekphrastic-poem/)
- [Elevenie](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/elevenie/)
- [Free Verse](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/free-verse/)
- [Haibun](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/haibun/)
- [Haiku](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/haiku/)
- [Kyrielle](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/kyrielle/)
- [Light verse](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/original-poetry/light-verse/)
- [THE BLOG](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/the-blog/) - The posts for the official category, “The Blog”
- [THE STORIES](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/the-stories/)
- [THE POETRY](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/the-poetry/)
- [INTERVIEWS](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/interviews/)
- [PODCASTS](https://vijayasundaram.com/category/podcasts/)

## Tags

- [" minor kvetching and moaning](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/minor-kvetching-and-moaning/)
- [" vastness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/vastness/)
- ["Comment on blog](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/comment-on-blog/)
- ["knight at arms along and palely loitering"](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/knight-at-arms-along-and-palely-loitering/)
- ["Like" on blog](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/like-on-blog/)
- ["The Pale Blue Dot](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/the-pale-blue-dot/)
- [#100-wordFlashFiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/100-wordflashfiction/)
- [#2016Elections](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/2016elections/)
- [#A Litany of Complaints](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-litany-of-complaints/)
- [#Abadoned](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/abadoned/)
- [#Abandonment](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/abandonment/)
- [#Abiding friendship](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/abiding-friendship/)
- [#AboutIcarus](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/abouticarus/)
- [#AboutLifeandLoveandFriendship](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/aboutlifeandloveandfriendship/)
- [#AboutMyMother](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/aboutmymother/)
- [#AboutPartners](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/aboutpartners/)
- [#Acknowledging help](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/acknowledging-help/)
- [#Activism](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/activism/)
- [#Admire](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/admire/)
- [#AdvicePoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/advicepoem/)
- [#Age](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/age/)
- [#Ageing](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ageing/)
- [#Aging](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/aging/)
- [#Agnosticism](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/agnosticism/)
- [#AgrarianPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/agrarianpoem/)
- [#Ahab](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ahab/)
- [#AHCA](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ahca/)
- [#Aimless](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/aimless/)
- [#aleppo](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/aleppo/)
- [#Alien](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/alien/)
- [#alien vision](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/alien-vision/)
- [#AllegoricalFiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/allegoricalfiction/)
- [#Alliterative Poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/alliterative-poetry/)
- [#Allusive poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/allusive-poetry/)
- [#AlmanacPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/almanacpoem/)
- [#Alton Sterling](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/alton-sterling/)
- [#AltonSterling](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/altonsterling/)
- [#Alzheimers](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/alzheimers/)
- [#Ambitionless](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ambitionless/)
- [#AnahataNada](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/anahatanada/)
- [#ANewAphrodite](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/anewaphrodite/)
- [#ANewOdysseus](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/anewodysseus/)
- [#AngelsandPins](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/angelsandpins/)
- [#Angry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/angry/)
- [#Anuradha Koirala](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/anuradha-koirala/)
- [#AnyInterpretation](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/anyinterpretation/)
- [#ApocalypticFiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/apocalypticfiction/)
- [#Apology](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/apology/)
- [#Approachingearlyspringinwinter](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/approachingearlyspringinwinter/)
- [#AprilistheCruellestMoth](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/aprilisthecruellestmoth/)
- [#archipelago](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/archipelago/)
- [#ArtvsReality](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/artvsreality/)
- [#ascension](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ascension/)
- [#Ascent](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ascent/)
- [#AskingQuestions](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/askingquestions/)
- [#Aubade](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/aubade/)
- [#Autobiographical](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/autobiographical/)
- [#Autonomy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/autonomy/)
- [#Autumn](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/autumn/)
- [#AWakingVision](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/awakingvision/)
- [#Awe](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/awe/)
- [#Babylonian gods](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/babylonian-gods/)
- [#Babylonian mythology](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/babylonian-mythology/)
- [#BackwardsStoryPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/backwardsstorypoem/)
- [#Beach](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/beach/)
- [#Because](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/because/)
- [#Bedtime](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bedtime/)
- [#Beggars](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/beggars/)
- [#Being Awake](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/being-awake/)
- [#Being in love](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/being-in-love/)
- [#BeingMortal](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/beingmortal/)
- [#benediction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/benediction/)
- [#BirdandStegosaurusandCandle](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/birdandstegosaurusandcandle/)
- [#BirdOverTheWater](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/birdoverthewater/)
- [#Birds](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/birds/)
- [#Birthday](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/birthday/)
- [#Birthday Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/birthday-poem/)
- [#Bizarro Fiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bizarro-fiction/)
- [#BlackLivesMatter](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/blacklivesmatter/)
- [#Blank](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/blank/)
- [#BlindSpot](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/blindspot/)
- [#Blogging](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/blogging/)
- [#BlogReadersandFollowers](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/blogreadersandfollowers/)
- [#Bolting too early](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bolting-too-early/)
- [#Bombogenisis](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bombogenisis/)
- [#Books](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/books/)
- [#BookTitleOriginalPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/booktitleoriginalpoem/)
- [#Bop Poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bop-poetry/)
- [#Borrowed](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/borrowed/)
- [#Brahma](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/brahma/)
- [#Brahman](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/brahman/)
- [#BreadandCircus](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/breadandcircus/)
- [#Breath](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/breath/)
- [#Brewing spiced chai on a rainy day](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/brewing-spiced-chai-on-a-rainy-day/)
- [#Brick](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/brick/)
- [#Brussels attack](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/brussels-attack/)
- [#Buddy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/buddy/)
- [#Bulbs in Spring](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bulbs-in-spring/)
- [#bullies](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bullies/)
- [#bullying](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bullying/)
- [#Burden](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/burden/)
- [#Burn](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/burn/)
- [#Cage](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/cage/)
- [#CallandResponsePoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/callandresponsepoem/)
- [#CallandResponsePoetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/callandresponsepoetry/)
- [#Camouflage](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/camouflage/)
- [#CanadaGeeseandTraffic](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/canadageeseandtraffic/)
- [#CanisMajor](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/canismajor/)
- [#CaptainBeefheart](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/captainbeefheart/)
- [#Carefree](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/carefree/)
- [#Carpe Diem Haiku Kai](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/carpe-diem-haiku-kai/)
- [#Carry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/carry/)
- [#Chaos](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/chaos/)
- [#Chasm](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/chasm/)
- [#Chekhov](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/chekhov/)
- [#ChekhovResponse](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/chekhovresponse/)
- [#ChemicalAttackinSyria](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/chemicalattackinsyria/)
- [#Child](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/child/)
- [#ChildFallsDown](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/childfallsdown/)
- [#Childhood](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/childhood/)
- [#Childhood's Universe](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/childhoods-universe/)
- [#ChildLabour](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/childlabour/)
- [#Christmas Eve and Christmas Day](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/christmas-eve-and-christmas-day/)
- [#ChristmasOrnaments](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/christmasornaments/)
- [#ChristmasTree](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/christmastree/)
- [#Christo](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/christo/)
- [#City](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/city/)
- [#Clarity](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/clarity/)
- [#CleaningHouse](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/cleaninghouse/)
- [#climatechange](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/climatechange/)
- [#ClimateChangeAndCoffee](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/climatechangeandcoffee/)
- [#ClimateChangeisReal](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/climatechangeisreal/)
- [#ClimateChangepoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/climatechangepoem/)
- [#ClimateVigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/climatevigil/)
- [#ClingingtoLife](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/clingingtolife/)
- [#Clippings](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/clippings/)
- [#Clock](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/clock/)
- [#Clouds](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/clouds/)
- [#cognitive decline of a parent](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/cognitive-decline-of-a-parent/)
- [#Coincidence?](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/coincidence/)
- [#ColdFireWarmFire](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/coldfirewarmfire/)
- [#Coleridege references](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/coleridege-references/)
- [#Coleridge](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/coleridge/)
- [#Colorful](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/colorful/)
- [#ColorPoetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/colorpoetry/)
- [#Colors](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/colors/)
- [#Communication](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/communication/)
- [#Companion](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/companion/)
- [#Complicated](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/complicated/)
- [#Conference of the Birds](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/conference-of-the-birds/)
- [#Confession](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/confession/)
- [#Confused](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/confused/)
- [#Connected](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/connected/)
- [#Connectedness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/connectedness/)
- [#Connection](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/connection/)
- [#Constructs](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/constructs/)
- [#Contentment](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/contentment/)
- [#Contradictions](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/contradictions/)
- [#CosmicVisions](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/cosmicvisions/)
- [#Countless](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/countless/)
- [#Couplets](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/couplets/)
- [#Cowardice](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/cowardice/)
- [#Craving](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/craving/)
- [#Crisis](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/crisis/)
- [#Crossroads](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/crossroads/)
- [#crystalchandelier](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/crystalchandelier/)
- [#CulturalMisspeak](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/culturalmisspeak/)
- [#CulturalMores](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/culturalmores/)
- [#Curve](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/curve/)
- [#Cutting](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/cutting/)
- [#Daedalus](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/daedalus/)
- [#Daily Prompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/daily-prompt/)
- [#DailyPost](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dailypost/)
- [#DailyPrompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dailyprompt/)
- [#Darkness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/darkness/)
- [#Daughter](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/daughter/)
- [#DaughteroftheEarth](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/daughteroftheearth/)
- [#Daughtersandsons](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/daughtersandsons/)
- [#DaveHolland](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/daveholland/)
- [#Day 29 NaPoWriMo](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/day-29-napowrimo/)
- [#Day 9 of Solo Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/day-9-of-solo-vigil/)
- [#Day11ofNaPoWriMo](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/day11ofnapowrimo/)
- [#Day26NaPoWriMo](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/day26napowrimo/)
- [#Day27NaPoWrimo](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/day27napowrimo/)
- [#DayintheLife](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dayinthelife/)
- [#Death](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/death/)
- [#DeathandBeyond](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/deathandbeyond/)
- [#DeathDeferred](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/deathdeferred/)
- [#DebtForgiveness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/debtforgiveness/)
- [#Decency and honor in the face of the opposite](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/decency-and-honor-in-the-face-of-the-opposite/)
- [#déjà vu](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/deja-vu/)
- [#democracy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/democracy/)
- [#Democracy at stake](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/democracy-at-stake/)
- [#Demon](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/demon/)
- [#Deprive](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/deprive/)
- [#Dept](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dept/)
- [#Desert](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/desert/)
- [#DesperateRescueofaNation](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/desperaterescueofanation/)
- [#Detention](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/detention/)
- [#Dialogue](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dialogue/)
- [#Diatribe](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/diatribe/)
- [#DidacticPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/didacticpoem/)
- [#DinnerPlate](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dinnerplate/)
- [#dipodic verse](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dipodic-verse/)
- [#Dirty](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dirty/)
- [#Dirty Energy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dirty-energy/)
- [#Disappointment](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/disappointment/)
- [#Disaster](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/disaster/)
- [#Displaced](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/displaced/)
- [#Diverse](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/diverse/)
- [#Diving helmet picture](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/diving-helmet-picture/)
- [#Dog](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dog/)
- [#Dog and Family](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dog-and-family/)
- [#dog and snow](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dog-and-snow/)
- [#Dog-Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dog-poem/)
- [#Dog-Tail#1](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dog-tail1/)
- [#Dog-Tail#2](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dog-tail2/)
- [#Dog-Tail#3](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dog-tail3/)
- [#DogandSnow](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dogandsnow/)
- [#DogandStick](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dogandstick/)
- [#Doggles](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/doggles/)
- [#DoggyBusiness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/doggybusiness/)
- [#DogPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dogpoem/)
- [#Dogs](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dogs/)
- [#DogWoes](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dogwoes/)
- [#DômedesInvalides](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/domedesinvalides/)
- [#Dot Matrix](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dot-matrix/)
- [#Double-Elevenie](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/double-elevenie/)
- [#Double-Images](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/double-images/)
- [#dowrydeathstory](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dowrydeathstory/)
- [#DramaticPlay](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dramaticplay/)
- [#Dream](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dream/)
- [#Drive](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/drive/)
- [#Driving](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/driving/)
- [#Drop](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/drop/)
- [#Drop-Spindle](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/drop-spindle/)
- [#Drumming](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/drumming/)
- [#Drumming in twelve-eight time](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/drumming-in-twelve-eight-time/)
- [#Dussera](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dussera/)
- [#Dust](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dust/)
- [#dVerse](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/dverse/)
- [#Earth](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/earth/)
- [#EarthDay](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/earthday/)
- [#Easing back into the world of performance](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/easing-back-into-the-world-of-performance/)
- [#EasterSunday](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/eastersunday/)
- [#EchotheNymph](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/echothenymph/)
- [#Eclipse](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/eclipse/)
- [#Edge](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/edge/)
- [#EdwardHirsch](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/edwardhirsch/)
- [#ElectricHum](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/electrichum/)
- [#Elegy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/elegy/)
- [#Elopement(ofasort)](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/elopementofasort/)
- [#Embarrassing](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/embarrassing/)
- [#Emotions](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/emotions/)
- [#emptiness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/emptiness/)
- [#Empty](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/empty/)
- [#Enigmatic poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/enigmatic-poem/)
- [#Envy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/envy/)
- [#Epitome](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/epitome/)
- [#EricaGarner](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ericagarner/)
- [#EricGarner](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ericgarner/)
- [#Eros and Psyche](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/eros-and-psyche/)
- [#essay](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/essay/)
- [#EternalSnake](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/eternalsnake/)
- [#Eyes](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/eyes/)
- [#Face](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/face/)
- [#Face-to-Face](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/face-to-face/)
- [#FairyTale](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fairytale/)
- [#Fake](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fake/)
- [#Family](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/family/)
- [#Family and Friends](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/family-and-friends/)
- [#FamilyPortrait](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/familyportrait/)
- [#FamilyWalkintheWoods](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/familywalkinthewoods/)
- [#FanLetterPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fanletterpoem/)
- [#Fantasy-FairyTale](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fantasy-fairytale/)
- [#Fantasy-FairyTale-Mystery](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fantasy-fairytale-mystery/)
- [#Faraway](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/faraway/)
- [#Fate](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fate/)
- [#Father](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/father/)
- [#Fear Less](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fear-less/)
- [#Fearless](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fearless/)
- [#Feast](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/feast/)
- [#Fence](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fence/)
- [#FFfAW](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fffaw/)
- [#Fib Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fib-poem/)
- [#Fight](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fight/)
- [#Figurative poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/figurative-poetry/)
- [#findingone'spurposeinlife](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/findingonespurposeinlife/)
- [#Fire](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fire/)
- [#FirstYearAnniversaryofmagicsurrealist2013 / StrangeLander2015 blog](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/firstyearanniversaryofmagicsurrealist2013-strangelander2015-blog/)
- [#Fish](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fish/)
- [#FishMetaphors](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fishmetaphors/)
- [#Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/flash-fiction-for-the-purposeful-practitioner/)
- [#FlashFiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/flashfiction/)
- [#Fleeting](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fleeting/)
- [#Fleeting Moon](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fleeting-moon/)
- [#Flesh](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/flesh/)
- [#flexingsomewritingmuscles](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/flexingsomewritingmuscles/)
- [#FloridaSchoolShooting](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/floridaschoolshooting/)
- [#Flourish](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/flourish/)
- [#FlowerPoems](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/flowerpoems/)
- [#Fog](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fog/)
- [#FoodandLove](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/foodandlove/)
- [#FoodPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/foodpoem/)
- [#Foot-tapping](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/foot-tapping/)
- [#Footsteps](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/footsteps/)
- [#For the Planet](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/for-the-planet/)
- [#Forgiveness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/forgiveness/)
- [#fork](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fork/)
- [#ForMyDaughter](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/formydaughter/)
- [#ForOurChildren](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/forourchildren/)
- [#Fortuitousness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fortuitousness/)
- [#FortuneCookiePoetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fortunecookiepoetry/)
- [#FossilFuelReference](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fossilfuelreference/)
- [#fragile](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fragile/)
- [#fragment](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fragment/)
- [#Frail](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/frail/)
- [#Freedom](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/freedom/)
- [#FreeVerse](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/freeverse/)
- [#Friday Fictioneers](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/friday-fictioneers/)
- [#FridayFictioneers](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fridayfictioneers/)
- [#Friend](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/friend/)
- [#FriendshipEndings](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/friendshipendings/)
- [#Frivolous](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/frivolous/)
- [#FruitPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fruitpoem/)
- [#Futility](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/futility/)
- [#FuzzyBrain](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/fuzzybrain/)
- [#Gaia](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/gaia/)
- [#Galatea](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/galatea/)
- [#GamesPeopleDon'tPlay](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/gamespeopledontplay/)
- [#GardenandLife](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/gardenandlife/)
- [#Gardening](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/gardening/)
- [#GardeninginSpringtime](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/gardeninginspringtime/)
- [#GardeningintheSummer](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/gardeninginthesummer/)
- [#GasolineFumesAreGoodForSingersSNARK!](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/gasolinefumesaregoodforsingerssnark/)
- [#Generation](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/generation/)
- [#Genie](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/genie/)
- [#Genii](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/genii/)
- [#Georgie](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/georgie/)
- [#Ghazal](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ghazal/)
- [#Ghost](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ghost/)
- [#GhostStory](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ghoststory/)
- [#Giggle](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/giggle/)
- [#Giuseppe Crespi painting](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/giuseppe-crespi-painting/)
- [#Glass](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/glass/)
- [#God-related](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/god-related/)
- [#GoingVegan](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/goingvegan/)
- [#Graduation](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/graduation/)
- [#Grain](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/grain/)
- [#GreaterGood](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/greatergood/)
- [#GreekMyth](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/greekmyth/)
- [#GreekMythology](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/greekmythology/)
- [#GreekMythReference](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/greekmythreference/)
- [#GrowingupinSouthIndia](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/growingupinsouthindia/)
- [#GunViolenceinAmerica](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/gunviolenceinamerica/)
- [#haiku](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/haiku/)
- [#Haiku Horizons](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/haiku-horizons/)
- [#HaikuandProse](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/haikuandprose/)
- [#Half-Life](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/half-life/)
- [#Halloween Tirade](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/halloween-tirade/)
- [#Handwriting](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/handwriting/)
- [#Harmony](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/harmony/)
- [#Healthy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/healthy/)
- [#Heartbreak](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/heartbreak/)
- [#Hecate](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/hecate/)
- [#HeirloomSeedPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/heirloomseedpoem/)
- [#Help](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/help/)
- [#HinduCreatiion](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/hinducreatiion/)
- [#Hindustani classical vocal music](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/hindustani-classical-vocal-music/)
- [#Holding steady](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/holding-steady/)
- [#hollow](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/hollow/)
- [#Holly Tales](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/holly-tales/)
- [#HomericReference](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/homericreference/)
- [#Homeschooling](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/homeschooling/)
- [#Hope](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/hope/)
- [#HopeisaDog](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/hopeisadog/)
- [#Housemate](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/housemate/)
- [#HowtomakeMasalaChaiIndianStyle](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/howtomakemasalachaiindianstyle/)
- [#humanity](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/humanity/)
- [#Humans will prevail](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/humans-will-prevail/)
- [#Humor](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/humor/)
- [#Humour of a sort](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/humour-of-a-sort/)
- [#Hypocrisy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/hypocrisy/)
- [#ICA Boston](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ica-boston/)
- [#Illuminations](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/illuminations/)
- [#Illusions](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/illusions/)
- [#Immortality](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/immortality/)
- [#impermanence](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/impermanence/)
- [#Incomplete](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/incomplete/)
- [#InConfidence](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/inconfidence/)
- [#Index-Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/index-poem/)
- [#IndianMythology](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/indianmythology/)
- [#indifference](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/indifference/)
- [#Inhumanity](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/inhumanity/)
- [#Injustice](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/injustice/)
- [#InternationalStruggle](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/internationalstruggle/)
- [#IRemember](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/iremember/)
- [#ironic story](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ironic-story/)
- [#Irony](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/irony/)
- [#Ishmael](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ishmael/)
- [#Islands](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/islands/)
- [#IstandwithStandingRockND](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/istandwithstandingrocknd/)
- [#Ivory Coast attack](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ivory-coast-attack/)
- [#Jabberwocky](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/jabberwocky/)
- [#Jeopardy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/jeopardy/)
- [#John Lennon](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/john-lennon/)
- [#John Oliver](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/john-oliver/)
- [#Joke](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/joke/)
- [#JosephineBuonaparte](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/josephinebuonaparte/)
- [#Journal Entry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/journal-entry/)
- [#Journey](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/journey/)
- [#Keeping Vigil](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/keeping-vigil/)
- [#kenning-poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/kenning-poem/)
- [#kindness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/kindness/)
- [#KKK](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/kkk/)
- [#Kubla Khan](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/kubla-khan/)
- [#LaDoubleVieDeVeronique](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ladoubleviedeveronique/)
- [#Lahore attack](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/lahore-attack/)
- [#Languages](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/languages/)
- [#Larks](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/larks/)
- [#LauraPackersStorySeedsPrompts](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/laurapackersstoryseedsprompts/)
- [#Layers](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/layers/)
- [#Learning](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/learning/)
- [#Leave-takings](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/leave-takings/)
- [#Legacy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/legacy/)
- [#LetterPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/letterpoem/)
- [#Letting go of things](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/letting-go-of-things/)
- [#LGBTQ](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/lgbtq/)
- [#Life](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/life/)
- [#Life in Springtime](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/life-in-springtime/)
- [#LifeAndDeath](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/lifeanddeath/)
- [#LifeForce](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/lifeforce/)
- [#lightabsorptionandtransmission](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/lightabsorptionandtransmission/)
- [#LightVerse](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/lightverse/)
- [#Lilacsinmygarden](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/lilacsinmygarden/)
- [#Limericks](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/limericks/)
- [#Listening](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/listening/)
- [#LittleStrawFolk](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/littlestrawfolk/)
- [#Loaded](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/loaded/)
- [#Locked](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/locked/)
- [#Loneliness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/loneliness/)
- [#LongLines](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/longlines/)
- [#Loom](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/loom/)
- [#Loss](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/loss/)
- [#lostandfound](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/lostandfound/)
- [#Love](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/love/)
- [#Love and Death](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/love-and-death/)
- [#LoveandDeath](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/loveanddeath/)
- [#LoveandLoss](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/loveandloss/)
- [#LovenotHate](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/lovenothate/)
- [#Lune](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/lune/)
- [#Luxury](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/luxury/)
- [#Lysistrata](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/lysistrata/)
- [#Magic Realism](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/magic-realism/)
- [#MagicRealism](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/magicrealism/)
- [#Mahatma Gandhi](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mahatma-gandhi/)
- [#making a mountain out of a molehill](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/making-a-mountain-out-of-a-molehill/)
- [#Man with Sign](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/man-with-sign/)
- [#Marie Antoinette](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/marie-antoinette/)
- [#Marriage](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/marriage/)
- [#Mask](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mask/)
- [#Maybe](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/maybe/)
- [#medievalmarginalia](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/medievalmarginalia/)
- [#Melody](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/melody/)
- [#Memories](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/memories/)
- [#MemoryLoss](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/memoryloss/)
- [#Metaphorical poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/metaphorical-poem/)
- [#MetaphoricalGaiaPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/metaphoricalgaiapoem/)
- [#metaphors](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/metaphors/)
- [#Metaphysical](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/metaphysical/)
- [#MetaphysicalMusing](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/metaphysicalmusing/)
- [#Metaphysics](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/metaphysics/)
- [#MeToo](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/metoo/)
- [#Mid-Stream](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mid-stream/)
- [#Mild horror](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mild-horror/)
- [#miniature](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/miniature/)
- [#Mirror-World](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mirror-world/)
- [#Mirrors](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mirrors/)
- [#Miscommunication](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/miscommunication/)
- [#Misplaced](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/misplaced/)
- [#Misstep](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/misstep/)
- [#Misunderstandings](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/misunderstandings/)
- [#Mix-and-Match-Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mix-and-match-poem/)
- [#MLKJr.Day](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mlkjr-day/)
- [#ModesandMoods](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/modesandmoods/)
- [#Moerae](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/moerae/)
- [#Moirai](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/moirai/)
- [#Moloch](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/moloch/)
- [#Moon](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/moon/)
- [#Moonandtides](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/moonandtides/)
- [#MoonBeing](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/moonbeing/)
- [#Moonlight](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/moonlight/)
- [#MoonlightPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/moonlightpoem/)
- [#MorningCommute](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/morningcommute/)
- [#Mother and Daughter](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mother-and-daughter/)
- [#mother-daughter-trip-to-Washington-D.C..](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mother-daughter-trip-to-washington-d-c/)
- [#Mothers'Day](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mothersday/)
- [#Mountain](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mountain/)
- [#Music](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/music/)
- [#Music as a bridge](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/music-as-a-bridge/)
- [#Music-making and bearing witness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/music-making-and-bearing-witness/)
- [#MusicandMemory](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/musicandmemory/)
- [#musing](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/musing/)
- [#Musings](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/musings/)
- [#Myth-Dream](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/myth-dream/)
- [#MythologicalFiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/mythologicalfiction/)
- [#NapoleonBuonaparte](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/napoleonbuonaparte/)
- [#NaPoWriMo](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/napowrimo/)
- [#NaPoWriMo 2017](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/napowrimo-2017/)
- [#NaPoWriMo2017](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/napowrimo2017/)
- [#NaPoWriMo2017-day-one](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/napowrimo2017-day-one/)
- [#NarcissusandthePool](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/narcissusandthepool/)
- [#Natural](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/natural/)
- [#Nature](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/nature/)
- [#Natureinmybackyard](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/natureinmybackyard/)
- [#NeologisticPoemAboutSpringToday](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/neologisticpoemaboutspringtoday/)
- [#Nerve](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/nerve/)
- [#nestling](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/nestling/)
- [#NewAge](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/newage/)
- [#NewCreationMyth](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/newcreationmyth/)
- [#NewFairyTale](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/newfairytale/)
- [#NewMyth](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/newmyth/)
- [#Newspaper](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/newspaper/)
- [#NewYorkSkyline](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/newyorkskyline/)
- [#Night and Day](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/night-and-day/)
- [#Nightmare](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/nightmare/)
- [#No!IamnotPriceHamlet](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/noiamnotpricehamlet/)
- [#Nocturne](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/nocturne/)
- [#Non-Elopement](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/non-elopement/)
- [#Nonsense Poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/nonsense-poetry/)
- [#noSOTU](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/nosotu/)
- [#Nostalgia](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/nostalgia/)
- [#notastory](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/notastory/)
- [#NoWeHaveNoBananas!](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/nowehavenobananas/)
- [#Object](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/object/)
- [#ObjectPoetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/objectpoetry/)
- [#Obsessed](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/obsessed/)
- [#Obvious](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/obvious/)
- [#OdysseyReference](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/odysseyreference/)
- [#OldAge](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/oldage/)
- [#On Writing](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/on-writing/)
- [#OneWordPrompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/onewordprompt/)
- [#Open](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/open/)
- [#Ophelia Dahl](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ophelia-dahl/)
- [#Opossum](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/opossum/)
- [#Orderly](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/orderly/)
- [#Original 100-word Flash Fiction based on a photo-prompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original-100-word-flash-fiction-based-on-a-photo-prompt/)
- [#Original Flash Fiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original-flash-fiction/)
- [#Original music and song](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original-music-and-song/)
- [#Original Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original-poem/)
- [#Original Poem by Vijaya Sundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original-poem-by-vijaya-sundaram/)
- [#Original Poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original-poetry/)
- [#Original Poetry by Vijaya Sundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original-poetry-by-vijaya-sundaram/)
- [#Original Science Fiction-Flash Fiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original-science-fiction-flash-fiction/)
- [#Original Short Story](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original-short-story/)
- [#Original Short Story by Vijaya Sundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original-short-story-by-vijaya-sundaram/)
- [#Original Short Story: Polaris-Bound](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original-short-story-polaris-bound/)
- [#Original150wordShortStorybyVIjayaSundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/original150wordshortstorybyvijayasundaram/)
- [#originaldreamvignette](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/originaldreamvignette/)
- [#OriginalFlashFiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/originalflashfiction/)
- [#OriginalPoetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/originalpoetry/)
- [#OriginalPoetrybyVijayaSundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/originalpoetrybyvijayasundaram/)
- [#OriginalShortStory](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/originalshortstory/)
- [#OriginalSongbyVijaya Sundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/originalsongbyvijaya-sundaram/)
- [#OriginalSongbyVijayaSundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/originalsongbyvijayasundaram/)
- [#Orpheus](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/orpheus/)
- [#OrpheusandEurydice](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/orpheusandeurydice/)
- [#Oscar Wilde](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/oscar-wilde/)
- [#Ouroboros](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ouroboros/)
- [#Out of the ooze](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/out-of-the-ooze/)
- [#Paint](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/paint/)
- [#Pandit S.G.Devasthali](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/pandit-s-g-devasthali/)
- [#Pandit Shreeram G. Devasthali](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/pandit-shreeram-g-devasthali/)
- [#PanditShreeramG.Devasthali](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/panditshreeramg-devasthali/)
- [#Passing Casablanca reference](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/passing-casablanca-reference/)
- [#Paul Farmer](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/paul-farmer/)
- [#Peace](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/peace/)
- [#PearlofGreatPrice](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/pearlofgreatprice/)
- [#Penelope](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/penelope/)
- [#Pensive](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/pensive/)
- [#Perfection](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/perfection/)
- [#Perplexed](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/perplexed/)
- [#personal](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/personal/)
- [#Petrarchan Sonnet](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/petrarchan-sonnet/)
- [#phases](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/phases/)
- [#Philando Castile](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/philando-castile/)
- [#PhilandoCastile](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/philandocastile/)
- [#Philosophical Science Fiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/philosophical-science-fiction/)
- [#PhilosophicalPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/philosophicalpoem/)
- [#PhilosophicalQuestion](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/philosophicalquestion/)
- [#Phoenix](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/phoenix/)
- [#Physics](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/physics/)
- [#Pig-Larks](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/pig-larks/)
- [#Pigs](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/pigs/)
- [#Playful](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/playful/)
- [#Pleasure](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/pleasure/)
- [#PleasureInDailyLife](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/pleasureindailylife/)
- [#Poemwithrepetition](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/poemwithrepetition/)
- [#Poetic references and allusions](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/poetic-references-and-allusions/)
- [#PoeticResponsetoThreeSistersbyAntonChekhov](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/poeticresponsetothreesistersbyantonchekhov/)
- [#Poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/poetry/)
- [#Poetry 101 Rehab](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/poetry-101-rehab/)
- [#PoetryPerformance](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/poetryperformance/)
- [#PointofViewPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/pointofviewpoem/)
- [#PoliceShootings](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/policeshootings/)
- [#PoliceViolence](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/policeviolence/)
- [#PorpoisesandPurposes](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/porpoisesandpurposes/)
- [#Portrait](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/portrait/)
- [#Portrait of an old woman](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/portrait-of-an-old-woman/)
- [#Possibility](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/possibility/)
- [#Post](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/post/)
- [#Post-apocalyptic fiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/post-apocalyptic-fiction/)
- [#Postaday](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/postaday/)
- [#Praise](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/praise/)
- [#PrehistoricTale](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/prehistorictale/)
- [#PreservingThePlanet](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/preservingtheplanet/)
- [#PreseveringMusic](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/preseveringmusic/)
- [#Price](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/price/)
- [#Procrastination](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/procrastination/)
- [#Profound](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/profound/)
- [#Prometheus](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/prometheus/)
- [#Prophecy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/prophecy/)
- [#Pseudo-Historical Romance](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/pseudo-historical-romance/)
- [#Punishment](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/punishment/)
- [#Pygmalion](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/pygmalion/)
- [#Quark](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/quark/)
- [#QuickVid](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/quickvid/)
- [#QuirkofNature](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/quirkofnature/)
- [#Radical](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/radical/)
- [#Raga Bhatiyar](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/raga-bhatiyar/)
- [#Raga Desi](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/raga-desi/)
- [#RagaGunkali](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ragagunkali/)
- [#RagaKafi](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ragakafi/)
- [#Rage](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rage/)
- [#RailwayAccident](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/railwayaccident/)
- [#Rain](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rain/)
- [#RaindropsonPlants](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/raindropsonplants/)
- [#Rama](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rama/)
- [#Ramayana](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ramayana/)
- [#RamblingPoemWritten at 3:00 a.m.](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ramblingpoemwritten-at-300-a-m/)
- [#Ramblings](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ramblings/)
- [#Ramblingsandmusings](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ramblingsandmusings/)
- [#randomvignette](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/randomvignette/)
- [#Re-Run](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/re-run/)
- [#Reach](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/reach/)
- [#Reading a Script](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/reading-a-script/)
- [#real life](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/real-life/)
- [#RealisticFiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/realisticfiction/)
- [#realitytv](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/realitytv/)
- [#Rebirth](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rebirth/)
- [#RebirthoftheEarth?](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rebirthoftheearth/)
- [#Rebuild](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rebuild/)
- [#Reconciling selfishness with altruism](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/reconciling-selfishness-with-altruism/)
- [#Recycling](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/recycling/)
- [#Reference to Shakespeare's line from Richard III](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/reference-to-shakespeares-line-from-richard-iii/)
- [#ReferencetoTheDeclarationofIndependence](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/referencetothedeclarationofindependence/)
- [#Reflections and Shadows of Self](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/reflections-and-shadows-of-self/)
- [#ReflectionsofLight](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/reflectionsoflight/)
- [#ReflectionsonReflections](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/reflectionsonreflections/)
- [#Rehearsalforaplay](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rehearsalforaplay/)
- [#Reliving the past](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/reliving-the-past/)
- [#Request](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/request/)
- [#resist](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/resist/)
- [#Resistance](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/resistance/)
- [#resisttyranny](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/resisttyranny/)
- [#Response to growing heartlessness in the world](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/response-to-growing-heartlessness-in-the-world/)
- [#ResponsetoGOP](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/responsetogop/)
- [#Responsibilities](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/responsibilities/)
- [#Rhetorical Question](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rhetorical-question/)
- [#Rhymed Haiku](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rhymed-haiku/)
- [#RhymedCouplets](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rhymedcouplets/)
- [#Rhythm](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rhythm/)
- [#RiseofWomen](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/riseofwomen/)
- [#RisingTides](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/risingtides/)
- [#River-Walk](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/river-walk/)
- [#RobinsLoveWorms](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/robinsloveworms/)
- [#Romance](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/romance/)
- [#Rudder](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/rudder/)
- [#Sacrifice](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sacrifice/)
- [#SacrificesICannotMakeYet](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sacrificesicannotmakeyet/)
- [#Saga](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/saga/)
- [#Sanctuary](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sanctuary/)
- [#SanSan](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sansan/)
- [#Saraswati](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/saraswati/)
- [#sarcastic poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sarcastic-poem/)
- [#Satiation](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/satiation/)
- [#Satisfaction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/satisfaction/)
- [#Saving the Planet](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/saving-the-planet/)
- [#Scar](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/scar/)
- [#Sci-Fi Magic-Realism](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sci-fi-magic-realism/)
- [#Science Fiction Short Story](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/science-fiction-short-story/)
- [#ScienceFiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sciencefiction/)
- [#ScienceFictionShortStory](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sciencefictionshortstory/)
- [#SciencePun](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sciencepun/)
- [#Sea](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sea/)
- [#Season Haiku](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/season-haiku/)
- [#Secret](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/secret/)
- [#Seedling](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/seedling/)
- [#Self-control](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/self-control/)
- [#Semi-Horror](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/semi-horror/)
- [#Sensory poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sensory-poem/)
- [#SensoryReminiscences](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sensoryreminiscences/)
- [#September11](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/september11/)
- [#Serendipity](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/serendipity/)
- [#Sestina-related](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sestina-related/)
- [#Shadow](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/shadow/)
- [#ShadowsandNight](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/shadowsandnight/)
- [#Shakespearean Fantasy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/shakespearean-fantasy/)
- [#Shakespearean Sonnet](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/shakespearean-sonnet/)
- [#Sheep](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sheep/)
- [#Shelf](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/shelf/)
- [#shell](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/shell/)
- [#Shelved](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/shelved/)
- [#Shopping](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/shopping/)
- [#Sidewalk](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sidewalk/)
- [#Simplicity](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/simplicity/)
- [#Sing](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sing/)
- [#Singing](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/singing/)
- [#Sitar](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sitar/)
- [#Skeltonic verse](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/skeltonic-verse/)
- [#Skunk-kittens!](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/skunk-kittens/)
- [#Sky](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sky/)
- [#sky-poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sky-poem/)
- [#Sleepiness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sleepiness/)
- [#Slowly](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/slowly/)
- [#SmallBlueThing](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/smallbluething/)
- [#Smooth](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/smooth/)
- [#Snack-time!](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/snack-time/)
- [#Snap](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/snap/)
- [#Snowandvanishinganddeath](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/snowandvanishinganddeath/)
- [#Solitude](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/solitude/)
- [#Song](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/song/)
- [#SongsandGuitar](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/songsandguitar/)
- [#sonnet](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sonnet/)
- [#Soul](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/soul/)
- [#Soup](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/soup/)
- [#South](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/south/)
- [#SouthIndianReferences](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/southindianreferences/)
- [#Space](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/space/)
- [#Spaces](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/spaces/)
- [#Species Extinction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/species-extinction/)
- [#Spina bifida](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/spina-bifida/)
- [#Spinning](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/spinning/)
- [#Spiral](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/spiral/)
- [#Spring](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/spring/)
- [#SpringinAmerica](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/springinamerica/)
- [#SpringReflections](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/springreflections/)
- [#SpringtimeFantasy](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/springtimefantasy/)
- [#Stairway](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/stairway/)
- [#standingrock](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/standingrock/)
- [#starspectrum](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/starspectrum/)
- [#StateoftheDisunion](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/stateofthedisunion/)
- [#StatueofLiberty](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/statueofliberty/)
- [#Storm](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/storm/)
- [#Stranded](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/stranded/)
- [#Street](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/street/)
- [#Strength](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/strength/)
- [#Striving](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/striving/)
- [#Stroll](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/stroll/)
- [#Struggle](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/struggle/)
- [#Stubborn](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/stubborn/)
- [#Stubbornness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/stubbornness/)
- [#Sui Generis](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sui-generis/)
- [#Suitcase](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/suitcase/)
- [#Summer](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/summer/)
- [#Summertime](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/summertime/)
- [#Sunday Photo Fiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sunday-photo-fiction/)
- [#Supernatural](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/supernatural/)
- [#SupernaturalFiction](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/supernaturalfiction/)
- [#Superstition](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/superstition/)
- [#Surface](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/surface/)
- [#Surrealist story](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/surrealist-story/)
- [#Suzanne Vega](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/suzanne-vega/)
- [#Sweets in a rickshaw in India](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/sweets-in-a-rickshaw-in-india/)
- [#Swooning](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/swooning/)
- [#Syria](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/syria/)
- [#SyrianChemicalAttack](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/syrianchemicalattack/)
- [#Syrianconflict](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/syrianconflict/)
- [#T.S.EliotReference](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/t-s-eliotreference/)
- [#Teaching](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/teaching/)
- [#TeenageAngst](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/teenageangst/)
- [#Thanking someone](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thanking-someone/)
- [#ThanksgivingPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thanksgivingpoem/)
- [#ThankYou!](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thankyou/)
- [#The Beatles](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/the-beatles/)
- [#The Daily Post](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/the-daily-post/)
- [#The Daily Prompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/the-daily-prompt/)
- [#The Odyssey](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/the-odyssey/)
- [#the-last-of-the-seasons-tomato-harvest](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/the-last-of-the-seasons-tomato-harvest/)
- [#theatremusings](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/theatremusings/)
- [#TheBeatles](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thebeatles/)
- [#TheDailyPost](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thedailypost/)
- [#TheDailyPrompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thedailyprompt/)
- [#TheDailyPromptWeeklyPhotoChallenge](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thedailypromptweeklyphotochallenge/)
- [#TheFallingMan](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thefallingman/)
- [#TheGreatHum](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thegreathum/)
- [#thehumanexperiment](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thehumanexperiment/)
- [#TheMythofIcarus](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/themythoficarus/)
- [#ThePeopleUnitedWillNeverBeDefeated](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thepeopleunitedwillneverbedefeated/)
- [#TheRimeoftheAncientMariner](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/therimeoftheancientmariner/)
- [#TheTravailsofSita](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thetravailsofsita/)
- [#TheWalrusandTheCarpenter](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thewalrusandthecarpenter/)
- [#TheWarmingofthePacific](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/thewarmingofthepacific/)
- [#ThreeSistersResponse](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/threesistersresponse/)
- [#ThreeViews](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/threeviews/)
- [#Time](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/time/)
- [#TimeFeel](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/timefeel/)
- [#Together](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/together/)
- [#Tongue-in-cheek](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/tongue-in-cheek/)
- [#Tourist](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/tourist/)
- [#Tragedy in 100 words](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/tragedy-in-100-words/)
- [#Transformation](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/transformation/)
- [#Transgendering](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/transgendering/)
- [#Translated Passage from Dante's Paradiso II 1-9](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/translated-passage-from-dantes-paradiso-ii-1-9/)
- [#Transmutation](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/transmutation/)
- [#Travellers](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/travellers/)
- [#Travels Without the Dog](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/travels-without-the-dog/)
- [#Treadle](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/treadle/)
- [#Trees](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/trees/)
- [#TriggerWarning](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/triggerwarning/)
- [#Tritina](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/tritina/)
- [#Triumph over adversity](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/triumph-over-adversity/)
- [#Truth](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/truth/)
- [#TruthandLies](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/truthandlies/)
- [#Turkey attack](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/turkey-attack/)
- [#TurningAwayFromEnlightenment](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/turningawayfromenlightenment/)
- [#TwinTowers](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/twintowers/)
- [#Underestimate](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/underestimate/)
- [#Understanding](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/understanding/)
- [#Undoing](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/undoing/)
- [#Unfinished](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/unfinished/)
- [#UnintendedFarewells](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/unintendedfarewells/)
- [#Unpredictable](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/unpredictable/)
- [#UnrequitedLove](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/unrequitedlove/)
- [#Urban landscapes](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/urban-landscapes/)
- [#using the Fibonacci series to create patterns Hindustani vocal music](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/using-the-fibonacci-series-to-create-patterns-hindustani-vocal-music/)
- [#Valentine'sDayPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/valentinesdaypoem/)
- [#vegetarian](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/vegetarian/)
- [#VerblessPoem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/verblesspoem/)
- [#VignettesofTheReal](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/vignettesofthereal/)
- [#Vijaya Sundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/vijaya-sundaram/)
- [#Vision](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/vision/)
- [#VisitingMotherinLawinNursingHome](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/visitingmotherinlawinnursinghome/)
- [#VitaBrevisArsLonga](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/vitabrevisarslonga/)
- [#Voices](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/voices/)
- [#Voyage](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/voyage/)
- [#WageArt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/wageart/)
- [#Waiting](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/waiting/)
- [#Wake](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/wake/)
- [#WakeUp!](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/wakeup/)
- [#Walk with Dog in Springtime](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/walk-with-dog-in-springtime/)
- [#WalkingwithDog](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/walkingwithdog/)
- [#walkingwithdognearpond](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/walkingwithdognearpond/)
- [#walkinthewoodswithdog](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/walkinthewoodswithdog/)
- [#WarontheInnocents](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/warontheinnocents/)
- [#Warren Senders](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/warren-senders/)
- [#Waste](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/waste/)
- [#Water](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/water/)
- [#waterislife](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/waterislife/)
- [#Weaving](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/weaving/)
- [#Weeds](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/weeds/)
- [#Weekly Photo Challenge](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/weekly-photo-challenge/)
- [#What doth it profit ...?](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/what-doth-it-profit/)
- [#Whimsical Poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/whimsical-poetry/)
- [#Whisper](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/whisper/)
- [#Wilde](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/wilde/)
- [#Wind](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/wind/)
- [#Wind-Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/wind-poem/)
- [#Window](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/window/)
- [#Winter](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/winter/)
- [#Witness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/witness/)
- [#Woman with Sign](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/woman-with-sign/)
- [#Women](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/women/)
- [#WomenSpeakingOut](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/womenspeakingout/)
- [#Womenvs.Men](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/womenvs-men/)
- [#Wordsworth](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/wordsworth/)
- [#workforpeace](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/workforpeace/)
- [#WorkingforOthers'Happiness](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/workingforothershappiness/)
- [#Wormhole](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/wormhole/)
- [#Writing 101](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/writing-101/)
- [#Writing 101 Poetry Day 4](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/writing-101-poetry-day-4/)
- [#Writing 101, Poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/writing-101-poetry/)
- [#Writing 101, Poetry Day 2](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/writing-101-poetry-day-2/)
- [#Writing 201](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/writing-201/)
- [#Writing for the Five Senses](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/writing-for-the-five-senses/)
- [#YamunaRiverTajMahal](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/yamunarivertajmahal/)
- [#Yemen attack](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/yemen-attack/)
- [#Youth](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/youth/)
- [#YouTubeMagPie](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/youtubemagpie/)
- [#Zing](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/zing/)
- [100 word flash fiction based on photo-prompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/100-word-flash-fiction-based-on-photo-prompt/)
- [100-word original hort story based on photo prompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/100-word-original-hort-story-based-on-photo-prompt/)
- [100-word original short story based on a photo prompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/100-word-original-short-story-based-on-a-photo-prompt/)
- [100-word original short tsory based on photo prompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/100-word-original-short-tsory-based-on-photo-prompt/)
- [100-word short story](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/100-word-short-story/)
- [100-word short story based on photo prompt](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/100-word-short-story-based-on-photo-prompt/)
- [100-word story](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/100-word-story/)
- [2001: A Space Odyssey reference](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/2001-a-space-odyssey-reference/)
- [2015](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/2015/)
- [50000 blog subscribers YAY!](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/50000-blog-subscribers-yay/)
- [A Day in the life of ...](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-day-in-the-life-of/)
- [A Day in the Life of an English Teacher](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-english-teacher/)
- [A Habit I'd Like to Break](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-habit-id-like-to-break/)
- [A Love Poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-love-poem/)
- [A Midsummer Night's Dream](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-midsummer-nights-dream/)
- [a moment](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-moment/)
- [a new fairy tale](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-new-fairy-tale/)
- [a new jump-rope song](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-new-jump-rope-song/)
- [a new Saturday morning post](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-new-saturday-morning-post/)
- [A Non-Horatian Ode](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-non-horatian-ode/)
- [a thought](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-thought/)
- [A Tourist in the Nation's Capital](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-tourist-in-the-nations-capital/)
- [A Walk in the Snowy Woods](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-walk-in-the-snowy-woods/)
- [A warm day in December](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-warm-day-in-december/)
- [A way of life](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-way-of-life/)
- [a wish](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-wish/)
- [A would-be tulip-and-daffodil love-story](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-would-be-tulip-and-daffodil-love-story/)
- [A.R.Rahman](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/a-r-rahman/)
- [Aaron Neville](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/aaron-neville/)
- [Abandoning](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/abandoning/)
- [Abyss](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/abyss/)
- [acceptance](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/acceptance/)
- [Acrostic Poetry](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/acrostic-poetry/)
- [Acrostic Poetry About GIfts](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/acrostic-poetry-about-gifts/)
- [Adam to Eve](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/adam-to-eve/)
- [Addiction to blogging](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/addiction-to-blogging/)
- [Adopted child](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/adopted-child/)
- [Advice](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/advice/)
- [Age and Aging](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/age-and-aging/)
- [Air and River](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/air-and-river/)
- [Air and You](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/air-and-you/)
- [airplanes](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/airplanes/)
- [Akbar](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/akbar/)
- [Alaipayuthey songs](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/alaipayuthey-songs/)
- [Alexander McCall Smith](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/alexander-mccall-smith/)
- [Alfred](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/alfred/)
- [alien allusions](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/alien-allusions/)
- [alien story](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/alien-story/)
- [Aliens](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/aliens/)
- [All You Need is Love](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/all-you-need-is-love/)
- [allegory](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/allegory/)
- [Allergies](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/allergies/)
- [almost NaPoWriMo](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/almost-napowrimo/)
- [almost-real](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/almost-real/)
- [altered](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/altered/)
- [alternate reality](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/alternate-reality/)
- [Amanda Fucking Palmer](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/amanda-fucking-palmer/)
- [Amnesia](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/amnesia/)
- [An Original Essay by Vijaya Sundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/an-original-essay-by-vijaya-sundaram/)
- [An Original Short Story by Vijaya Sundaram](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/an-original-short-story-by-vijaya-sundaram/)
- [anaphora](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/anaphora/)
- [Anarkali](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/anarkali/)
- [ancestor](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ancestor/)
- [and I](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/and-i/)
- [and in Pune](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/and-in-pune/)
- [Andres Segovia](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/andres-segovia/)
- [angry outburst](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/angry-outburst/)
- [angst](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/angst/)
- [animal poem](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/animal-poem/)
- [Anklet bells](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/anklet-bells/)
- [Antigravity](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/antigravity/)
- [Apollo](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/apollo/)
- [April](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/april/)
- [April vacation](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/april-vacation/)
- [aquarium](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/aquarium/)
- [Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/arati-ankalikar-tikekar/)
- [Arches](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/arches/)
- [Arctic snow](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/arctic-snow/)
- [Ariadne](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ariadne/)
- [arrows](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/arrows/)
- [Art](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/art/)
- [artifice](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/artifice/)
- [Artists](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/artists/)
- [ashes to ashes](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ashes-to-ashes/)
- [Ashurbanipal](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ashurbanipal/)
- [Ashwini Bhide Deshpande](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ashwini-bhide-deshpande/)
- [at home](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/at-home/)
- [atomic and cellular](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/atomic-and-cellular/)
- [atoms](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/atoms/)
- [Atropos](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/atropos/)
- [attachment](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/attachment/)
- [attack](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/attack/)
- [Attitude](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/attitude/)
- [autism](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/autism/)
- [autistic child](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/autistic-child/)
- [Autistic Spectrum](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/autistic-spectrum/)
- [auto-immune disorder](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/auto-immune-disorder/)
- [Autumn's tread](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/autumns-tread/)
- [Baby shower](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/baby-shower/)
- [Baby Showers](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/baby-showers/)
- [Bacchanal](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bacchanal/)
- [back to school](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/back-to-school/)
- [Backyard encounter](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/backyard-encounter/)
- [bad choices](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bad-choices/)
- [Bad Writing Day](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bad-writing-day/)
- [bad writing days](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/bad-writing-days/)
- [Baghdad](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/baghdad/)
- [ballad](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/ballad/)
- [Balloon](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/balloon/)
- [Baltimore](https://vijayasundaram.com/tag/baltimore/)