Musings on Year end (Poetrython)

The word prompt in the last Twitter Poetrython of this year was Year/Saal. In Twitter Poetrython, every Tuesday, the poets are given a word prompt and they need to instantly write poems using that word within 9-10 pm. 

Here are some of my musings on Year end that I shared on today's Poetrython. 

Book of Short Stories

Collage of Memories

That secret place

Also check out: Poetry [Poetrython] Peace [Poetrython] | Mother [Poetrython] | Tradition [Poetrython] |Glimpse [Poetrython] | Difficult and Easy (Poetrython)

You can also participate in the Twitter Poetrython every Tuesday from 9-10 pm by following the account @KaafiyaPoetry and with the hashtag #KaafiyaMilaao

Waves, Rain and Wind chimes!

Music of sea waves

Can cease the chatter of mind

Ebb the anxiety;

Symphony that motivates

A soul weary of living.

Melody of rain

Can spray romance in a heart

Weave colorful dreams;

Nostalgic minutes

Bring back moments of  passion.

Image Source

Music of wind chimes

A euphoric harmony

Makes you laugh and dance;

You open your arms to life

With all your mind, heart and soul.

-Purba Chakraborty 

(14.12.2016)

Tanka is a classic form of Japanese poetry related to the haiku with five unrhymed lines of five, seven, five, seven, and seven syllables. (5, 7, 5, 7, 7)

Linking this poem with Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Music

Watching sunset from my window seat

Window seats have always been my favorite since childhood. Whenever I travel, I make sure to grab the window seat. Whether I am travelling in car, bus, train or taking a flight, I cannot give away my window seat to anyone. I remember so many innocuous fights with my cousins and friends just for the window seat.

Window seats give me wings to dream without any inhibitions and my imagination takes a flight. I feel liberated looking at the outside world from the window of a bus or a train. 

Also, the sheer pleasure of watching the changing landscapes thrills me. It makes me realize that there is beauty in change and uncertainty. I get totally drawn in and start weaving so many stories in my mind. Watching the quaint, little villages, the lush greenery, unknown people going on with their chores make me philosophical and teach me to live in the moment.

On my last trip, while I was returning home in an AC bus, I witnessed a beautiful sunset. Since it was an AC bus and there was a thick glass between me and the outside world, the pictures became a little hazy. 

As I spotted the setting sun from my window seat, I was overjoyed. I savored its beauty and then started clicking pictures from my phone. The guy who was sitting beside me was extremely curious to see if I could successfully click even one picture in the moving bus.

I have a travel playlist that I update every time I embark on a journey. While I was watching the sunset, the Journey Song of Piku was playing on my ear phones which made me beam with delight. 

Within a few minutes, dusk had set in. The sun magically disappeared behind the far away trees and I sighed. The most beautiful moments last only for a while, but if we are a positive seeker, we can find them again, perhaps in a different form in a slightly different setting. 

That's the beauty of window seats. They make you appreciate the world and also turn you into a little philosopher. 

Do you also have a soft corner for window seats when you travel?

Perfect on Paper

All our rosy, poetic conversations

All the moon-lit dreams we shared

The telepathy we felt

On the most mundane occasions

That converted a moment into a miracle;

All our unsolved riddles

All our love laden complaints

The connection of souls we felt

In the lap of ethereal silence

That echoes deep within even today;

I wonder why, but they are only

Perfect on paper

Incomprehensible out of it

Reality, perhaps doesn't have space

For something so deep and esoteric.

-Purba Chakraborty

04.12.2016

Linking this poem with Poetry Pantry #331

Keeping promises to myself : Winning NaNoWriMo 2016

In the last week of October, I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo 2016 and write an entire novel of 50 K words in the month of November. It was a difficult challenge, but from a very young age, I get attracted towards challenges. The thrill of overcoming a challenge excites me.

I sketched the plot in the last week of October and embarked on a new journey of writing the book titled "Is it me you're looking for?" on 1st November. I was full of energy on the 1st week of November and managed to write 18 K words within 7 days. 

However, it was the 2nd week when things became really tough as I faced an emotional crisis and was also overburdened with tight deadlines. The pace decreased as a result. 

In the 3rd week, I had many social commitments such as friend's wedding and family functions that also made it hard to continue writing the novel along with the regular workload. 

However, it was the 4th week when I pulled up my socks and decided that, come what may, I am going to finish the novel I am working on. And on 29th November just before the clock struck midnight, I hit the 50 K mark and completed the 1st draft of my novel.

I validated my work and was awarded this beautiful certificate by NaNoWriMo.

I was overwhelmed with emotions as I received the certificate and realized that I had finally kept a promise to myself. After a long time, I gifted myself something that I will always be grateful for. This one month of discipline, hard work and not giving up had shaped me both as a writer and as a human being.

Generally, I take 4-6 months to pen down the 1st draft of a novel. For the first time, I did it in one month. This itself is a huge motivation for me. Now I can't wait to go back to the novel after taking a week break and read what I have written so that I can edit it accordingly. 

Thanks to all you lovely people who wished me all the best when I shared on my blog that I am going to attempt NaNoWriMo this year. Blogging took a back seat last month due to this, but December will definitely be full of blogging. I have so much to write and share in my most favorite space.