Rants, Art and Literature

  Prompt: 15) Attitude My attitude towards life is simple: It's the time between birth and death— A sequence of events from your first cry, All leading to death; But these moments are what count: What you choose and what you don't; Your attitude towards all that comes your way, Your attitude towards the people in your life. Author’s thoughts ‘Life’ is a poem about one’s attitude towards life. I don’t have much to say about this because I didn’t like the poem myself. But as per the disclaimer, I can post bad poems. So, I’m sorry if you’re disappointed because I couldn’t write anything else. I have a gig on Fiverr where I’ll write a poem for you on any topic you want. You can find that gig  here  if you are interested in availing my service. This prompt is given by Trisha Saha.

  Prompt: 14) Distress The pain and distress you feel, When tumbling down from the hill, Is far greater than when you climbed it. When you climb you have a goal in mind, And then if you stop to look behind: You will be happy at how far you've come. Then the pain in your feet, And the distress of the heat, Will feel like challenges you're going to overcome. But when you've reached the peak, The scent of victory you'll lick: But you forget that there's no way but down. Then you'll trip on an abandoned shoe, And come tumbling down, as if you never flew, You'll scream, terrified. Your hands would try to grab on to: Rocks, branches and anything would do: But they'd all slip because of the sweat on your palms. You'll get caught in thorns and bushes, Try to exert futile pushes, To steady yourself, but alas. Now you've fallen, hurt and pained, And just look at what you've gained: Scratches, bruises and hairline fractures. Author’s thoughts “The Distr

  Prompt: 11) Bare I wish I could be like her— Spread myself on the pages: Words would outline my bare silhouette, While the punctuations carved out my features. But, alas! I'm not that bold, Where her bare body is gilded in gold, Mine is flimsy, falling apart, Even with chainmail armour! If I had the courage, or the boldness, To writhe naked in poems and songs, If I kissed you with the barest truth, Would you dare to kiss me back? Author’s thoughts I was quite influenced by Kamala Das’s poetry before writing this poem. The ‘her’ or ‘she’ refers to Kamala Das the poetess herself. She is known for her ‘Literary Striptease’ kind of confessional poetry and ‘Would you kiss me back?’ is primarily a poem about how I’m not bold enough to carry out this confessional mode of poetry. The body in line 5 refers to the personality and experiences of the poetess which she so confidently put to display. In the last four lines, I ‘think aloud’ about what would happen if I had the boldness to displ

  Prompt: 9) Solidity A foundation is what keeps you standing, It all depends on its solidity. What materials you used to build you up, What tools you broke and improvised, What ratio of cement and sand you mixed, How many nights did you go roofless? It's all about how you build you up, And the solidity of your foundation. Author’s thoughts At my wit’s end on what to write on this prompt, I had to resort to cliched building metaphors. ‘Build you up’ is not something I’m very proud of. It doesn’t need much explanation so I’ll not go into further details about it. Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the prompt, yet the word seemed too foreign to my poetic vocabulary. It again reminded me that I have a lot to learn and a long way to write to. My poetic prowess is still under construction and in that way, this poem fits in personally with me. Even so, I believe that it could be a lot better and I couldn’t really do much justice to this prompt. I have a gig on Fiverr where

  Prompt: 8) Illusion The lavender smoke of the incense sticks, Rise up and coil into your lungs; The vigorous tolling of the bell, Strangely clashes with the drum. The priests are chanting rhythmic tunes, In an ancient long forgotten tongue; The empty bellied beggars sit outside, With open mouths and emptier souls. If God be here, God, how, How can you let your children starve? And if God be away, on some lame boy's cheeks: Why does the illusion in your name continue? Author’s thoughts ‘Two Questions to God’ is a short poem about the illusion some people create of God and the difference it has with the real definition of God. It doesn’t debate the existence of God, but asks Him why some people starve while some people are busy earning in His name. I have a gig on Fiverr where I’ll write a poem for you on any topic you want. You can find that gig  here  if you are interested in availing my service. This prompt is given by Suparna Ghosh.

World Environment Day is observed annually on 5th June to raise awareness and action about the protection of the environment. It was first observed in 1974. In the present, 143 countries participate in the global platform for public outreach. Each year, a theme or forum is provided to engage governments, businesses and citizens to address the pressing issues that concern the environment. This year’s theme This year, the theme is  Ecosystem restoration . Ecosystem restoration means helping in the recovery of degraded or destroyed ecosystems. However, it also includes protecting the ecosystems that are still intact. Studies show that every three seconds, the world loses enough forest that can cover a football pitch. Over the last century, 50% of the World’s wetlands have been destroyed. Again, over 50% of the world’s coral reefs have been destroyed. By 2050, it is estimated that this number will be 90%. Ecosystem restoration means putting a pause to this damage and rewinding it to provid

Social media As the second wave of the pandemic attacked India, I started to wonder what we'd have done without social media. There was utter chaos in the country owing to the poor management and unpreparedness of the authorities. The oxygen deficiency arised. Absence of vacant beds led patients to run from one hospital to another even when they were so sick they could barely walk. Infection spread everywhere. So many people I know got infected in such a small time frame. I felt so scared and helpless.  Helplessness The influence of friends I felt like crying and complaining all day. But then I remembered, if the authorities have failed us, we should take up the reigns ourselves. I was inspired by some amazing friends who were using social media, their clout and influence to share resources about the pandemic. They shared bed availability status, phone no. of oxygen dealers, food availability and all kinds of help that a good government should have provided.

Earth day is a celebration of the world we live in. It is a day created to bring awareness to the Earth and nature. It serves as a reminder that we are responsible for the safe-keeping of the planet for the generations to come. In this article you will find many earth day activities to help you play your part in bettering the world. But first let us delve into the significance of Earth Day. Learn more about Earth Day from the official page. When is Earth Day?  Earth Day is celebrated on 22nd April every year. The first Earth Day was celebrated on 22nd April, 1970 following the ravaging oil spill in Santa Barbara in January 1969. Senator Gaylord Nelson was inspired by the student anti-war movement and wanted to infuse the student energy into the emerging consciousness of the public about pollution. He and his co-chair Pete McCloskey recruited an young activist, Denis Hayes, to maximize student support. H