It’s the villain in me That sets me back, That forces me to give up Or give in.   I see the darkness, Not the light. I see hopelessness Not the flickering flame That may be in sight.   She steals my courage, Leaves me trembling with fear. How I wish I could put up a fight, But I choose to let the villain stay.   This villain She’s controlling, Not accepting, Resisting inevitable change. She introduced me to overthinking And negativity too. I can’t live my life Allowing this villain to rule; I’ve got to let her go.   She still visits, But I’m trying: Choosing to be the person I want to be. Writing my own shining story.   I 'm participating in the weekly Blogchatter Bloghop challenge. 

    I’m something that you desperately miss during a power outage. If you’re a bookworm, be it natural or artificial light, you can’t do without me. I’ve been around since the beginning, ever since God said, “Let there be light.” I travel fast, faster than you running to catch the last bus. You humans adore both the natural and artificial me. I’m in the functional light bulb, tube light, and streetlamp. It’s the gorgeous me in the chandelier and lamp. You love me dressed in gold at dawn and in weaves of silver at night. I live in the stars. It was I who guided the three wise men to the stable where the little babe Jesus was born. I can shimmer like auroras, glow like fireflies, and strike like lightning. You’ll see me twinkling on the Christmas tree and in the steady, tranquil flame of a diya. In fact, Diwali is also known as the ‘festival of light’ because I symbolise good and drive away the darkness of evil. How do you love fireworks? It’s just me strutting my st...

 Freedom   I’m freedom. The dictionary defines me as a state of not being held prisoner or controlled by somebody else.” (A few years ago, I penned the following lines on freedom.) Oh! To be free Just to be me To say as I please To stay or to leave.   To hold on, to let go To say no. To learn and to discern To marry or to live alone.   I live as a hope in the hearts and minds of those shackled by the chains of oppression and injustice. Children longing to be freed from the horrors of war and other evils hanker after me, longing to live as children should.   I’m sought after by women denied their rights and subjected to inhuman treatment. You’ll hear my name whispered in prayers, poems, speeches and songs of protest. You’ll get a glimpse of me every time the oppressed dare to think of a better life. Nations have borne long struggles to make theirs.  I’m often bruised, beaten, buried, silenced, or delayed, but I grow ...

 December   The countdown to December starts in October. In other words, the countdown to Christmas begins then. For the Christian community, December is synonymous with Christmas. It’s party time and a period for family reunions. The preparations for the festivities begin in October or even earlier. Many thus wrap up December on a joyful and hopeful note, looking forward to a brand new start in the new year.  If I walk down memory lane, I’d find myself back in the little cottage that I lived in with Mom, Dad, and Brother. Mom prepared a fantastic array of Christmas sweets and savouries almost single-handedly. I so vividly recall dad stringing up the red and white streamers across the living room ceiling, the excitement of arranging the crib and decorating the Christmas tree and the can’t-wait-to-open presents.’ The best curtains and cushion covers were brought out, and little me faithfully penned a letter to Santa for quite a few years. I don’t remember attend...

Children are the spring in your step and the sunshine in your day. Bubbling with curiosity and mischief a child will keep you on your toes. A child will love you unconditionally and will ask to be loved in return. The sound of a child's laugh may thaw the most frozen heart. Take away the online or video games and children will indulge in physical play as if their life depended on it. One of the best memories of my childhood is play time. From Hide and Seek to the boisterous  Kabbadi, I played and played well. There was cricket and football of the gully kind. Awesome play and awesome childhood.  I was quite fascinated by cars as well and dad indulged me with a battery of toy two and four wheelers. Children love receiving gifts.  Receiving gifts is a big part of childhood. The expectations and then the exclamations when the gift is opened. So much thought goes into those annual letters to the granddaddy of gift gives -Santa Claus...