Blue Wednesdays

The hours ran away
Like sand in the wind.
Two ships waited in the yard;
I was stuck there in between.

How far do I go in search
Of something so elusive?
How many sleepless nights
Hunched over black screens?

My Titanic set sail without me
To the country of my dreams,
While I stood on the docks
And waved her goodbye.

Dining at the head of an empty table
Once so full of love and laughter,
I saw the ghosts of bygone days;
Places and people, now forbidden.

Some days are perfect
Like sunshine and rainbows.
Some days the darkness
Will swallow me whole.
But I can get through it
If all I have is a hand to hold.

Maybe, just maybe, the world
Does get a little brighter
Every time you pet a kitten,
Or smile at a stranger;
Every time you paint with pretty colours,
Or every time you hug your lover.

Until then, only until then,
Today is just another Blue Wednesday. 

Dying Fire

The clock struck twelve
And the world rejoiced;
In that one moment, 
I bid you goodbye. 

For two long winters, I held on tight
Three summers; blissful and light
I knew it would end; one day, one night, 
Though I held on with all my might. 

As autumn fled, the fiery blaze
Dimmed its light, retained its warmth. 
I brought the firewood, you brought yourself;
With you, came the cold, hard winds. 

With my empty lighter and broken matchsticks
I tried to breathe life, though you were long gone. 
I never understood why you left me hanging;
I gathered the embers all on my own.

I no longer carry wood to a dead pyre. 
I tried my best, now I'm letting go. 
You know who you are; I pass you the lighter;
It's up to you now to rekindle the fire. 
 

In Memoriam

Her crying was relentless, her voice was shrill, 
Her body was weak but she never stood still
Her eyes were emeralds, staring up with hope
Perched on my shoulder, my girl came home. 

She was my princess, my spoiled child,
The exquisite beauty that stole my heart.

The dark lines ran across her delicate face
Like a painting that dared me to find its equal.

She was mine, and mine alone
And I was hers; that much she knew.
She slept on my bed and kept it warm
Everyday, she welcomed me home. 

Life hasn't been the same without her
Nobody awaits me when I come home
To an empty house, full of her memories
The beautiful moments of her short life.

Mercilessly was she taken from me
Before my eyes she breathed her last. 
Cut me open, it would have hurt less!
She sleeps eternally beneath the dirt. 

She never did anything wrong, yet 
This fatal fate awaited her.
Had she been with someone but me
She may have lived longer than three.

But no, she would have died alone,
A starving kitten out on the streets.
She had warmth and food, and people who cared;
At least she had a place to call home. 

Forgive me, child, I failed to protect you
From all the evil that lurked outdoors
Does it even matter, does anything else?
No one misses you more than I do.

I want to kiss you one more time, 
Feel your warmth and the touch of your fur. 
I want to lay down by your side
With you in my arms, you in my mind. 

Dearest, you maybe far away, but 
Your paw print is forever etched on my skin. 
I'll see you again, just wait for me;
I'll see you on this side of the Rainbow Bridge. 

16th October, 2017.

 

6 Infinity Stone Themed Cocktails For Every Marvel Fan

It only took us two months. The journey was long and tedious. Sacrifices were made. But our hard work has paid off. All six Infinity Drinks are now in our possession. It is up to us to bring balance to the universe.

Check out these simple, yet beautiful cocktails, that taste just as good as they look.

1. Loki's Temptation [Space Stone]

Blue Curacao, Lemon Juice, Coconut Rum

Mesmerizingly blue (just like Tom Hiddleston's eyes), this drink captures everything about the Tesseract; it's beauty and it's power. With it's sweet taste and strong punch, it surely is a temptation; not just to the God of Mischief. 

2. The Psionic [Mind Stone]

White Rum, Pineapple Juice, Lemon Juice

From Loki's Scepter to Vision's forehead, and finally to the Infinity Gauntlet, the mind stone has had quite the journey. This drink can surely open your mind to the wonderful new possibilities that can arise from such a modest combination of ingredients. 

3. Athereal [Reality Stone]

Cranberry Juice, Apple Vodka

This drink may be easy on the eyes, but it sure packs a punch. The sweetness of cranberry and the essence of apple vodka blend perfectly to make a delicious drink that can change your reality. 

4. Morag's Secret [Power Stone]

White Rum, Blue Curacao, Black Currant Juice

This drink won't make you the most powerful being in the Universe, but it will surely make you feel like one. Blue curacao and black currant juice, mixed in the perfect proportion (2:3) gives the magnificent violet colour. Add to it your preferred amount of white rum and soon you'll be challenging your bros to random dance-offs. 

5. Timeless [Time Stone]

Pineapple Juice, Lemon Juice, Vodka, Blue Curacao

The perfect blend of pineapple juice and blue curacao gives this drink that all-powerful, emerald-green colour. Grab this drink for a relaxing afternoon and watch as time slips by. 

6. Vormir's Soul [Soul Stone]

Whiskey, Brandy, Lemon Tea, Cinnamon

Undeniably the most complicated drink on this list, Vormir's Soul features a variety of ingredients, from Darjeeling tea brewed in the traditional Chinese method, to infused cinnamon and other spices. Add to that some whiskey and a dash of brandy, and you'll have yourself a smooth and zesty drink.

My problem with Mother's Day

Today, you will see many posts about how mothers are goddesses - flawless and perfect in every way. They do their assigned jobs without complaint. They take on all the tasks like every mother should. They do everything they are meant to do. A mother not only gives us unconditional love and support, but also cooks food, washes clothes, and keeps the house clean. 
Because who else would do it except her... right?

The best way to beat someone into submission is by glorifying the very thing you want them to do. 

The whole purpose of Mother's Day has somehow become to praise women for doing everything that was forced upon them, and so, to keep them locked up in the endless cycle of enforced gender roles. When you raise 'Mother' to 'Goddess', you are denying her the very basic right to be treated as a human being. 

People have traditionally set up some impossibly high standards of what a mother should be. If any woman does not meet these standards, her motherhood is immediately questioned. Mother's Day is the celebration of motherhood as an idea; as an image. It is over-exaggerated, praised to the high heavens and reinforced over and over again. Mother's Day is about reminding women of this image and urging them to stick to it, because if you don't conform to this image, you have somehow failed as a mother. 

When you say, 'Motherhood completes a woman,' you are robbing a woman of her choice and of her right over her own body, and reducing her to merely a vessel of procreation. Mother's Day is the celebration of women staying in their "rightful" place - within the four walls of a home, and doing the "right" jobs - that of raising children and maintaining the household. 

What we so badly need is for society to stop fetishizing the idea of Motherhood. 

For now, let's celebrate Mother's Day for all the right reasons. Let us celebrate our moms for who they are as a person, not just their motherhood. Let us celebrate their awesomeness - their dreams, ideas, passions and achievements. Let's celebrate their individuality. 

Instead of an idea, let's celebrate a person. 

Happy Mother's Day. 

Call Me By Your Name - Alternate Ending

 

It was winter when he received that unexpected phone call and heard a voice that made his heart race. No one else could say his name like he did.

                “Elio?”

                 “Oliver! Hi! I’ve missed you.”

                “I’ve missed you too.”

Elio’s parents then talked to him. The usual questions. How are you? How are things going on there?  Typical. Then they left Elio to let him speak to Oliver in private.

                “Elio,” Elio whispered. “Elio… Elio… Elio….”

                There was a long silence at the other end.

                “Oliver,” he finally said. Elio blushed. “I haven’t forgotten,” said Oliver. Of course he hadn’t.

                Then he said it. Marriage.

As Elio’s mother and Mafalda lay the table, Elio sat in front of the fireplace and wept. There was nothing he could do to stop the tears. He wanted Oliver to be there, right next to him.

                “Elio?” Mother called.

                He wanted to tell her. Tell her everything.  But he would tell his father later on in the night. He would tell his father and he would weep while he said it. Out of joy. Out of pure, unrestrained joy.

                He asked me to marry him.

He wore a tuxedo. Naturally. It felt strange. Elio had never seen him in something that covered up so much of his luxurious skin. People knew. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was Oliver was waiting for him.

                They left for the States soon, each pursuing his own line of work. They had an apartment and lived like any other married couple. As Elio snuggled closer to Oliver each night, he knew there was nothing to worry about. He wouldn’t pack up and leave one day. He’d be with him forever.

                Every summer they went back to Italy. To the farm. They stayed in the same room. Elio’s room, where the memories of their first encounter was still fresh.  The French windows. The balcony. The peaches. The gate to beach still creaked. The book store. The post office. Every single place they visited over and over again, each time looking back on the very first time they were there.

The years went by. The seats at the dinner table grew by one. Vimini was very intelligent, just like her namesake. Two protective fathers and one brilliant child. Her grandmother laughed thinking of all the things she would put her fathers through.

                The three of them were there when Elio’s father died. They were there when they buried his ashes. They were there all throughout. Elio, Oliver, and their daughter Vimini. 

                One time he had asked Oliver if he remembered what happened on their balcony twenty years ago.  “Of course, I remember, you dummy,” Oliver had said. “We’re married.”

                They sat around the same dinner table; laughing, joking, drinking wine. Elio looked around; at the people he loved most. His husband Oliver. Husband. He’s my husband.

                There was nothing more important than family. Nothing in the whole wide world. Elio smiled. This was heaven.

The Fading Skies: Light Pollution vs The Most Magnificent Sight Known to Humankind.

Look up at the sky. What do you see? Definitely not even half of what our ancestors saw. That sight has been long lost.

Not many notice. Even less care. But how horrifying it is, to look up at the night sky and not see the billions of stars in this vast universe that we are a part of...

We say human race has come far. We explored space and touched other worlds. But what good is any of that if our skies are so polluted, that we cannot even receive the tiniest glimpse of our little corner of the universe? How low have we sunk, that the same stars that our ancestors saw are now hidden from us by a veil? What will our children see? What will our grandchildren see? How will you look up and tell them stories about the Hunter and the Scorpion, if you can't see them anymore?

In our mad quest to bring light to the darkest corners of the world, we have turned ourselves away from the magnificence of the Cosmos. From the stars are we born. We are all made of star-stuff. Now, we have turned away from the very thing that created and nurtured us, and the sights of the heavens have become lost.

"It makes sense to revere the Sun and the stars, for we are their children." ~ Carl Sagan.

We have let light pollution snatch away from us the most brilliant sight we could ever hope to see, and our little speck of dust in the immense emptiness of space has become more isolated than ever. By the lights of our little world, we have lost the beauty of light beyond.

Turn off the lights, put out the lamps, and gaze up in unison at the brilliance of this incredible Cosmos that we are all a part of.