Note: I took the picture of the sun streaming in through the trees in the Karura forest. See the patch of sunlight on the forest floor?
I’m grateful for a lot of things this week. First, for completing another year around the sun. I celebrated my birthday, last Friday. It was a blessing to have hubby and my older daughter here with me. We went for a walk in the morning, had coffee at a Cafe’, dined at a Vietnamese restaurant, visited the temple ( our first time here) and then went to our new house to meet the people from the curtain shop.
Call it divine providence or a miracle but an ex-colleague turned friend of mine, who, I used to fondly call my ‘living diary’ visited Kenya on my birthday. She was here for the Maasai Mara and had the day of arrival free. Fortunately, the tour operator had booked her and her family into the same hotel that we’re staying at. This meant that we got to meet. It felt like a gift from God as I haven’t yet made friends here.
I’m also thankful that two of my poems were published last week. One on Masticadores USA by Barbara- From the heart of war and the second, by Michelle Avon Navajas – The Slaughterhouse, based on my first delivery.
In addition to all of the above, I managed to put together a book of some of my poems and sent it to four publishers. I received a response from all four. One said that they would be willing to take it up next year as they were completely busy this year. Another asked for the entire manuscript which I sent, but they’ve said it will be weeks before I can expect a response from them as there’s a long queue for poetry. The third said that they couldn’t publish it now as they were busy but were willing to publish it through their imprint (an imprint is a trade name that a publisher uses to publish a book) . I’ve asked them a few questions about the terms etc, but am yet to hear from them. The fourth one rejected it. I’m thankful for the responses even if they really aren’t conclusive because they didn’t keep me hanging. That said, I hope one of them materializes. The problem in India is that you can’t have your book only online because people haven’t yet caught up to reading books online. They still fancy paperbacks. And you can’t use Amazon’s services because Amazon isn’t allowed to print books in India, unlike in other countries. This means that you need a publisher whether you like it or not. There are a few publishing houses that allow you to self-publish but I thought I’d check these other publishing houses before going the self-publishing route, which I may eventually do if it makes greater financial sense.
Coming to all the other things I’m thankful for. I’m thankful for my morning walks in this city, clear blue skies, so much of green around and the many flowers that line the roads because of the streetside open nurseries that go as far as the eye can see.
These are pictures from my morning walk. There isn’t anything specific here to click. The entire place is beautiful as nature is largely untouched.
Now for Thursday Doors, here are pictures of doors I took over the week
We visited a restaurant that serves African cuisine, a few days ago. It was my first time trying this cuisine and I enjoyed it. I think a common ingredient in the salad and in the chicken dish was a mix of fennel seeds and pomegranete molasses which I loved but my daughter did not.
This week’s Tanka Tuesday has a very interesting prompt and form. Colleen asks us to write a Tanka Puente (this is the first time I heard of this form). Tanka Puente is written in the below form –
‘ 1st stanza: separate thought, equal number of lines (5/7/5/7/7)
2nd stanza: one line enclosed in tildes (~) to distinguish itself from the last line of the first stanza and the first line of the third stanza. No syllable count, but keep it brief.
3rd stanza: separate thought, equal number of lines (5/7/5/7/7)’. To read an example, check here
Colleen asks us to use a quote from Pioneer Woman: 75 Best Moon Quotes That Mirror the Magic of the Sky HERE.
The magic happens between the two tanka poems and how the quote acts like a bridge
Here’s my first attempt at writing a Tanka Puente. It’s definitely not the last. I absolutely loved writing this.
The sun and the moon are mine
The sun is my fuel
It ensures my engine works
In its warmth, I bloom-
churn poetry, paint canvases,
It fills my life with colours
"The sun watches what I do, but the moon knows all my secrets." - M.Wonderland
But it is at night
That my dreams float before me
And so do my fears
In the silence, I whisper
a prayer and the moon watches.
I wrote this post and then saw the news of the aircrash in India where around 265 people died. The flight crashed within 5 minutes of takeoff. It crashed into a medical college hostel and atleast 24 people there lost their lives, too.
Accidents like this transcend borders. The aircraft was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner travelling from Ahmedabad in India to UK. They're still investigating the cause of the accident. The pilots had 9700 hours of flying experience between them. There were parents on their way to meet their child studying in London, a newly-wed wife traveling to meet her husband, a father returning to his children after performing his wife's last rituals and many others. There are as many stories as there were people. News like this shakes you up because it reminds you that life is uncertain and all you have is here and now.
It didn't feel right to write a gratitude post but not write about this tragedy that took place today. My prayers are with the families of all those who lost their loved ones.
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