Life is random, or is it? As the year comes to an end, and it is time for reflections and resolutions for many, I hope to start working on myself with a renewed zeal (kind of started already)… But for today, I am just jotting down some of those quirky contemplations and whimsical wonderings that make up the chaotic circus within! Some thought bites, if you will….

Thought Bites: 13 Random Reflections on Poetry, Life, and More

Poetic Thought Bites

Poets and Poems

1 Nissim Ezekiel, an Indian Jewish poet born in Bombay in December 1924, was a poet extraordinaire in his own rights. Read his poems for yourself to see what I mean. His poem, The Professor, is a vernacular delight with so much to infer for all its simplicity. Here are the first few lines of the poem. Read it in its entirety in the link provided.

Remember me? I am Professor Sheth.
Once I taught you geography. Now
I am retired, though my health is good. My wife died some years back.
By God’s grace, all my children
Are well settled in life.
One is Sales Manager,
One is Bank Manager,
Both have cars.
Other also doing well, though not so well.

2. Still talking about Nissim Ezekiel.. I am so confused about his birthday now. I initially started writing about him since I had noted his birthdate down as the 14th of December from one source. But Wikipedia shows it as the 16th of December while another source says it is the 24th. If you know the correct birthdate for Ezekiel, do let me know, for no reason except to belay my confusion and satisfy my curiosity!

Looking back at my Sunday Scribblings post, I realize that I have him down for both those dates – the 14th and the 16th!! Goofed up for sure but..

Contd.. Poets and Poems

3. It is Jane Austen’s birthday on the 16th of December, and here is a poem by her

4. Next up is Safia Elhillo (also December 16th birthday). She is a brilliant poet and writer! I loved her Home is Not a Country and The January Children as well. Read her cleave poem ‘yasmeen‘ here at the Poetry Foundation.

Poems by Moi

5. It has been forever since I popped in at the Poets Pub over at dVerse. I used to love reading the stunning poems by everyone there, and decided I needed to stop by once more before the year ends.. to end this year like I plan/hope to begin the next one..

This week’s Thursday prompt for poetry form is rhyming recipe, and here is my attempt today. A short one for I cannot think too much.. see #… brain freeze not the ice-cream induced type too..

Talking about icecream reminds me of this kulfi we made and loved during the pandemic. While it is not exactly a cold weather treat, I will eat some ice cream anytime of the year. So here is a rhyming recipe for a no-cook kulfi..The original recipe is here.

Chilled Melodies
Be ready to whip, a concoction so sweet,
A rhyme for your taste buds, a frozen feat.
Evaporated milk, from the can, gently pour,
Add half a can condensed – sweetness to adore.
Saffron strands, to lend that golden hue,
In warm milk’s embrace, you gently strew.
Cardamom’s whispers, six pods ground,
Adds a touch of spice, a flavor profound.
Mixed nuts join, a coarsely chopped delight,
Pistachios and more, whatever sounds right.
Whole milk, just a note (or not) in this creamy song,
Sugar’s optional touch, you decide – how strong.
In a blender’s embrace, they unite,
A blend of flavors, soon to be a frozen delight.
Into molds you let them flow, a liquid ballet,
Freeze-bound magic, with just a tiny delay.
Three to four hours, or maybe a bit more,
For soon a kulfi symphony you will explore.
Garnish with nuts to make it a visual treat,
And mmm… savor this cool delish sweet.
~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

6. Previous recipe and food related poems are here and here. (as well as here and here too). There are more but I can’t find them now!

The Thought Bites at Homemaker Me

7. In the battle of the robotic vacuum versus the non-robotic one, the handheld version won it in our household. The Deebot Ecovac was good and really convenient for it vacuums and mops, and it is so much to watch it go about its task. But it was just not for us. Now we are back with a brand new Dyson – the V10 Animal Cyclone – and we love it just as much as we did our older Dyson. We still have the old one. It will find a new home in my son’s college apartment in the new year.

8. I seem to be constantly at war with and losing every battle with the kitchen floor…I have even thought to myself that there is a vindictive invisible being that comes around and messes up the floor just so every few hours! Instead of removing the vacuum each time (and as I mentioned, the robotic one is just not for us), I have gone back to how we used to clean it back home in India – using the humble bristle broom. It is quick and easy, and gets all the corners the vacuum misses due to various issues.

Reflecting on Life

9. I miss calling my mom so much that the feeling of unfinished tasks over the days and weeks has piled on, and it feels like a huge thing I have missed doing. So I call others instead – my mil, my aunts, my mom’s friends who were a huge support during the days and weeks and months she was sick and who called me regularly for updates on mom and to simply talk to me.. so I call them now, and it helps fill that gap a teeny tiny bit… but it is never gone, and i know now that it will not go away anytime soon too.

Completely Random Thought Bites

10. I sometimes feel that there is an invisible something sitting in my brain going ‘freeze’ and my brain stops thinking, aka, writers block… And it has not yet said ‘go’! So there I am, in that perpetual frozen state…

11. My DH regularly sends me videos to watch – most often funny ones, and at other times eye-openers or just random ones. I love this recent one:

12. This led me to try it out in this ‘refine zebra’ state that I am! I know I am not going to find my way out of it in a ‘bin freezer’ or in that ‘breeze if ran’ me! Did you get it? I am referring to that brain freeze I mentioned earlier!

13. With all those connections I made between different random thoughts before, I wonder – are they really random then? Can they be called random ones at all? But anyway, that leads me to one last connecting question for you.. have you played the word game Connections (discovered it when I got back to playing Wordle recently – on the NY times). For example, this is today’s unsolved puzzle. You basically group these words using the connections between them.

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, what random thoughts have cropped up for you today? Do let me know…

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