Water, slick like oil,
Glistens like molten gold.
Snaking into cracks, crevasses,
Creeping into the stoic earth.
She trills along moss-kissed stones
Flounders into a bay,
And untroubled by sludgy sands of the delta,
To her sister, Earth, she says –
You may be solid and I may be slow,
But behold! I’m just as mighty as you.
I’ve carved out of your jagged bones,
Continents, mountains, valleys and more.
And you may feed those with mouths to feed,
But I’m the one who quenches their thirsts.
And you may be the one with the seed
But I’m the one that sprouts it to feed the millions.
And when you rage and hiss
Under the glare of our celestial father
in the heavens afar,
I’m the one that rains on you
Giving succour to the parched.
But when your creatures threaten
To skew the balance of life,
I’m the one that froths over them
In thunderous tides to hold them in line.
Then tell me why should you alone
Be ‘Mother’ Earth named?
And the earth, who thus far,
Had silently listened, spake
Through the tremors of a gentle quake –
Water dearest, I alone do not birth life.
You, faithful one,
Like our sister Air,
Must by my side abide.
While you quench thirst, aye, I quench hunger,
And faithful Air gives life to a bag of bones.
When you surge through knoll and hill
Our children call you their abode.
They breathe our sister through gills I gave them,
Air nourishes from within your own womb.
And when they meet their fated ends,
They crumble into my arms.
Just as the moon shines not without the sun,
And light would not exist without the dark,
Why when our tasks are alike,
Must we be made apart?
Air, Water, Earth
We’re all forms of The One,
The One who bids us nourish life,
Together till time is done.
Copyright © 2018 Pradita Kapahi
Image: Pradita Kapahi
#poetry #poem#instapoetry #newpostalert
This is the first time I've read Dutta-Asane's work and I wasn't disappointed.
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Cast Out and Other Stories is all about being on the fringe. The stories revolve around people who live on the fringes of the society or experiences of common folk that make them the odd one out.
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This anthology is a collection of sixteen stories, each engineered around a contemporary social issue.
Dark, contemplative and moody, these stories put you in a deep, introspective trance because they often discuss character flaws and social inequities that we’re all aware of but shrug away because we can’t do anything about them, or won’t. Through her stories, these deep-seated insecurities about our behavioural issues and social mores become monsters scarier than any conventional supernatural beings.
Strengths -
powerful themes based on social and behavioural issues. She also uses characters that are flawed yet common among us to make the story relatable.
Weaknesses -
Language is too polished for a regular, light reader. Not meant for people seeking a quick or easy read.
Verdict - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for stories that are lessons in empathy. Her stories aren’t just about the characters but about the source of those characters – society, nations within nations, class, language, gender, colour, rural-urban divide, forcing you to rethink your preconceived notions about social constructs, which is a grave and difficult task and Dutta-Asane proves adept at handling such emotionally charged issues..
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For the whole, detailed review, please head to the blog. Link in bio.
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#bookreview
#reviewsbypraditakapahi #indianbookreviewer #sucharitaduttaasane #castoutandotherstories #flashfiction #fictionreview
I like the quotation: Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman.
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Glad you liked it too
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It sounds ecstatic.
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Thank you 😊
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The quote is just brilliant. 🙂
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Thank you 😊 I think so too
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You’re welcome. 🙂
I am just going through the Sticky Situation post, and boy, it is long and it is continued, right?
You could definitely take the NaBloPoMo challenge. 🙂
Anyhow, getting back to reading it before I skedaddle to catch my bus.
Great blog, btw. 🙂
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Yes it is rather long… I’m not really a short story writer and I do like to get into the nitty-gritties of things… Hence the word count. Thank you so much for keeping up with the post and your praise 😊
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High Five, neither am I. That’s why I stop in the middle, because I do tooo much (unnecessary) detailing.
Good that you keep it going, I need to learn a thing from you on this, about how you keep the flow and keep it going and not get bored and procrastinate.
Yeah, I will catch up on the story after I catch the bus. So far so good. 😀
Ah, my pleasure. 😀
P.S. Already looking forward to the next post. I hope you write it by the time I complete the post (since it so long :P, Kidding). 😀
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That won’t be happening, I’m afraid since each of my stories take time to cultivate… But stay tuned. I promise I won’t keep the readers waiting too long for the next instalments. And I really hope you finish yours so we can share notes on how to be a better writer and not dilly-dally 😉 Thanks again for the compliments.
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😐
Waiting is a tough job. But okay. Will have to.
Yeah, I need to first sit down. And then not get distracted. 🙈
You can share a few pointers now as well, unless it is a secret. 😜
Facts, just facts. Anyhow, you’re welcome. 🙂
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Soon soon 😊
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Ok. Finally done.
Looking forward to the next part. 🙂
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Soon, soon 😊
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Yeah. 😐
A. Looooong. Wait. 😐
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Hi Pradita, thank you for visiting my little nest. You have such beautiful watercolour work. Lovely to meet you.
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You’re welcome Jeni. I really like your work. Keep up the good job! 😊
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Thanks pradita! You too.
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I’m not sure if your “notify via email” link works.
Daria.
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Yes I think it doesn’t… Thanks for letting me know. Is there something you wanted to convey to me? You could email me at eva.chandola@gmail.com
😊 😊
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I think I sorted it (once I started writing in the ‘Comment’ box). Thanks. Just makes it easier to read other blogs.
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Oh good. Glad it worked out. 😊
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Great blog!
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Thanks a lot 🙂 Thanks for the follow too
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Great blog – I liked checking out the guest posts. Good to see lots of collaboration and exchanges of ideas 🙂
Regards!
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Thanks a lot 😊 I’m glad you liked it. I had wanted to carry on with the guest posts but people stopped contributing, so I had to stop it. Thank you for the follow 😊😊
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Love Virginia Woof n her ‘stream of consciousness’ narrative style. Very modern thoughts and wringing.
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I agree. Welcome to my blog. I hope you find something to your liking here. Please keep visiting 🙂
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