Wrote this poem on the subject “Holidays” for a Competition hosted by Asian Literary Society and won the First Prize.
Not the days spent lazing, overlooking the Seine
or the vineyards of Chianti, having food and wine
Not the tip of Jungfrau, where heaven and earth align
or the nights in the Wadi, gazing at stars shine
Not the cruise at Ha Long where we did dance and dine
or the streets of Florence, shall make me pine
Cobble-stone paths, blue-green seas, for breaks are fine
Maple leaves fallen, snow- flakes drizzling- I opine
cannot steal me from that which is truly mine-
Swaying coconut palms, gurgling streams
Glistening rain-drops on leaves; ripples on puddles like spreading light beams
A carpet of green – light, dark, shades in between
Smell of the earth after the rains, all washed clean
Men in white “mundus” tied up to the waist
Sounds of the mother-tongue –sweet; spoken in haste
A peace, a quiet, a serenity seeps
Am home! My caged heart frees
The unknown enchants, the curious mind quenches,
The known fulfills,the drained spirit drenches
Roots beckon silently.
Holidays those, that lead me home
Note: ‘Mundu’ is a garment tied around the waist by men in Mangalore (Karnataka), Kerala and Maldives islands. Its similar to dhoti, sarong and lungi.
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Congratulations on the win Smitha. Loved how the poem flowed so gracefully from exotic holiday locales to the yearning to be back to the comfort of home. Very well penned Smitha ❤ !
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Thank you so much Radhika🙂. The travel bug will have to remain hungry for sometime now. If we could get out in our own cities and around it would be great. Hope alls well at your end.
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Many Congratulations, Madam, for Winning the First Prize for this poem..!! 😊😊
You are an inspiration and have a thorough grasp of poetry, story writing, painting, numbers, finance, exploration and many more domains..!! Simply amazing..!! I just feel awed by looking at your paintings or poems.. 😊😊
Thank you for re-sharing this.. 😊😊
(by the way, if you want “snowflakes”, you very well know where to go.. 😉 )
The scenes from your hometown are amazing and have been beautifully described by you.. 😊😊 I think you told me that your hometown is in Kerala. It’s a beautiful state and I feel nature has blessed Kerala abundantly (sans the Ice though)
Great poem..!! Amazing..!! I hope you are able to visit Kerala pretty soon.. 😊😊
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Thank you Abirbhav for your warm words. You are very kind and generous with your compliments. Its always a pleasure to hear from you. Your comments have a way of cheering one up.
And yes, I know where to go for snowflakes 🙂 thanks to you. Kerala is my husband’s place. It is truly beautiful and if my poem in some way brought out the beauty of the place then I’m happy.
Yes, let’s hope we can put this all behind us and travel again.
Take care and stay safe.
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Well, I should be the one complimenting you again for cheering up the commenting person.. 🙂 🙂 So, thank you for your warm words.. 🙂
It’s amazing to see your description of Kerala. If Kerala was a person, She would have been very happy seeing your ode to Her.. 🙂
Surely, we will put the virus behind us and travel again with renewed vigour.. Thank you Madam and you too stay safe.. 🙂 🙂
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You should check out my earlier posts on Kerala. Now that you’ve said it, I’m thinking she would be in love with me if she read my posts on her. 🙂
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Oh yes, She will definitely be in love with you.. 🙂 Let me now fish out your stories on Kerala.. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Eúnoia and commented:
Had written this poem in 2018. Am sharing it again as I felt it fits the subject ‘Watered by the rains,’ a feature introduced by Jude.
With the current pandemic, the hunger to visit home during the monsoons remains.
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Dear Smitha, your longing for home is so beautiful! I loved the opening paragraph where all the luxury, scenic beauty and marvels of this world cannot match to the comfort of sweet home. I am taken aback by your definition (that will need me to explain – later) of home but I am so so happy for you too. The pictures remind me of my days at home during all those monsoon days with gurgling streams, brimming wells and all the lush greenery. Loved it, enjoyed it -so very much.
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Oh yes! And congratulations. If this does not win the First Prize then I am not sure what will. I am sure the jury was hooked under the spell of those first lines.
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🙂 I’m so glad you feel it was deserving. It means so much to me Pranitha. Now that you say so, it must have been those lines then that worked the magic. I send you a heart (I am on my laptop so don’t have the emoji 😉
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😍❤️now I’m on my phone.. just for these emojis …
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😍❤ me too now. Was supposed to be on a mobile detox except for urgent cases…this definitely seemed urgent😀
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Thank you so much my dear. While I love travelling and seeing new places and am at ease in those places, there’s something different about returning home. Maybe I have an idea of your question but yes this is the second point to be discussed 🙂 Thank you again so, so much. Reading your comment is so satisfying.
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Speaking to you and getting a glimpse into your world, yet again, has been wonderful. I had really missed reading them all.
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The pleasure of sharing my world has been mine…
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This poem is great, Smitha. The pictures go beautifully with the words.
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Thanks a lot Robbie and thank you very much for the share. Xxx
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Congratulations! It’s well deserved – a beautiful, evocative poem. 🙂
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Thank you so much Eleanor. It means so much that you think so too❤🙏. Xxx
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Congratulations on winning first prize Smitha and no wonder, your poem transports me all over the world but with the sweet comfort of coming home.
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Thank you so very much Andrea. Winning it was a great motivator but receiving a compliment from a literary genius like you is the cherry on the top. I am so glad you found it good too😊. Xxx
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Beautiful poem, picture and description of mundu. I am a Malayali and relate very well. Hope to see more from you. Please visit my page also
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Thank you Kurian. Have just been very tied up. Intend checking all the sites, yours too once the holiday season begins. Thank you for reading the poem.
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Yes Smitha, take your time. Keep well. 🙏
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Thank you so much for understanding.⚘
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You are welcome Smitha
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